A trial date has been set for a Celina man who is facing charges for killing his former girlfriend in Van Wert in 2023. Ryan Houser will be facing a jury on the charges of murder, tampering with evidence, and a weapons charge for the death of 43-year-old Barbara Ganger.

52-year-old Cedric Davis entered the plea to the charges of attempted aggravated arson, domestic violence, inducing panic, vandalism, and aggravated menacing. According to the Delphos Police officers, on January 21st, officers responded to a home in the 700 block of Skinner Street where a woman standing outside said that Davis, who was inside the home, had assaulted and threatened her. Officers attempted to make contact with Davis, but he refused to communicate with them. He eventually was taken into custody after a short standoff. Bond was set at $25,000 and he was ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

     A Van Wert County man found guilty of having alleged sexual contact with a child gets sentenced to five years in prison.    In September, Rodney Knauss, 32 changed his previous plea of not guilty to no contest to the count of gross sexual imposition.  A Van Wert County judge sentenced him to 60 months in prison

   Knauss was originally charged with rape, but that charge was dropped following the plea deal.   The indictment says the crime happened between January and February of 2016.  Knauss attempted to have sexual contact with a child who was four years old at the time.  Knauss was also labelled a tier two sex offender. 

32-year-old Rodney Knauss was indicted by a Van Wert Grand Jury on one count of rape, a felony of the first degree and gross sexual imposition, a felony of the third degree. According to the indictment, the alleged incident happened between January and February of 2016 when he attempted to have sexual contact with the child that was four years old at the time. Bond was set at $150,000. Knauss will have his next hearing in August.

Kevin Browning pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual battery. As part of a plea deal, a rape charge was dropped. Court documents state the crime happened between January and November of 2018. Browning resigned from Parkway schools in 2019. He was labeled a tier three sex offender, meaning he will have to register his address with the county sheriff for the rest of his life.

Rae'Quaun Thomas, 19-years-old of Lima, Ohio, was indicted by the Van Wert County Grand jury on one count of Attempted Murder and one count of Felonious Assault. Both counts have a firearm specification attachment.  According to the indictment, Thomas attempted to purposely cause the death of Noah Alan Dickman, and had a firearm on or about his person on October 24th, 2020. 

     A Spencerville man facing charges related to the shooting death of Van Wert County man takes a plea deal.  Trey Jones, 24 pleaded guilty to improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and attempted reckless homicide. A third charge of handling a weapon while intoxicated was dropped.  Jones was arrested for the death of 19-year-old George McLaurine, Jr. in September of 2020.