Findlay court sentences Dante Tate on charges related to Bluffton officer's death

FINDLAY—The Lima News has reported that Dante Tate, 19, has been sentenced following his pleading guilty on charges related to the March 31, 2022 death of Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis.

Hancock County Common Please Judge Reginald Routson sentenced Tate to prison terms of 15 months on two counts, to be served consecutively. The counts are complicity to receiving stolen property and receiving stolen property.

A two-year prison sentence was issued to Tate by a Medina County judge for the felonies of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer.

Tate is one of three men in a vehicle that struck and killed Francis during a high-speed chase. Zachary Love, 22, is scheduled to stand trial on March 27, having been charged with receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, having weapons under disability, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property. Emin Johnson, 21, faces charges including two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Johnson is scheduled to stand trial in Hancock County on April 24.

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