UPDATE: The Portage County Sheriff's Office says Deputy Michael Bussinger is being treated at the burn unit at an Akron-area hospital, but there was not update on his condition yet this morning.
Meanwhile, 45-year-old Jay E. Brannon, the suspect who reportedly had a metal can filled with a flammable liquid that he lit and then tossed at Deputy Bussinger, has been charged with five counts of attempted aggravated murder and five counts of aggravated arson.
It happened while deputies were serving a warrant on Brannon at his apartment in Rootstown. According to the Beacon, Brannon was one of Portage County's Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives.
(Jay E. Brannon - Portage County Jail)
A deputy with the Portage County Sheriff was set on fire while serving a felony warrant Thursday night, according to a release from Sheriff David Doak.
Around 6:45, deputies arrived at the suspect's residence in the 3900 block of State Route 44. As the deputy approached the suspect, he threw a flammable liquid onto the deputy and then lit it on fire, burning the deputy and setting the building on fire.
The deputy was taken to the burn unit at an Akron hospital, and according to the Sheriff, other officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
The suspect was taken into custody. Sheriff Doak is expected to release more information today.
An Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper and two others were injured, and the trooper's cruiser destroyed, when a commercial semi truck slammed into the vehicle that was parked along I-77 in Stark County Thursday.
The Patrol posted an update, and photo, to Facebook after the accident, reminding everyone that it is the law to move over when police or other emergency vechiles are parked with lights flashing along the side of state highways.
The patrol says the trooper and others injured are expected to be OK.
1590 WAKR Student Athletes of the Week Tommy Cummings and Kyra Dossa
Written by Aaron ColemanThis week our 1590 WAKR Male Student Athlete of the Week is Tommy Cummings, a senior basketball player from Walsh Jesuit High School.
Love is in the air for one of our favorite local mascots... Well, TWO of them...
Tuesday afternoon a man walked into the PNC Bank at 181 Massillon Road, armed with a knife, demanding money. He jumped the counter and proceeded down the line of tellers, taking money from each of the cash drawers and stuffing it into a backpack he was wearing on his chest.
After the robbery, the suspect got into a black Chevy Malibu and drove away from the bank.
Not too long after the robbery, Akron Police Officers spotted the Malibu pulling into a parking lot in the 500 block of Sherman Street. That's when they arrested 22-year-old Darrion L. Powers (pictured) of Akron, who is now charged with armed robbery and more.
Addiitonally, Police Detectives charged Powers in connection to the January 4th robbery of the Huntington Bank on South Arlington Street. Both robberies played out the same.
Powers has been booked in the Summit County Jail, and according to Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards' press release, he's likely responsible for several other robberies in Cuyahoga Falls. So far he's charged with two counts of aggravated robbery.
(Akron Zoo) The Akron Zoo is sad to announce the passing of their male river otter, Porthos. Porthos went into cardiac arrest during a routine exam and passed away after CRP efforts were not able to revive him. From the results of the necropsy (an animal autopsy) and related analysis, it appears Porthos had a congenital condition that lead to his passing.
Porthos was a favorite among zoo guests. He would interact with guests when they slide down the otter slide which goes through the otter habitat. He was born on March 19, 2010 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. He arrived at the Akron Zoo in 2013 from the Dayton Boonshoft Museum for the opening of the Mike & Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge. The median life expectancy for North American river otters is 12 years.
“We are heartbroken over the sudden loss of Porthos,” said Doug Piekarz, president & CEO at the Akron Zoo. “Porthos was a wonderful ambassador for his species and we will all miss him. Thank you to our veterinary care staff for their heroic efforts in this difficult situation.”
As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Akron Zoo participates in the River Otter Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP works to ensure the long-term survival of North American river otters through breeding and population management programs. Thanks to local conservation efforts to clean up pollution in rivers and streams, North American river otters are listed as least concern in Ohio as the population has rebounded in the past two decades.
The zoo’s female otter, Molly, will remain in the river otter habitat daily.
UPDATE: Multipe reports from news outlets are that both Skylar Williams and her alleged abductor Ty'rell Pounds are dead following a possible shootout with police in, or near Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday.
A recent Facebook post from Pounds indicates the two were in a relationship and having trouble, including a possible custody battle over their child. A portion reads, "Your mother kept me away from you and I was fighting for you through the court system..."
--
A statewide manhunt is underway for Ty'rell Pounds, who police say abducted Skylar Williams from an OSU-Mansfield parking lot Monday morning, around 11:45.
News 5 says OSU's Department of Public Safety reported that Pounds stole a dark-colored 2019 Dodge Caravan at gunpoint around 2 p.m. That vehicle's license plate is FMZ-9621.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Williams, Pounds, or the vehicle is asked to call the Mansfield Post of the Highway Patrol.
More...
This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro-2-8-19 Featured
Written by Jeanne Destro
This week, recovering from a cyber attack, electronic surveillance, and digital license plates. We'll also hear about how cryptocurrency investors may have just lost millions of dollars, and a hedgehog inspired football helmet.
***Please note: This show is now available as a podcast on Apple and Android devices. To find out how, follow these links: Apple, or Android.
Student Athletes of the Week Kylee Beaty and Eric Auffenberg
Written by Aaron ColemanThis week our 1590 WAKR Female Student Athlete of the Week is Kylee Beaty a senior basketball player from Wadsworth High School.