Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 22 at 5:43PM EDT until March 23 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 73 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO RIPLEY SWITZERLAND
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE CAMPBELL KENTON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AURORA, BATESVILLE, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, CAMDEN, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MIDDLETOWN, MILAN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OSGOOD, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TROY, URBANA, VERSAILLES, VEVAY, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.
32° 32° Mon 47° Mon 47° 29° 29° Tue 53° Tue 53°
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Thursday, January 25th, 2024

Man, 79, sentenced for sexual battery

The 2 victims were both under age 10

By Abigail Miller
CELINA - A 79-year-old Celina man will serve at least 12 1/2 years in prison after he was sentenced on Wednesday morning in Mercer County Common Pleas Court for various child sex crimes.
Darrell M. Bollenbacher was sentenced via video appearance from the Mercer County jail to a minimum of 12 1/2 years and up to 15 years in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitations and Corrections on two counts of sexual battery, a second-degree felony, and one count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony.
Bollenbacher was originally charged with one count of rape, a first-degree felony, and seven counts of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony. However, the charges were amended as part of a negotiated plea deal.
He was previously held on a $750,000 bond at the Mercer County jail.
Celina police received a sexual abuse complaint on Oct. 4 from a victim representative, according to an affidavit released on Oct. 5. The complainant said they heard two alleged victims, both under the age of 10, discussing the alleged abuse and agreeing not to say anything about it.
A Celina police officer contacted the victim representative and was told the family confronted Bollenbacher and he reportedly admitted to the claims.
After the report, Celina police officer Nathan Miller visited Bollenbacher at his residence. When asked if he knew why they were there, Bollenbacher allegedly said yes.
Bollenbacher told police that at first, the two victims would ask for back rubs, which later escalated to one victim allegedly asking him to rub their private areas, according to the affidavit.
In addition, Bollenbacher allegedly admitted to police that he showed one of the victims a pornographic video after they had reportedly asked to see it.
Miller wrote that Bollenbacher could not provide specific dates for the abuse but said he assaulted one of the victims six to eight times and the other victim an unknown amount of times around April or June 2023. Bollenbacher reportedly said it stopped in July or August.
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