Van Wert man surrenders, arrested after long standoff

Wise to be arraigned on Wednesday

VW independent staff

The man charged in connection with Tuesday night’s standoff at a home on Burt St. in Van Wert has a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

John D. Wise, 48, is scheduled to be arraigned in Van Wert Municipal Court via video hookup at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Bond will be set and a preliminary hearing will likely be scheduled. However, the case is expected to be transferred to Van Wert County Common Pleas Court at some point.

Wise is currently charged with aggravated menacing of a police officer, a fifth degree felony, and having weapons under disability, a third degree felony. Any additional charges would come from the Van Wert County Prosecutor’s Office.

Weigle thanks everyone for their help

Submitted information

Following Tuesday night’s standoff in Van Wert, Police Chief Doug Weigle penned an open letter thank everyone for their assistance and cooperation during the incident. The following is the letter as written.

As many know, last night’s incident was very intense. There were a lot of behind-the-scenes agencies I would like to take a moment and thank each one of those who don’t get recognition too often in these situations.

CERT Team, always willing to respond. They brought lights to assist and will always help in any capacity asked.

The Van Wert Fire Department supplied a fire truck, ambulance and personnel. They staged near the scene for any additional emergencies.

The Van Wert Water Department arrived in case we needed any water disconnected.

AEP and Dominion Gas had personnel to disconnect services if needed.

The response from several Law Enforcement agencies was very helpful.

Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office brought the Lenco BearCat and its SRT. This vehicle is a heavy duty, wheeled armored rescue and security vehicle.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol supplied a Lenco BearCat, ROOK and SRT as well. We were able to keep officers safe at the front and the back utilizing these vehicles.

The Van Wert Highway Patrol helped with outer perimeter and was available at incident command to help coordinate the assets provided.

The Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office utilized their drone team, negotiator and helped with the perimeter. They are also a big part of the Van Wert Police Department Special Response Team. Sheriff Tom Riggenbach was very helpful at incident command.

Lutheran Life Flight was called in and staged at the OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital.

I would also like to thank the community for their cooperation and patience.  Especially, the residents in the area of the incident that had to evacuate.

Guns, ammo seized…

A search warrant signed by Judge Eva Yarger led to the discovery of 10 long guns, four handguns and a sizable amount of ammunition at a Burt St. home on Tuesday. According to Van Wert Police Chief Doug Weigle, the majority of the guns were loaded. The home was the site of a standoff that lasted several hours, until late Tuesday night. VWPD photo

Tuesday standoff pictures…

Many law enforcement officers were stationed along Burt St. and the surrounding area late Tuesday afternoon and well into the night after an armed man barricaded himself inside a house. These photos show what the scene was like as the Van Wert Police Department, the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and others worked together to eventually end the standoff with no injuries. Click below to see the full photo gallery. Bob Barnes photos

Lincolnview student creates comic book

VW independent staff/submitted information

If you’ve ever wanted to meet a comic book creator – someone who came up with superheroes and the villain, sketched them out and wrote the story – your chance is coming and you won’t have to go very far.

Mason Welch, a fifth grade student at Lincolnview Elementary, recently won the Brumback Library Summer Reading Program comic book contest with his original comic featuring the superhero duo Super Spaghetti and Mega Meatball as they battle the evil villain, Dr. Garlic Bread.

Welch’s interest in comics began on family road trips, and his favorite series include Stranger Things and Sonic. To create his winning entry, he sketched out panels, wrote the dialogue, edited the story to ensure it flowed smoothly and avoided repetition, and then colored the illustrations.

“I was trying to think of a good superhero pair, and that’s how I came up with Super Spaghetti and Mega Meatball,” Welch said. “Lots of people don’t like garlic and it’s stinky, so that made sense for the villain!”

The contest has inspired Welch to continue creating comics. He is currently working on a second comic book and hopes to develop additional adventures featuring his original characters.

Welch thanked the Brumback Library Summer Reading program for the opportunity.

“It was my first time participating, and I definitely want to do it again.”

Outside of comic creation, Mason enjoys baseball, soccer, reading Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, riding bikes, playing outside, watching movies, and playing both the piano and trumpet.

Community members will have an opportunity to meet the young author and artist at a comic book launch and signing from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 10, at Alter Ego Comics, 230 N. Main St. in downtown Lima..

“Mason is exactly what comics are all about,” said Marc Bowker, owner of Alter Ego Comics. “A kid with a story to tell who did the work to get it published. We’re proud to host his launch, and we hope the community comes out to support a young local author.”

More testing ordered in Spirko appeal

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Additional evidence has been ordered to be tested in a Van Wert County murder case that dates back nearly 45 years.

Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin D. Burchfield recently signed an order for more evidence to be submitted for DNA testing in the case of John G. Spirko Jr., the man convicted of killing postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger in 1982.

Burchfield’s latest order, which was signed last month, calls for four more samples to be collected from the mobile home of John Willier in Findlay, including swabs from the family room area, master bedroom floor top joist and master bedroom floor side joist at Willier’s mobile home. The order specifies those samples are to be sent to Bode Technology in Virginia for testing, with Spirko covering the cost of the DNA testing and shipping.

The order states Bode Technology is required to itemize and preserve the evidence when it receives it and document the procedures used to maintain and preserve the evidence. It also said Bode will consult with Spirko’s legal counsel regarding the course of testing with the goal of analyzing any human DNA that can be recovered from the evidence. Bode is required to provide both sides with complete test results. It’s not clear if the samples have already been collected and/or tested and its unknown when the results may be ready.

Spirko, 80, is serving life in prison for the 1982 abduction and murder of Mottinger, who served as postmistress in the tiny village of Elgin, in southeast Van Wert County.

Mottinger was working at the Elgin Post Office when she was fatally stabbed during a robbery. Her body was found in a field in Hancock County more than a month later. According to reports, Mottinger’s body was wrapped in a canvas tarp that was covered in paint splatter, weighted down with concrete slabs and was secured by rope and duct tape. Her disappearance and murder made statewide headlines.

Financial aid meeting planned at NPAC

Submitted information

An informational meeting for parents/guardians of Van Wert County juniors and seniors regarding financial aid will be held at Van Wert High School from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, October 28.

Tony Dickman, Coordinator of Financial Aid at Ohio State-Lima will explain the step-by-step procedures for completing the FAFSA form and answer questions regarding the financial aid process. Additionally, representatives from the Van Wert County Foundation will explain the requirements and application procedures for securing grants.

The meeting will be held in the Niswonger Performing Art Center Lecture Hall. Attendees are asked to park on the Middle School side and enter through the side or front doors.

Heavy law enforcement presence on Burt St.

VW independent staff

A portion of Burt St. in Van Wert has been blocked off by law enforcement while authorities deal with a situation involving someone who is possibly armed. The Van Wert Police Department, the Van Wert Sheriff’s Office and the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol are at the scene.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, no other information is currently available. Check back for updates.

Early in-person voting starts in Ohio

Editor’s note: Van Wert resident Maddux McCray’s status on the ballot has been clarified in this story. McCray ran as a write-in during the May primary but his name appears on the November 3 ballot, meaning voters do not have to write in his name.

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Early in-person voting is underway for the November 3 general election, and ballots are also available by mail. In-person ballots may be cast at the Van Wert County Board of Elections Office, 1362 E. Ervin Rd., Van Wert.

There are eight local issues on the ballot, none of which are countywide:

• A 1.2 mill renewal levy for fire protection in the village of Venedocia.
• A 1.8 mill renewal levy for fire and EMS services in Jackson Township.
• A 1-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS services in Washington Township.
• A pair of 2-mill renewal levies in the village of Convoy, both for operating expenses.
• A 1.4 mill levy in Liberty Township (excluding the village of Ohio City) for fire protection.
• A 1-mill renewal levy for current expenses in Union Township.
• A 1-mill levy for the Tully-Convoy Park District for current operating expenses and future improvements.
• A 2-mill renewal levy for permanent improvements in the Crestview Local Schools district.

The only issue that will be voted on countywide is State Issue 3, a statewide constitutional amendment dealing with voting and photo identification.

No mayoral, city or village council, school board or township trustee races are on the ballot.

In fact, there’s just one local race. Incumbent State Representative Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) is seeking another term in the 82nd District and has two challengers – Libertarian Christopher Elder of Paulding and Democrat Maddux McCray of Van Wert, who ran as a write-in during the May primary election and became the Democratic nominee after exceeding the 50-vote threshold. The 82nd District encompasses all of Van Wert, Paulding and Putnam counties, along with the southern half of Defiance County.

Ohio’s early voting dates, hours set

VW independent staff

Here are early voting hours ahead of the November 3 general election. Early in-person voters must go to the Van Wert County Board of Elections, 1362 E. Ervin Rd., Van Wert, to cast a ballot.

• Tuesday-Friday, October 6 to 9: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday-Friday, October 12 to 16: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday-Friday, October 19 to 23: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, October 24: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, October 26: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 27: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Wednesday-Friday, October 28 to 30: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday, November 1: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 3.