RICHLAND TOWNSHIP – On July 25, 2024, at approximately 11:55 p.m., troopers with the Lima Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were on routine patrol when a trooper identified a vehicle that had been reported stolen traveling north on Interstate Route 75. The vehicle was confirmed as stolen by the Lima Police Department. A traffic stop was initiated with the 2017 Chevrolet Impala and the driver of the stolen vehicle failed to stop; a pursuit ensued.
Troopers with the Findlay Post were requested to assist and deployed stop stick devices. The pursuit traveled approximately 11 miles before the suspect vehicle struck the rear of a 2022 Ford F-150 in Eagle Township, southwest of Findlay. The driver of the F-150 pulled to the right berm. The stolen Impala entered the median and rolled over several times, coming to final rest on its top. The driver of the stolen vehicle was taken into custody without further incident.
The driver of the stolen vehicle was identified as Ryan A. Aab, age 16, of Lima. He was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital with suspected minor injuries. The driver of the F-150 was identified as Terry W. Hopper, age 47, of Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Bluffton Police Department provided the following docket of calls and responses for June 2024
POLICE DOCKET – JUNE 2024
June 2
Officers responded to the 100 block of Garmatter Street for a criminal damage complaint.
June 3
Officers arrested a Lima resident for driving without a valid driver’s license following a traffic stop in the area of Snider Road near Main Street for a speeding violation. The case is pending in Lima Municipal Court.
Officers responded to a business in the 100 block of South Main Street for a complaint of a subject passing bad checks.
June 4
Officers responded to the 100 block of North Jackson Street in reference to a theft complaint.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol announced that an OVI checkpoint will be held in Allen County on the evening of July 19. The OVI checkpoint, funded by federal grant funds, is planned to deter and intercept impaired drivers.
On Saturday, July 13 at 3:00 p.m., the Beyond the Call of Duty “End of Watch Ride to Remember” will be arriving in Bluffton to honor fallen Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis (EOW March 31, 2022).
The rolling memorial will be arriving at the Bluffton Dairy Freeze, 595 S Main St, around 3:00 p.m. and leaving around 4:30 p.m. with a police escort through downtown Bluffton.
Beyond the Call of Duty and the End of Watch Ride to Remember is an organization out of Spokane Valley, WA that travels the country with their rolling memorial every other summer to honor the officers that were killed in the line of duty in the previous two years.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting 16 people lost their lives in 15 traffic crashes during the July Fourth reporting period, which began Wednesday, July 3 at midnight and ended Sunday, July 7 at 11:59 p.m.
