Top 10 of ’23: election, 2 separate murders

Editor’s note: The Van Wert independent is doing a series of articles on what it has identified as the top 10 local news stories of 2023. This is the final installment of the series, featuring the top two stories of the year.

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

No. 2 – Markward re-elected, city council gets three new members

Van Wert Mayor Ken Markward was successful in his bid for a second term in office. During the November 7 general election, the incumbent mayor easily outdistanced a pair of challengers by receiving 1,631 votes, compared to 778 for Fred Fisher and 632 votes for Linda Agler-Evans.

There will be three new faces on Van Wert City Council in 2024, plus a famililar one in a different role, along with a new city auditor.

Newcomer Thad Eikenbary won his bid to become council president, with 1,672 votes. He’ll replace Jerry Mazur, who chose not to seek re-election. Kirby Kelly was second with 559 votes and Andrew Davis, who served two terms as fourth ward councilman, was third with 526 votes. Current At-Large Councilman Bill Marshall will take over for Davis in the fourth ward, after running unopposed in that race.

Newcomer Jana Ringwald will join city council as an at-large member. She was the top vote getter with 1,653 votes. Judy Bowers (1,579 votes) and Jeff Kallas (1,555) won re-election bids for council at-large seats, while Joe Jared finished fourth with 776 votes.

Jordan Dettrow will be the new second ward representative. He ran unopposed and will fill the seat held by David Stinnett, who opted not to run for another term.

First Ward Councilman Jeff Agler won his bid for re-election by defeating challenger Kurt Schalois 290-168.

The city’s new auditor will be Erika Blackmore, who ran unopposed to replace longtime auditor Martha Balyeat, who’s retiring at the end of the year.

No. 1 – two men arrested in connection with separate murders

Murder is a crime rarely seen in Van Wert and the surrounding area, but it happened twice in the city limits in September.

The body of Barbara Ganger, 43, was discovered on September 4, after the Van Wert Police Department was called to do a welfare check at her residence at Van Wert West Apartments on W. Main St. Officers made entry to the apartment and found Ganger deceased inside. She had been shot twice, once in the stomach area and once in the head.

Her alleged killer, Ryan Houser, 38, was arrested and jailed in Mercer County September 8 on unrelated charges of having a weapon under disability and a probation/parole violation. He was indicted by a Van Wert County grand jury November 2, and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing five days later. Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin Burchfield set bond was at $1 million.

Houser is facing four charges, aggravated murder, an unclassified felony; murder, an unclassified felony; possessing a weapon under disability, a third degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a third degree felony.

Houser and Ganger reportedly had a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

The second murder occurred September 30. According to a police report, the victim, Roy D. Watts, 59, was involved in a verbal argument and physical altercation at his S. Vine St. home with Larry Andrus Jr., 48, of Van Wert.

Andrus was interviewed by Van Wert Police shortly after the incident, along with at least one other witness to the altercation. He was indicted by a grand jury on November 2, but fled the area. He was arrested November 8 by U.S. Marshals in Bay County, Florida, while traveling on a Greyhound bus from Pennsylvania. Members of the Florida Caribbean Regional Task Force, Panama City Division made the arrest. He was transported back to Van Wert County three weeks later.

During his arraignment, Andrus entered a not guilty plea to charges of murder, an unclassified felony; voluntary manslaughter, a first degree felony; two counts of involuntary manslaughter, both first degree felonies, and strangulation, a second degree felony. His bond was set at $500,000.

Both men remain in jail, pending future court proceedings.