Man indicted for murder of wife
The Middletown MIDDLETOWN — man indicted for murder and felonious assault will appear in Butler County Common Pleas Court next week.
Bobby Jo Nitz, 45, of Middletown, was indicted for murder, a first-degree felony, and felonious assault, a second-degree felony, on Wednesday morning, according to Butler County Common Pleas Court records. He was scheduled to have his preliminary hearing at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Middletown Municipal Court.
Instead, Nitz was transported from the Middletown City Jail to the Butler County Jail. He will appear before Judge Charles Pater at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday for his arraignment, records show. The judge will ask for a plea, then set bond.
At Tuesday’s arraignment, Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said he will seek “a substantial” bond, based on Nitz’s actions after he allegedly killed his wife.
After the alleged shooting, Nitz left Middletown on his motorcycle and rode toward Meigs County, about three hours from Middletown.
One of Nitz’s friends told Middletown police he received a text that read: “I just killed my wife talk to you later.” The friend thought the text was a joke, then he received the next text: “I kill her sorry,” according to the search warrant. Later, police received a tip that Nitz was riding to Meigs County to kill a deputy who works in the jail, the search warrant said.
He had a gun when he was arrested by Meigs County sheriff deputies. Gmoser said he’s concerned that Nitz is a flight risk. Nitz is represented by Sam Borst.
If convicted of murder, Nitz faces 18 years to life, said Gmoser. Typically, those convicted of murder face 15 years to life, but three years would be added because Nitz allegedly used a gun.
On April 30, Nitz, 45, allegedly shot and killed his wife, Crista Nitz, 41, in the couple’s bathroom.
At his arraignment last week, visiting Judge Robert Taylor set bond at $1 million, either cash or surety, and no 10 percent.
Nitz allegedly killed his wife of seven months after he found “phone numbers” on her cell phone, according to the search warrants obtained by the Journal-News. Middletown police later located the cell phone on the roof of the home, where Bobby Jo Nitz told police he threw it during the argument.
Nitz allegedly shot his wife in the head in the bathroom in their home in the 1200 block of Short Street, and she was discovered by her 11-year-old daughter.
According to Meigs County court records, Nitz has been arrested and charged there numerous times for domestic violence, disorderly conduct/ intoxication, and passing bad checks. Prior to April 30, Middletown police had never responded to the house on Short Street, according to police records.
The 11-year-old girl now is living with her biological father in West Virginia. The father said he heard about the indictment on Wednesday, but refused to comment.
A man who was attacked by a dog on Dow Street Tuesday said a vehicle traveling on the same street fired shots at the animal in attempt to get the canine off him, according to city police documents.
Dayton police were dispatched around 8:45 p.m. for a report of shots fired.
Emergency dispatchers received two calls, according to a city police information report. One caller, around 8:44 p.m., reported hearing three to four shots fired, and hearing a man screaming in the alley before a car sped off. Another caller, around the same time, reported hearing five shots fired and a man yelling. The caller reported the man was still yelling.
When police arrived on the scene, a male victim was holding his arm. He was surrounded by a crowd.
Members of the crowd told officers they didn’t see anything, but reported they found the victim on the ground in a driveway in the 800 block of Dow Street.
The victim told police he was walking his dogs on Dow Street toward Superior Avenue when a gray “mutt” came out from the alley and attacked his dogs.
Medics transported the victim to Good Samaritan Hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.
Officers attempted to locate the dog or its owner.
A Springfield man convicted in connection with a shooting on Woodward Avenue earlier this year will spend 11 years in prison.
Curtis Long was sentenced by Judge Richard O’Neill in Clark County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday morning. He pleaded guilty to a charge of felonious assault. Other charges, including attempted murder, were dropped.
Long shot Jaryld Portis, 44, of Springfield multiple times before Portis was found lying in a yard in the 1400 block of Woodward on Jan. 3.
Springfield police said Portis was conscious when they found him and he told them he knew the shooter. He gave police a description of what led to the shooting.
According to the police report, the suspect approached Portis and asked where he had been. The victim said Long had a beer can in his hand, police said, and asked why they hadn’t seen each other recently.
“(The man) then turned around and pointed a silver handgun at him and began firing rounds at him. (Portis) said (the suspect) must have unloaded the gun on him,” according to the incident report.
Portis was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center, then taken by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
A counterfeit $100 bill was used at the United Dairy Farmers on Brown Street on Tuesday, according to a city police information report.
Dayton officers were dispatched around 8:52 p.m. for a fraud complaint.
The store manager reported a man came into the store and used the $100 bill to pay for $5 in gas, and left after getting his change.
“By the time the employee noticed the bill was counterfeit, the male had already pumped his gas and had left,” wrote Officer Christopher Page in the report.
The employee who accepted the $100 bill told officers he noticed the bill was fake after he checked it a second time.
“The bill had ‘For motion picture use only’ across the front and back’,” Page wrote.
The employee was unable to get the vehicle license plate information.
No arrest have been made at this time.