Ohio - Houston Stringer

Court rules Michigan school district may prohibit ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts under vulgarity policy

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, U.S.

Court rules Michigan school district may prohibit ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts under vulgarity policy

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a Michigan school district’s decision to prohibit two students from wearing sweatshirts bearing the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” ruling that the phrase could be reasonably interpreted as vulgar and thus subject to regulation under the First Amendment’s student speech exceptions. According to Case No. 24-1769 filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and appealed to the Sixth Circuit, two middle school students in Howard City wore sweatshirts to school in 2022 with the phrase widely understood as a euphemism for “F--- Joe Biden.” School administrators requested they remove the garments, citing the district’s dress code prohibiting vulgar or profane attire. The students’ mother, iden...

Sixth Circuit affirms 57-month sentence for Ohio felon found with gun and drugs months after release

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio, U.S.

Sixth Circuit affirms 57-month sentence for Ohio felon found with gun and drugs months after release

CINCINNATI, OH – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the conviction and 57-month sentence of Kalib Tucker, an Ohio man with a violent criminal history, who was found in possession of a firearm and narcotics just months after being released from prison. Tucker, previously convicted of several felony offenses including a 2014 gang-related shooting and a home invasion, was released from prison in January 2023. By September of that year, his parole officer discovered a photograph showing Tucker with a firearm in his pocket. A subsequent search of his residence uncovered a loaded Glock pistol, fentanyl pills, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and a speed loader. Tucker, prohibited from possessing firearms as a felon, was arrested and charged under 18 U.S.C. §§ ...

Sixth Circuit upholds 115-month sentence for felon caught with machine gun after gas station incident

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Sixth Circuit upholds 115-month sentence for felon caught with machine gun after gas station incident

CINCINNATI, OHIO — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed a 115-month sentence for Jemar Jeresse Simmons, an Ohio man who pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and illegally possessing a machine gun following a 2024 arrest in Cuyahoga Falls. According to court records, Simmons was arrested after a woman called 911 from a gas station and told dispatchers she felt unsafe in a car with him. When police arrived, Simmons was agitated and attempted to flee. During the encounter, officers saw a handgun with an extended magazine fall from his waistband. He was ultimately arrested after resisting officers, one of whom suffered a head injury. The firearm was a Glock 17 modified with a switch to make it fully automatic. Simmons was a...

Sixth Circuit upholds gun conviction and 88-month sentence for felon found with loaded firearm in Benton Harbor

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Sixth Circuit upholds gun conviction and 88-month sentence for felon found with loaded firearm in Benton Harbor

CINCINNATI, OHIO — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld the conviction and 88-month prison sentence of Darell William Craft Jr., a Michigan man who pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm following a traffic stop in Benton Harbor. Craft, who was on probation at the time, was arrested on July 1, 2023, after officers found a loaded handgun under the front passenger seat of his vehicle. The firearm had been reported stolen and was linked to three earlier shootings. Craft admitted to officers that the gun was in the car. He was charged under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms. Craft moved to dismiss the indictment, arguing the law violated his Second Amendment rights. The district court denied the ...

Sixth Circuit allows lawsuit against Loveland officer over OVI arrest to proceed, reverses some claims

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Sixth Circuit allows lawsuit against Loveland officer over OVI arrest to proceed, reverses some claims

CINCINNATI, OHIO — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower court’s ruling in a civil rights lawsuit brought by Amanda and Patrick Caton against two Loveland police officers and the City of Loveland, Ohio. The lawsuit stems from a February 2020 incident in which Amanda Caton, an off-duty Cincinnati police officer, was pulled over and arrested by Loveland Officer Jacob Salamon on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. She was later acquitted at trial. After the arrest, the Catons filed suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Ohio state tort law, alleging constitutional violations, malicious prosecution, false arrest, and other misconduct. The district court allowed several claims to proceed, prompting the officers and t...

Sixth Circuit upholds conviction of Michigan man for unlicensed gun dealing

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Michigan, Ohio

Sixth Circuit upholds conviction of Michigan man for unlicensed gun dealing

CINCINNATI, OHIO — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld the conviction of Omar Shorter Jr., a Michigan man found guilty of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and making false statements during firearm purchases. According to court records, between July 2020 and December 2022, Shorter purchased 39 firearms, often in duplicate, but registered only two and reported one stolen. ATF agents began investigating after multiple firearms linked to Shorter were later recovered by police at crime scenes or in others’ possession. Evidence presented at trial included surveillance video, Cash App transactions, and Shorter’s own admissions to ATF agents. Shorter acknowledged selling approximately 28 or 29 of the firearms and stated he had “messed...

Sixth Circuit affirms dismissal of lawsuit by Kentucky football players falsely accused in fraternity party incident

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Kentucky, Ohio

Sixth Circuit affirms dismissal of lawsuit by Kentucky football players falsely accused in fraternity party incident

CINCINNATI, OHIO — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by five University of Kentucky football players who were falsely accused of crimes after being racially harassed and assaulted at a fraternity party in Lexington. The plaintiffs, Reuben Jelani Adams, Robert Jutahn McClain, Andru Jackson Phillips, Devito Cyn’cer Tisdale, and Joel Dandre Williams, sued the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and multiple Lexington police officers in their individual capacities, alleging violations of their Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, as well as state-law claims for malicious prosecution and defamation. The lawsuit stems from a March 2021 incident at a party hosted by the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity...

Sixth Circuit denies asylum petition of Bangladeshi man over family land dispute

7Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Sixth Circuit denies asylum petition of Bangladeshi man over family land dispute

CINCINNATI, OH – The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied Masud Ahmed’s petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals decision that upheld the denial of his asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. According to court records (Case No. 25-3074), Ahmed, a native and citizen of Bangladesh, fled to the United States in 2016 after a violent dispute with his paternal cousins over family property. Following the death of his father, Ahmed’s mother transferred ownership of their home to him, prompting anger from relatives who wanted the property for themselves. Ahmed alleged that the cousins later assaulted him after he reported threats to local authorities, and that police refused to intervene due to the cousins’...

Fairfield County Sheriff searching for missing 16-year-old girl

7Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Fairfield County Sheriff searching for missing 16-year-old girl

CANAL WINCHESTER, OH – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 16-year-old Kourtni Berry, who was reported missing after leaving her home around 9 p.m. on October 6, 2025. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Kourtni is described as a Black female, 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 154 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing an olive-green long-sleeve shirt, black sweatpants, and black, red, and gray tennis shoes. Anyone who has seen Kourtni or knows her whereabouts is urged to contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office at 740-652-7900.

Former Ohio deputy sentenced to over nine years for sexually abusing female inmate at federal detention facility

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Former Ohio deputy sentenced to over nine years for sexually abusing female inmate at federal detention facility

CLEVELAND, OH – Damon K. Perry, 53, of Youngstown, was sentenced to 112 months in federal prison for sexually abusing a female federal detainee under his supervision at the Mahoning County Jail in 2023. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Perry pleaded guilty in May to two counts of sexual abuse of a detainee and two counts of sexual abuse. The offenses occurred on November 9 and November 30, 2023, while the victim was in custody and under Perry’s authority. The Mahoning County Jail, located in Youngstown, houses federal detainees under a contract with a federal law enforcement agency. Prosecutors stated Perry engaged in non-consensual sexual acts with the detainee on both occasions. The investigation was led by the Department of Justice’...