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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - Prior to the start of Labor Day weekend, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol warned drivers of the deadly history this weekend brings.

"The holiday period with the most serious injury and fatal crashes is Labor Day weekend," Ohio Traffic Safety Office public information officer Judy Converse said.

That dangerous warning has already come to fruition across central and northern Ohio communities.

Data: Labor Day weekend crashes have increased over past three years

Two people are dead after a crash following a police chase Saturday evening. The chase ended when the driver allegedly sped down Greenlawn Avenue and into Greenlawn Cemetery. Randel Rogers, executive director of the cemetery, said he reviewed the surveillance footage from the incident and saw the vehicle drive at a high rate of speed the wrong way around a roundabout at the old entrance to the cemetery, crashing into a stone wall that has been in place for nearly a century.

Rogers said he routinely sees cars drive 50 or 60 miles per hour down that road and this vehicle could have been going 80 mph. Rogers said the stone wall will cost between $40,000-$60,000 to fix.

Elsewhere this weekend, Ohio State Highway Patrol said a man was killed in the City of Wellston, Jackson County, when a juvenile driver collided with a golf cart. Another person was killed in Mifflin Township when a driver crossed over the center line and hit another vehicle head on. The driver was killed. A single vehicle crash in Erie County killed the driver when they lost control of the vehicle due to speed. Three more people were killed after a vehicle crashed into a tow truck on the side of the road Sunday morning in Erie County. That crash caused a traffic backup that led to another crash less than an hour later when a vehicle slammed into the back of a truck and killed both the driver and passenger.

Man charged in beating of man with cerebral palsy in Columbus’ Short North

OSHP is putting an emphasis on sober driving for the weekend, but speed and distracted driving are killers, too.

Sgt. Brice Nihiser with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said drivers can help law enforcement if they notice an erratic or dangerous driver on the road.

"Dial #677 and that will get you to your local post,” Nihiser said. “We'll put troopers on the road and we'll make sure that we intercept that driver before they cause a tragedy.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week on Sunday Briefing:

• Ohio National Guard troops are on the ground in Washington D.C. at President Donald Trump’s request.

“Crime is an issue,” Rep. Mike Carey (R-Ohio) said. “I think the governor (Mike DeWine) did the right thing.”

Ohio governor race: Contextualizing Ramaswamy, Acton fundraising records

“This is another one of his control factors, to be able to take over D.C.,” Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) said.

What are DeWine’s protocols for sending in the guard, and why are members of Congress split over the move?

• Longshot candidates hoping to offer alternatives to voters are finding themselves facing an uphill battle.

"Whether you're Democrat, Republican, Independent, whoever, people are screaming from the rooftops for new young voices,” Democratic Senate candidate Chris Volpe said.

“We have a distrust for our politicians,” gubernatorial candidate Heather Hill said. “We have a distrust for each other.”

Man charged in beating of man with cerebral palsy in Columbus’ Short North

Do party leaders on both sides of the aisle cut voters out of the process by throwing their support behind established candidates?

• There’s an update to the Women in Law exhibit at the Ohio Supreme Court as it opens to the public. Find out where we found the first female chief justice’s portrait after it spend months in the courthouse basement.

• Republican strategist Katie Eagan and Democratic strategist Brian Rothenberg weigh in on what’s happening on Capitol Hill and why candidates with no name recognition can’t get a break.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Galloway man has been arrested and accused of assaulting a man with cerebral palsy in the Shorth North.

According to a criminal complaint, Columbus police were called to the intersection of North High Street and East Third Avenue, where they found a man walking on the sidewalk and bleeding from an alleged assault.

Police said the man, cut in the face multiple times, was attacked by Nicholas Meadows, 34. Video surveillance footage showed Meadows was in the area, and witnesses helped police identify him as a suspect.

California Gov. criticizes Ohio for homicide rate, but are his numbers accurate?

The victim, who has cerebral palsy, could not protect himself when he was attacked and suffered multiple injuries, also including a broken orbital bone, skull fracture, broken hand and brain bleed. He was in the hospital for several days, where he underwent surgery.

Meadows, who is also facing charges of aggravated menacing, assault and criminal endangerment from an incident four days prior, was arrested Wednesday. A Franklin County Municipal Court judge issued Meadows $500,000 in total bonds for both incidents.

He is next scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man who police say “ambushed” his wife in a fatal shooting at their home remains at large two years after her death.

According to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, Jose Antonio Gomez-Santana is considered to be armed and dangerous and is wanted in the death of his wife, Angel Rena Gomez. Police said Gomez was gunned down at a home on Pepperwood Court in west Columbus.

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Officers arrived at the Westland home near Galloway Road on Sept. 25, 2023, where Gomez, 44, was found suffering from gunshot wounds. Police said the couple had been having marital problems and had separated.

Gomez-Santana allegedly convinced Gomez to return to the home so he could return some property to her but “ambushed” her after reportedly hiding inside of a car parked in the driveway.

That’s when police say Gomez-Santana got out of the car and shot Gomez several times before fleeing about 3:35 p.m. Gomez was pronounced dead at the scene.

• A mugshot of Jose Antonio Gomez-Santana from an October 2021 arrest. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Division of Police)
• Columbus police investigate a fatal shooting on Pepperwood Court in west Columbus, Aug. 25, 2023. (NBC4 Photo/Caleb Michael)
• Angel Gomez. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Division of Police)

Columbus police and Crime Stoppers note that Gomez-Santana has ties to the west side of Columbus, as well as New York and Puerto Rico, with friends willing to harbor and hide him.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for any information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of Gomez-Santana. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call 614-461- 8477 or visit www.stopcrime.org to submit your tip.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The defending national champions knew that last year was firmly in the past and that 2025 a whole new ballgame. The only nod Saturday to Ohio State's ninth national title came before its game against Texas, when the 2024 championship banner was unveiled before kickoff.

But with a season opening 14-7 victory over the top-ranked Longhorns, this year's team took a big step in establishing its own identity.

System outage affecting care at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center

Julian Sayin showed that he can hold his own in running the Buckeyes offense, and the defense, under new leadership, can still be one of the best in the country.

Here are three things we learned Saturday.

Defense shines in top three showdown

Ohio State kept Texas scoreless from most of the game thanks to multiple playmakers. From Arvell Reese and Davison Igbinosun combining for 19 tackles, including four solo stops each, to a goal-line stand that changed the momentum, coordinator Matt Patricia proved to be the right hire for coach Ryan Day after Jim Knowles' departure for Penn State.

"I know what kind of coach he is. I see him every day – you guys don't," Day said. "All the work that you put in the dark doesn't come to light until this first game."

The Buckeyes frustrated the Longhorns in the third quarter, denying quarterback Arch Manning at the goal line of a score-tying touchdown before Jermaine Mathews intercepted him later. The Longhorns went for it on fourth down five times but only converted once.

Patricia credited the success of the secondary to cornerback Caleb Downs' leadership.

"I think everyone back there played really fast and really aggressive," Patricia said. "I mean the communication between the players, Caleb's [Downs] unbelievable back there as a field general, just making sure he's calling out the coverages and adjustments or even some of the alerts that we have in those situations."

Crowd plays a role with 'evolved' traditions

A lot of effort was made in revamping the game day experience for fans, and that included getting the crowd involved in the outcome of the game. Playing into the success of how crowd noise affected opponents last season, fans are awarded "Buckeye Leaves" every time the noise leads visitors to commit a false start or burn a timeout.

Against the Longhorns, the sold out crowd of 107,524 fans earned four leaves. And they made a big difference on Texas' final drive in the fourth quarter, when the Longhorns looked to tie the score.

"I want to thank the fans. What an unbelievable atmosphere. I think it made a huge difference in the fourth quarter," Day said. "I say all the time that it takes everybody, and the fans certainly brought it."

A strong start but a long way to go

There was tremendous hype going into the season opening matchup between two of the top teams in the country. Although the game lacked the high octane offense that many expected, the win did snap the Longhorns' 11-game winning streak in true road games. And it should put the Buckeyes in the top spot of the national polls heading into Week 2.

Although beating the preseason No. 1 does provide a boost of confidence, there's plenty for the Buckeyes to improve on. Day expects his team will look much different by the halfway point of the season.

"I think it's only going to build from here," offensive lineman Luke Montgomery said. "I mean, the number-one team in the country just came in, and obviously, I think we're the best team in the country by far. But we still have a long way to go and this is just going to build confidence every week."

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Labor Day, a federal holiday in appreciation of the contributions and accomplishments of American workers, is observed annually on the first Monday of September.

In 2025, Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 1. Many stores and restaurants in central Ohio will be open, though some businesses may have adjusted hours or be closed. Additionally, various services will be affected, including mail and package delivery, trash collection, public transportation, library services, and government offices.

Find out what to expect on Labor Day with the list below.

Will mail and packages be delivered on Labor Day?

FedEx
U.S. and international package and air freight services will not be operating on Labor Day, except for FedEx Custom Critical. FedEx Office will have modified hours.

United States Postal Service
The USPS observes Labor Day as a federal holiday and will be closed. There will be no mail delivery, caller service, or Post Office Box service available. All services will resume on Tuesday.

UPS
There will be no UPS  pickup or delivery service on Labor Day. Customers should check with their local UPS Store location for hours of operation. UPS Express Critical  service will be available.

Is the library open on Labor Day?

Columbus Metropolitan Library branches
All locations across Columbus are closed the day before Labor Day, Sunday, Aug. 31, and on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.

Does Columbus’s trash collection day change after Labor Day?

Yes, starting the first week of September, weekly garbage collection for approximately half of the city will have a new day for pickup as well as a new route color, beginning Sept. 2.

• On Sept. 1, residents will be able to check the city's website tool at https://www.columbus.gov/trash to see if they have a new collection day and color.
• People can also call their color to get automated information about their pickup day. For example, people with the collection day color Gold should call 614-645-GOLD (4653).
• The free PickUp CBUS smartphone app in the App Store or Google Play Store also provides trash collection day and color, recycling, and yard waste collection schedules and convenient reminder notifications.

The changes only apply to trash pickup; except for Labor Day week, recycling pickup routes will remain the same. During Labor Day week, all pickups will be pushed one day – for example, Monday pickups will be done on Tuesday, Tuesday pickups will be done on Wednesday, etc.; Friday pickups will be done on Saturday, with regular schedules resuming the morning of Monday, Sept. 8.

There will be no trash or recycling pickup on Labor Day, Sept. 1.

Is COTA running on Labor Day?

In observance of Labor Day, Central Ohio Transit Authority will operate Holiday Service on Monday, Sept. 1. When COTA operates Holiday Service, transit lines operate on Sunday schedules. Customers can plan their trip or view Sunday timetables at COTA.com or use the Transit app to view Sunday service.

COTA//Plus will only operate in the South Columbus zone on Labor Day. Service resumes
Tuesday morning in all zones. COTA Mainstream will also operate holiday/Sunday hours.

COTA observes Sunday schedules on holidays, including New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

COTA’s September Service Change also begins. Improvements include additional trips on several express lines, improved frequency on Saturdays, and adjustments to improve on-time performance.

Zoo Bus has also been extended past Labor Day and will run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through Halloween.

Is parking free on Labor Day?

Labor Day is listed as one of the 11 holidays with free parking, meaning meters will not be operating in Columbus. Parking at city kiosks and meters will not be enforced on Labor Day. 

Parking restriction signage at some meters will be enforced, including but not limited to morning and evening rush hours and zones marked for valets, taxis, loading, handicapped-only and residential parking permit areas.

Will banks and government offices be closed on Labor Day?

Because Labor Day is a federal holiday, banks will be closed. However, ATMs and online services should still be accessible. The New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ will be paused.

Federal employees will have a paid day off on Sept. 1, per the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal, state, county and city offices, including courthouses, will be closed.

What grocery stores are open on Labor Day?

Aldi
• Aldi stores will close at 6 p.m. on Labor Day.
BJ's Wholesale
• The wholesale retailer is open for regular hours on Labor Day.
Costco
• Stores are closed on Labor Day.
Giant Eagle
• Giant Eagle and Market District locations are open for normal hours on Labor Day.
Kroger
• Kroger stores will be open for Labor Day, though hours may vary by location.
Meijer
• Stores are open on Labor Day.
Sam's Club
• Locations are open with shortened hours on Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Plus members and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Club members.
Trader Joe's
• Stores are open regular hours on Labor Day.
Walmart
• Walmart stores are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Labor Day.
Whole Foods Market
• Most stores are open on Labor Day.

What stores are open on Labor Day?

Best Buy
• Best Buy will be open regular hours on Labor Day.
Big Lots
• Locations are open for regular hours on Labor Day.
Dollar General
• Locations are open on Labor Day.
Dollar Tree
• Stores are open on Labor Day.
Family Dollar
• Locations are open on Labor Day.
Home Depot
• Home Depot is open on Labor Day.
Kohl's
• Kohl's is open for normal hours on Labor Day.
Lowe's
• Stores are open on Labor Day.
Macy's
• Stores are open with regular hours on Sept. 1.
Target
• Locations are open on Labor Day.

What drug stores are open on Labor Day?

CVS
• Locations are open on Labor Day. Pharmacy hours may be updated for Labor Day; please check local store listings for the most up-to-date information.
Walgreens
• Stores are open with varying hours. Pharmacies are closed on Labor Day.

What pet stores are open on Labor Day?

Petco
• Petco locations are open on Labor Day.
PetSmart
• PetSmart locations are open on Labor Day.

What fast food restaurants are open on Labor Day?

Chick-fil-A
• Chick-fil-A restaurants are open on Labor Day. Hours of operation vary by location.
Dunkin'
• Locations are open on Labor Day.
McDonald's
• Most McDonald's are open on Labor Day, but hours might vary by location. 
Starbucks
• Stores are open on Labor Day with varying hours.
Taco Bell
• Taco Bell is open on Labor Day.

What malls are open on Labor Day?

Easton Town Center
• Easton is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Labor Day.
Polaris Fashion Place
• Polaris Fashion Place is open 7 days a week. Individual retailer, restaurant, department store and holiday hours may vary. Guests are encouraged to call their favorite destination before visiting.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- One person is in critical condition after a shooting early Sunday morning in east Columbus near John Glenn International Airport.

System outage affecting care at OSU Wexner Medical Center

A police dispatcher said officers were sent to the 700 block of Stelzer Road right before 3:30 a.m. on reports of a gunfire. One person was found at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition, per police dispatcher.

Police is continuing to investigate.

LEWIS CENTER, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new Graeter's shop will soon be scooping French Pot ice cream in central Ohio.

The Cincinnati-based ice cream brand is moving forward with plans to open a location in Lewis Center at 541 Preakness Way, down the street from the Belmont Place neighborhood and the Goddard School of Delaware. Graeter's development plan for the Lewis Center scoop shop was approved this month by Delaware's planning commission.

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"We couldn't be more excited to bring Graeter's to this area," said Jason Hudson, Graeter's district manager, during the planning commission meeting. "It provides a place for families to go and hang out and build memories, it provides a place for our high school students to come start a career, learn how to be a leader, move on to future jobs."

(Courtesy Photo/Graeter's Ice Cream)

Once completed, the Graeter's will span 2,649 square feet and include an outdoor patio, a drive-through lane and 38 parking spaces.

Founded in Cincinnati in 1870, Graeter's is known for its French Pot ice cream, a traditional process that includes freezing a high-butterfat mix in small batches yielding a dense product with no added air. The brand has expanded to more than 50 scoop shops across Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

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The new Lewis Center location will add to Graeter's more than a dozen Columbus-area locations, including in Bexley, Dublin, Easton Town Center, Gahanna, Hilliard, Pickerington, Polaris Fashion Place, Powell and Upper Arlington. Hours vary by location.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The billion-dollar numbers for Powerball were drawn on Saturday night.

A $1 billion jackpot is on the line, the sixth-highest in the history of the game. The winning numbers are 3, 18, 22, 27 and 33, with a Powerball of 17 and a Power Play of 3x.

If there is a winner and they opt for a cash payout, they could expect $453.1 million. If there is no winner, the next drawing is Monday night. See a recent Powerball report from NBC4 in the video player above.

Attorney accused of disguising his voice to fool clients sent to prison

Although nobody won the big prize at Wednesday's drawing, somebody is holding onto a $2 million winning ticket sold in Ohio.

It was sold at a Circle K in Akron, with the person getting their numbers using the auto-pick method. They matched all five regular numbers and the Power Play number, but missed on the Powerball.

That ticket-holder has 180 days to notify the Ohio Lottery.

GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) -- An accused thief and a passenger died Saturday night in a car crash moments after the driver rammed a Grove City police cruiser and sped away.

According to Grove City police, at about 6:45 p.m., a series of thefts took place in Parkway Centre, a shopping area off Stringtown Road anchored by a Walmart. Confronted by officers and facing potential felony theft charges, the suspect rammed the vehicle into a police cruiser before driving away.

The vehicle was spotted traveling the wrong way down White and Hoover roads at high speeds. Grove City police could not catch up before the vehicle crashed near Greenlawn Avenue.

Online reports put the crash close to the entrance of Green Lawn Cemetery, on Columbus' Southwest Side.

Grove City police did not immediately release the identities of those who died.

No other injuries were reported.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 19-year-old allegedly shot a woman and later got into a shootout with Columbus police officers Saturday afternoon on the South Side.

According to Columbus police, officers were sent about 2:30 p.m. to the 800 block of Gilbert Street, in the Southern Orchards neighborhood, after receiving a 911 call from a woman who said she had been choked. While en route, a second 911 call came in saying that the woman had been shot. In the background of the first call, a male voice was heard saying, "Come get me. I got something for you all."

Upon arrival, officers entered the residence not knowing that the shooting victim had already been taken by family to a hospital. The suspect was found upstairs, and he refused to leave. He later shot at officers, with at least one officer returning fire. See an early report on the shooting in the video player above.

System outage affecting care at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center

Columbus police's SWAT unit and a negotiator were called to the scene, but the shooter surrendered before they arrived, at about 3:30 p.m.

The shooter was uninjured. He is expected to be charged with felonious assault. NBC4 does not typically name those who have yet to be criminally charged.

The shooting victim underwent surgery and is expected to recover. A police officer suffered an undisclosed minor injury and was treated at a hospital.

The incident is being investigated by Columbus police's major crimes team.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Although Arch Manning may have underperformed for Texas at quarterback, Julian Sayin was a quiet and steady presence Saturday for Ohio State, doing just enough for the Buckeyes to take down the top-ranked Longhorns 14-7.

The sophomore, who beat out Lincoln Keinholz for the starting job, directed the offense to 203 total yards, highlighted by his 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate in the fourth quarter that ended up being the difference-maker for No. 3 Ohio State.

"I thought he handled himself well, I thought he took care of the ball," coach Ryan Day said. "Made some throws when he needed to. A couple of times when it wasn't there, he did not force it."

Sayin completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. And perhaps more importantly for OSU, he did not throw any interceptions. Though Tate had the most receiving yards, Jeremiah Smith was Sayin's top target, making six receptions for 43 yards.

"The whole saying this week, was, you know, the only thing we expect is go out there and just win. That's the focus. You know we're not expecting to do this, this, and this on offense," Sayin said. "Just go out there and win. And a big credit to our defense putting up a great performance and just going out there and operating."

By comparison, Manning went 17-of-30 passing for 170 yards and a touchdown but also threw an interception in the third quarter.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- It's beloved gameday analyst Lee Corso's final time donning a team's headgear, and he's picked his winner for Saturday's Ohio State-Texas matchup.

Saturday marks Corso's final appearance on ESPN's College GameDay. The 90-year-old has closed out the show for 30 years with a "not so fast, my friend" and his famed headgear picks. For a full circle moment at Ohio Stadium, Corso chose Ohio State in his last appearance.

It's fitting Corso chose the Buckeyes' for his final selection. Corso's first pick came on Oct. 5, 1996 when he donned the Brutus Buckeye headgear as his pick over Penn State. Corso has picked Ohio State more than any other team, predicting them to be victorious 45 times.

Corso was also honored by The Best Damn Band in the Land before the game, which spelled out his name across the field.

"We can be sad. Maybe next week we're in Norman, Oklahoma, and, you know, it's like, 'Where's Lee?'" ESPN GameDay analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit said. "But for this weekend, we need to be celebrating him and everything that he's meant to us and to the sport."

The Buckeyes have a 31-14 record in games Corso has chosen them. No. 3 Ohio State hopes to capitalize on that momentum as they take on No. 1 Texas at home.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is working to fix a network outage that left patients unable to access their charts.

Wexner Medical Center spokesperson Marti Leitch said the network outage occurred Friday afternoon due to issues with a routine network upgrade. Leitch said hospital engineers are actively working to restore services, and are making progress.

Leitch said the hospital is continuing care using down time procedures. These procedures are designed to maintain operations in case of situations like the network outage that is underway.

"We appreciate everyone's patience as we work to restore systems," Leitch said.

Leitch said the hospital's emergency departments are on divert status, meaning they are temporarily closed to incoming ambulance traffic. Anyone facing an emergency who would have gone to Wexner Medical Center is being diverted to the next nearest hospital for care.

Multiple patients and patients' loved ones told NBC4 they are currently unable to access their online medical information. One said when they were diverted to a new hospital, care was difficult because the outage prevents access to medical records.

It is unknown when the systems will be back up and running. Leitch said the hospital network's outpatient care sites are still open.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio State is back, kicking off the season with a noon game against No. 1 Texas.

No. 3 Ohio State is well-positioned for a competitive game, with a largely healthy line up. Fresh of a national championship victory, the Buckeyes are adjusting to several new team leaders, all of whom will be ready to play at the noon kickoff.

The Buckeyes starting lineup will enjoy a rare bout of good health. The game against Texas will be quarterback Julian Sayin's first career start, and Ohio State is also starting over on the defensive line and in the running back room. Several key players from 2024's championship season will return in scarlet and grey, including wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Last year, the Buckeyes were down two key players in the opener against Akron. This week, Ohio State has nine players out on injury. Three of those injured are defensive lineman, including sophomore Jason Moore, who could have rotated in to Saturday's game.

Ohio State injury report (Week 1 vs. Texas)

• SAF Brenten Jones
• TE Max LeBlanc
• DL Jason Moore
• QB Mason Maggs
• RB Anthony Rogers
• DL Max Roy
• SAF Deshawn Stewart
• DL Ahmed Tounkara
• WR Preston Wolfe

The matchup marks the first time Texas and Ohio State have played in Columbus in 20 years. Texas will be chasing revenge after Ohio State's 28-14 Cotton Bowl victory in January. In all, OSU and Texas have played four times, with two wins and two losses a piece.

BUCYRUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Delaware County Common Pleas judge has sentenced a former central Ohio attorney to serve the maximum sentence for fraudulently representing a client.

According to the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office, 42-year-old Adam Stone will serve 4½ years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of telecommunications fraud and attempted impersonation of a peace officer.

A former attorney, Stone, of Bucyrus, was hired to represent a Delaware County family to file a wrongful death lawsuit after the 2016 death of their son. While his efforts in the lawsuit were unsuccessful, the prosecution’s office said Stone continued to pursue an investigation into his client’s son’s death with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

For over a year, Stone reportedly continued to defraud his clients, including disguising his voice while impersonating an attorney on an alleged three-way call with the victims and the Special Prosecutions Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. According to the Ohio BCI agent assigned to the case, the Attorney General’s Office had not had any contact with Stone.

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The investigation into Stone revealed that for years he delayed or fabricated details in the case to pacify his clients. After additional pressure, Stone reportedly set up a phone call and attempted to disguise his voice as Assistant Attorney General Chris Kinsler.

His clients became suspicious, noting that Stone kept calling the assistant attorney general “Ben.” Recordings of the conversations were turned into the Attorney General’s Office, and Ohio BCI and investigators interviewed the victims in August 2022.

Phone records indicated no calls took place between Stone and the Attorney General’s Office regarding the wrongful death suit of Stone’s client’s son.

Between 2016 and 2022, the Ohio BCI report states Stone received about $30,000 from the victims and had been provided over $50,000 for “forensic reconstruction” and related casework and court costs. The victims also opened a trust in their son’s name and deposited between $12,000 and $14,000.

HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) – A restaurant serving smashburgers and other American fare recently opened in Hilliard.

Wilson’s Bar and Grill began welcoming customers at 5242 Cemetery Road on Aug. 15 in the building that previously housed Yabo’s Tacos. The opening marked the brand’s first standalone brick-and-mortar location.

The concept began when Xavier Wilson started making hot sauces while he was a student at Hilliard Davidson High School, according to its website. He launched a hot sauce business in 2021 alongside his father, Jeremiah Wilson. In 2023, it evolved into a restaurant inside the Hilliard Moose Lodge, a fraternal and service organization located at 5370 Grace St. 

Wilson’s menu features American and Tex-Mex cuisine, including smashburgers, hoagies, hot dogs, salads, quesadillas, burritos and potato skins. The restaurant also offers wings tossed in its signature sauces, including garlic buffalo and mango habanero. 

Appetizers such as garlic feta fries, mac and cheese bites and fried pickles are also available, along with cookies for dessert. The eatery additionally serves cocktails, beers and seltzers. It is located within a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA), allowing customers to order alcohol to go and enjoy it within the district. 

Wilson’s Bar and Grill’s hours include Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Thursdays through Saturdays, its hours extend until 10 p.m. 

Yabo’s Tacos closed in late July after seven years in business. The owner of Yabo’s Tacos, Scott Boles, decided not to renew the restaurant’s lease as he “begins to take steps toward retirement,” according to a sign posted on the door.

Yabo’s Tacos has two other restaurants that remain open: its original location at 7097 State Route 3 in Westerville, which debuted in 2011, and another at 5915 Evans Farm Blvd. in Lewis Center, which launched in 2022. 

The local chain previously operated additional locations, including restaurants in Powell and Upper Arlington, which have since closed.