Hamilton firefighter pleads guilty to theft, faces jail time
A Hamilton firefighter HAMILTON — has admitted guilt in receiving thousands of pay from the city after submitting forged medical documents.
Anthony Houston, 46, of Cincinnati, appeared in Butler County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to theft, a fifth-degree felony, according to prosecutors.
Houston, a 22-year veteran of the department, forged medical documents and as a result received pay of $5,867.02, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
The crimes occurred from August 2015 to September 2016. A grand jury indicted Houston in January on four felony counts of forgery and one felony count of theft.
Gmoser said the forgery charges, which were allied offenses, were merged. While he could have been found guilty of the charges, Houston could only have been sentenced for theft.
“He admitted the truth of all the charges,” Gmoser said. “This has never been about time (in jail). You don’t defraud your employer and you don’t defraud your city employer.”
Defense attorney David Washington said the only thing Houston pleaded guilty to was theft, and the forgery charges were dismissed. He declined further comment until after sentencing.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 13 by Judge Jennifer McElfresh. Houston faces six to 12 months in jail. Houston was scheduled to go to trial on Aug. 18.
According to Scott Scrimizzi, Houston remains on unpaid leave.
“I think the facts speak for themselves with today’s guilty plea,” Scrimizzi said. “As I said when Houston was originally charged, we hold our public safety professionals to a higher standard, and this type of behavior will not be tolerated. Now that the criminal proceeding is over, we will be moving forward with Houston’s pre-disciplinary hearing regarding his status with the department.”
Linda Evans WESTERVILLE — was a force to be reckoned with, at least on the running trails.
A lifelong runner, Evans, 68, ran every day for 37 years to train for marathons and other races. Westerville police believe Evans was struck and killed by a car on her morning run Monday.
A passing motorist discovered Evans’ body shortly before 10 a.m. in the 700 block of Park Meadow Road in Westerville.
Police there say Jonathan B. Coffman, 32, is accused of running over Evans, killing her, while he was driving to work at the JP Morgan Chase offices. He was charged Monday night with aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony.
Sympathy from fellow Columbus runners poured out in Facebook posts after Evans was identified.
“I will remember all that she accomplished as I train this year,” one runner commented on a post by the Columbus Marathon.
“As a fellow runner, the loss of her life is felt far and wide,” another user shared on a post by Fleet Feet Sports Columbus.
Having run in the Columbus Marathon every year since its first race in 1980, Evans had competed more times than any other woman in Columbus, making her one of the race’s “legacy runners.”
“She was such a shining, bright spot in so many people’s lives because of her running and personality,” said Darris Blackford, race director for the Columbus Marathon.
Evans finished the 2016 Columbus Marathon in four hours and 40 minutes. Blackford said that when her time is age-graded, it equals a three hour and three-minute marathon run. “She was running times that are equivalent to someone in her 20s,” he said.
Some would say that at the very least, Evans was doing what she loved when she died. Blackford disagrees.
“You shouldn’t have to worry when you’re doing what you love,” he said. “That’s what really breaks my heart. She should’ve come home. She should’ve been able to come home to continue doing what she loved.”