Flood Watch issued September 20 at 1:07PM EDT until September 21 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

* WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.
* WHERE...Portions of Indiana, including the following counties, Dearborn, Fayette, Franklin, Ripley, Union and Wayne and Ohio, including the following counties, Adams, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Highland, Hocking, Licking, Logan, Madison, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Shelby, Union and Warren.
* WHEN...From 7 PM EDT this evening through Monday morning.
* IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rain will impact the area overnight. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected with locally higher amounts. The heavy rain combined with saturated ground will lead to potential flash flooding.

Flood Warning issued September 20 at 1:05PM EDT until September 21 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

...Forecast flooding changed to Minor severity and increased in duration for the following rivers...
St. Marys River at Rockford.
* WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast.
* WHERE...St. Marys River at Rockford.
* WHEN...Until Monday morning.
* IMPACTS...At 13.0 feet, State Route 117 near Route 118 north of Rockford is water-covered and closed.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 12:40 PM EDT Sunday the stage was 13.0 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 13.0 feet this afternoon. It will then fall below flood stage just after midnight tonight. - Flood stage is 13.0 feet.

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Death of former area man under investigation

By Margie Wuebker

The Darke County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the suspicious death of a former Fort Recovery man whose decomposed body was discovered Sunday afternoon inside a recreational vehicle near Union City.

Detectives were called to State Line Road around 12:15 p.m. after the unidentified property owner found the body of 58-year-old Vernon Woodyard inside the older model motor home.

Woodyard had previously resided on Boundary Street in Fort Recovery before moving to the Union City area several years ago.

Initially, no positive identification could be made due to the advanced state of decomposition, according to Detective Sgt. Mark Whittaker. Neither Woodyard nor his white 1991 Chevrolet work van had been seen in several days.

"Mr. Woodyard had talked about going to Kentucky to visit relatives and the property owner assumed he had," the detective explained.

The man reportedly detected a foul odor emanating from the motor home late Sunday morning and went inside to investigate. He quickly placed a call to 911.

Authorities immediately issued an alert requesting people to be on the lookout for the missing vehicle. The van was recovered Monday night from Schoenlein Trucking & Salvage, located between Maria Stein and Osgood in southern Mercer County.

Mercer County Sheriff's Detective Lance Crum was called to the salvage yard on Mercer-Darke County Line Road, around 6 p.m. Monday after authorities in Darke County received a tip regarding the location of the missing van. Crum told the newspaper he had assisted them in tracking down some of Woodyard's relatives in the area.

Whittaker told The Daily Standard the business owner purchased the vehicle from someone as scrap on Saturday, but declined to provide additional details. The van was seized and returned to the sheriff's office in Darke County for processing. It will be held throughout the ensuing investigation.

The time, cause and manner of Woodyard's death have not been determined pending completion of a forensic report from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

"A full and complete investigation into this suspicious death will continue," Whittaker said. "We have questions and want to cover all bases."

Archive of July 23rd, 2008

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