• In The News 8 October 2010

    Deliberations continue in Coonrod case

    Deliberations continue in the capital murder trial of Wesley Coonrod. 
    At approximately 11:40 a.m. Friday, the jury was given the case. They broke for the night at approximately 6 p.m., and were driven to a hotel out of the area to be sequestered for the night. They began deliberations again at 8 a.m. Friday. They will continue through the weekend until they reach a verdict. 
    All 12 jurors - seven women and five men - must agree in order to reach a verdict. After hearing six days of testimony, they must consider hundreds of exhibits of evidence to decide whether or not they believe Coonrod murdered his children.  
    Deliberations continue in the capital murder trial of Wesley Coonrod. 
    At approximately 11:40 a.m. Thursday, the jury was given the case. They broke for the night at approximately 6 p.m., and were driven to a hotel out of the area to be sequestered for the night. They began deliberations again at 8 a.m. Friday. They will continue through the weekend until they rea ch a verdict. 
    All 12 jurors - seven women and five men - must agree in order to reach a verdict. After hearing six days of testimony, they must consider hundreds of exhibits of evidence to decide whether or not they believe Coonrod murdered his children.  

  • In The News 8 October 2010
    Greenfield Police Reports for Oct. 7, 2010
  • In The News 7 October 2010
    Jury begins deliberations in Coonrod case
    The jury has begun deliberations in the capital murder trial of Wesley Coonrod. 
    At approximately 11:40 a.m., the jury was given the case. 
    Coonrod is accused of setting the March 7 fire at 150 Lafayette Street in Greenfield that killed his 3- and 4-year-old sons, Thomas and Stephen. 

  • In The News 7 October 2010
    Chris Lengefeld promoted to jail administrator at HCSO
    Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward has informed the Highland County Board of Commissioners that effective Oct. 3, Deputy Chris Lengefeld has been promoted to Sgt./jail administrator at the Highland County Sheriff's Office.
  • In The News 6 October 2010
    Coonrod takes the stand, saying, 'Thomas and Stephen was all I had' WATCH THE VIDEO
       He said that his children were his life. Wednesday afternoon, Wesley Coonrod took the stand to defend his own life, openly crying as he told a jury of his peers that he did not murder his two little boys. 
          The defense and the state have now completed the presentation of their case in the capital murder trial against Coonrod. On Thursday, the jury will begin deliberating if Coonrod is guilty and potentially deciding if he should be put to death for setting the fire that killed 4-year-old Thomas and 3-year-old Stephen Coonrod. 

  • In The News 6 October 2010
    Coonrod takes stand in own defense

    Wesley Coonrod took the stand in his own defense Wednesday, telling jurors that his children were his life and he would never do anything to hurt them.

  • In The News 6 October 2010
    Greenfield Police Reports for October 5, 2010
  • In The News 5 October 2010
    Fire investigators: Intentional human act, accelerant caused fire that killed Coonrod children WATCH THE VIDEO
    Curious children playing with fire, or an intentional act to set a fire, according to expert testimony, are the two possible causes of the March 7 fire that killed Thomas and Stephen Coonrod. 
          While the state has called witnesses who testified Wesley Coonrod stood on the sidewalk outside his apartment asking for cigarettes as his 3- and 4-year-old sons were screaming, trapped, as fire burned around them, the defense called witnesses who testified they saw a grieving father cradling the lifeless bodies of his babies, asking them to "come home to Daddy."

  • In The News 5 October 2010
    Man arrested in Highland County on kidnapping charges sentenced to 25 years to life in prison
    MAYVILLE, N.Y. -  An Ashville, Ky. man who had been found guilty of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault and aggravated criminal contempt, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, according to The Observer of Dunkirk, NY. The man was charged with beating and kidnapping his estranged wife and was ultimately arrested in Highland County in May 2009 by the Highland County Sheriff's Office.
  • In The News 5 October 2010
    U.S. Marshals arrest man convicted in Highland County rape
    COLUMBUS - A Columbus man convicted in Highland County in 1987 on charges of rape has been arrested by the U.S. Marshal's Office.
  • In The News 5 October 2010
    Greenfield Police Reports for October 4, 2010
  • In The News 5 October 2010
    State rests in Coonrod case
    The State of Ohio has rested in the presentation of its case against Wesley Coonrod. The jury was removed from the court room at approximately 2:50 p.m. while the defense and state addressed matters before Judge Rocky Coss. Defense attorney William Mooney asked that the court dismiss the charges of aggravated murder with death penalty specifications and aggravated arson, saying the state had not met its burden of proof. The court overruled that motion. The defense will now go forward with presenting its case.
  • In The News 4 October 2010
    Defense expert: fire caused either by children, or 'intentional human act'
    The first witness for the defense testified Monday that he ruled the March 7 fire at 150 Lafayette St. in Greenfield that killed Thomas and Stephen Coonrod had an "undetermined" cause, but that he was able to narrow the causes down to two possibilities: children playing with an ignition source, or "an intentional human act."
  • In The News 4 October 2010
    Appeals court reverses decision of Highland County Common Pleas Court
    The Fourth District Court of Appeals has reversed a decision from Highland County Common Pleas Court regarding a defendant refusing his right to counsel during a court hearing that ultimately led to having his judicial release revoked.
  • In The News 4 October 2010
    Greenfield Police Report for October 1, 2010
  • In The News 4 October 2010
    Mother of Coonrod children, fire investigators testify
    Jurors heard testimony from the mother of Thomas and Stephen Coonrod and saw photos from the investigation into the fire that killed the two little boys on March 7. A photo displayed for jurors showed a nearly empty white-walled closet, clearly depicting tiny, sooty handprints, two toy soldiers, and the outline on the carpet of where the two little bodies were discovered.
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