Top 10 stories of ’24: No. 8, No. 7

Editor’s note: As the end of 2024 draws near, the Van Wert independent is publishing what it judges to be the Top 10 stories of the year. Articles featuring two stories each will be published daily, with the top two stories published on Tuesday, December 31. Today’s article features the No. 8 and No. 7 top stories.

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

No. 8 – Local law enforcement agencies start using body cameras

The Van Wert Police Department and the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office joined a growing number of law enforcement agencies that use body cameras.

The Van Wert Police Department’s officers were outfitted with the new equipment in April, and dash cams were installed in the department’s cruisers. A grant of $84,468 from the Ohio-Body Worn Camera Grant Program and money already set aside in the budget made the purchase possible.

During an interview with The VW independent, Van Wert Police Sgt. Adam Wehage, who researched the cameras and did a presentation at PELC (Police Executive Leadership College) in Dublin, Ohio, said the cameras benefit to the police department and the public.

“It helps officers when writing reports to get more accurate details of it (an incident),” he explained. “There’s a lot of statistics that say they actually help de-escalate a situation when people know they’re being recorded, and there’s greater transparency. It’s come in handy – I’ve been able to recount things better that somebody said during a report, been able to go in and review our stuff.”

“It helps with public trust,” Van Wert Police Chief Doug Weigle said. “It also helps if someone makes a bunch of false claims…it makes a lot of sense that most of my department wanted this to help protect them.”

Policy calls for the Axon brand body cameras to be turned on with nearly every interaction with several exceptions, including officer safety, strategy discussions, privileged conversations between a suspect and an attorney, and to protect the amonymity of a witness or informant.

The dashboard cameras have automated license plate recognition, which makes it quick and easy for officers to find out if a car has been stolen.

The Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office also purchased body cameras and officially put them to use in November. An update will appear in a future story. The Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol has been equipped with body cameras since 2022.

No. 7 – Two murder trials postponed to 2025

Murder trials in Van Wert County are rare, with the last one occurring in 2017. Two such trials, separate and unrelated, were scheduled to take place this year but both were postponed until 2025.

The trial of Ryan Houser, 39, of Rockford was originally scheduled to stand trial the week of April 15 of this year, but the case was delayed multiple times by two changes of legal counsel, a suppression hearing and a lengthy list of motions.

Houser is the sole suspect in early September, 2023, death of Barbara Ganger, 43, of Van Wert. Ganger’s body was discovered after the Van Wert Police Department was dispatched to do a welfare check at her residence at Van Wert West Apartments on W. Main St. Officers discovered she had been shot twice, once in the stomach area and once in the head.

Houser is charged with aggravated murder, an unclassified felony; murder, an unclassified felony; possessing a weapon under disability, a third degree felony, and with tampering with evidence, also a third degree felony. Since his arrest, Houser has been in jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

Barring a plea bargain or a guilty plea, his trial is now scheduled to take place in April of 2025.

In a different case, Larry Andrus Jr., 49, of Van Wert was scheduled to stand trial in August, but it was postponed after several late motions were filed by defense attorney Barry Schroeder. New trial dates will likely be established during a pre-trial conference scheduled for Monday, January 6.

Unless there’s a plea bargain and/or a guilty plea, Andrus will be tried on 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. The charges are connected to the September 30, 2023, death of his stepfather, Roy D. Watts, 59, at his home on S. Vine St.

According to a police report, Andrus and Watts were involved in a verbal argument, followed by a physical altercation. The report stated that Andrus was interviewed by Van Wert Police shortly after the incident, along with at least one other witness to the altercation.

The case made headlines in the fall of 2023 when Andrus fled the area after he was indicted by a Van Wert County grand jury. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Bay County, Florida, while traveling on a Greyhound bus and was scheduled to arrive for an interview at a tattoo shop. He was arrested without incident. Andrus was booked into the Bay County Jail and waived extradition back to Ohio, then was transported back to Van Wert County in late November, 2023. He’s been in the local jail on $500,000 since his return.

Tomorrow: the No. 6 and No. 5 top stories.