A recap of local news that happened in the 2014-2015 academic year including the HallOUween block party, Union Street fire, the Pat Kelly trial and fest season arrests.
This year has not been without news for Athens.
While students moved from class to class, Athens experienced numerous changes that transformed the landscape of the town, from Uptown fires to a new sheriff in town.
Shots fired at block party
During OU’s annual Athens Halloween Block Party in late October, gunshots were fired into the air at about 2 a.m. on the south side of Court Street, according to previous Post reports.
Officers witnessed a man fire three shots into the air and quickly disappear into the crowd.
After an "exhaustive search" of Hudson Health Center, police officers found a handgun they believe was the gun fired, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said in a statement.
After canvassing both Uptown and OU’s campus, police officers never located a suspect.
Union Street fire
In the early morning hours of Nov. 16, Athens Fire Department responded to a call of smoke originating from the alley behind Chipotle. Soon after, firefighters from six fire departments battled a blaze that soon engulfed five Union Street buildings.
About 40 OU students were displaced from their apartments, four of which were transported to O’Bleness Hospital. OU put the students up in surrounding hotels until they were allowed to return to their apartments or were placed in dorms through residential housing.
New sheriff
For three weeks in February, Athens County residents watched as sheriff Pat Kelly went through the trial that would ultimately end in a seven-year prison sentence.
Kelly was found guilty on 18 of 25 counts that included theft, perjury, theft in office, failing to keep a cash book and engaging in corrupt activity.
Kelly was deemed guilty for:
12 counts of theft in office — including the sale for personal benefit of county property to McKee Auto Parts & Recycling
One count of perjury for not handing over sheriff’s office documents to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation when asked and lying under oath in September 2013 saying he had provided all documents relating to confidential informants
One count of failure to keep a cashbook, which would have documented expenditures and assets of the sheriff’s department
Three counts of theft, relating to money taken from sheriff’s office funds that was spent on meals, money withdrawn from the sheriff’s campaign account for personal use and cash raised through a campaign spaghetti dinner that was taken by Kelly
One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, which included Kelly instructing friend Pearl Graham to facilitate criminal actions by selling county property, and then ignoring the requirement to provide car titles when scrapping vehicles at McKee’s
After the trial, Kelly filed for an appeal.
Kelly was suspended during the investigation and trial, which led retired Lieutenant Rodney Smith to step up as interim sheriff. Now, Smith resides as Athens County’s permanent sheriff.
While Smith acted as interim sheriff, the Athens County Commissioners voted to pay both law enforcement officers the same salary while the case was investigated. When Kelly was found guilty, the commissioners petitioned for him to pay back what the county had paid him during his suspension, totaling $85,406.50 in salary and benefits.
Death of police dog
In early April, Athens county residents mourned the death of the sheriff’s office K-9 unit, Ryder, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois who died in a house fire. An animal carrier draped with an American flag was taken from the scene.
Ryder was in the home of Deputy John Kulchar, who is the head of the sheriff’s office K-9 department. Bane, another canine in the house, died in the fire.
Ryder was imported from France and received his daily commands in French from Deputy Kulchar. Ryder detected narcotic drugs on a daily basis for the sheriff’s office for a year and a half.
Fest season
As the Ohio weather began to thaw in mid-March, Ohio University students broke out their snapbacks, jerseys and sunglasses to celebrate fest season. Students who live on Mill Street, Milliron Street, Palmer Street, Palmer Place and High Street held house parties from morning until law enforcement shut them down mid-afternoon on the streets’ designated weekends.
Since a couch caught on fire during a fest six years ago, law enforcement in the city has become more strict, leading to fests ending earlier in the day and less extravagant parties taking place. Some fests continued to show high arrest rates, with Palmer Fest turning out a 72 percent increase in arrests from 2014, while some continue to drop, with Mill Fest arrests decreasing about 30 percent from 2014.
The Number Fest, an annual music festival, was held in Athens in the spring, but the volume of traffic, visitors, and damaged property lead Athens City Council to consider annexing the music festival.
At a city council meeting, Athens Police Department Capt. Ralph Harvey said EMS reported it tended to 81 patients at the event, transported 26 to nearby hospitals and life flighted two fest-goers from the event itself.
Although the fest takes place out of city limits, the event still costs the city about $30,000 Councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd Ward, said at the same meeting. In future years, Number Fest could possibly be a thing of the past.
@emilybohatch
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@Fair3Julia
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