Sheriff clarifies why 9-1-1 call released

Van Wert County Sheriff Stan D. Owens noted that, because of various inquiries related to the release of a recent 9-1-1 call, he felt the need to clarify why the call was released.

The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that, under the Ohio Public Information Act, 9-1-1 calls and initial police incident reports are a matter of public record and must be released, if requested. Therefore, refusal to release a 9-1-1 call is a violation of state law.

“This is one of these areas we don’t necessarily agree with; however, we must follow the law and the Supreme Court of Ohio ruling regarding the release of 9-1-1 calls.

A number of people have protested release of a 9-1-1 call related to a fatal accident involving Rockford area resident Brianna Coon.