How K9s are helping law enforcement track child predators:
The Christmas tradition of Toy Time began in Mansfield around 1934:
Ashland SWCD event in January aimed at combating rising fertilizer prices:
Earl R. Page:
K9s developing technique to aid in detecting child predators
Today – A yellow lab in Huron County is no ordinary pooch. She’s a K9 with the Police Department, and her unique skill set could help detain some of the most heinous criminals in north central Ohio.
In many ways, Wren is no different than an average yellow lab. She’s energetic, playful and fiercely loyal to her humans. But Wren is no ordinary pooch. She’s a K9 with the Greenwich Police Department in neighboring Huron County, and her unique skill set could help detain some of the most heinous criminals in north central Ohio.
Wren is trained to sniff out electronic storage devices like cell phones, USB drives and SD cards. Her handler, Officer Lance Seaman, hopes that she can assist law enforcement in Huron and the surrounding counties in tracking down evidence of child sexual abuse material.
Seaman explained that the village of Greenwich is a small village and unfortunately, in the past 18 months or so that I’ve been there, we’ve had several crimes that would involve electronics, search warrants and crimes against children. People are using children to create illegal content and they’re uploading them to these popular pornographic websites.
In fact, a report from the Department of Justice states that the “explosion of the child pornography market” has gone hand-in-hand with the expansion of the internet and other technological advancements. Perpetrators can create, share and download content anywhere with an internet connection.
The content can be easily shared via social networking sites, gaming devices, mobile apps or the Dark Web, which can only be accessed using a specialized web browser. Commander Dave Frattare of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said reports of CSAM crimes have spiked since the pandemic began. As of Dec. 2, there were 11,145 “cyber tips” registered in Ohio this year — that count includes any case with a connection to Ohio.
Frattare said the Ohio ICAC unit investigates each tip, but some prove to be unfounded or unsubstantiated. Nevertheless, he thinks the sheer volume of tips indicates that the problem is growing. Most tips that come in involve possession or sharing of material, rather than creating it; but law enforcement officials say that every time an illicit photo or video of a minor is seen or shared, that child is re-victimized.
So how can K9s help? Purveyors of CSAM often store elicit content on small electronic devices like thumb drives and micro SD cards small enough to hide inside a false quarter. The size of these storage devices makes them easy to hide and difficult to discover. Even after a thorough search, investigators often worry about leaving critical evidence behind during a warrant.
That’s where K9s become a valuable resource for law enforcement. Wren knows when she’s on the job based on verbal commands like, “Let’s go to work.” After she hears those words, she begins sniffing. When she smells something nearby, she sits and looks at Seaman.
Wren joined the force in September. She has worked multiple cases so far. And Seaman said he hopes he and Wren can provide mutual aid to law enforcement agencies across the region whenever possible. Even spending just a few minutes with Wren, it’s obvious she’s up to the task. The dogs’ approachability also makes them a valuable tool for building public awareness of internet crimes against children.
Toy Time History
Next, some local history. This was once the first fact of life in Mansfield: any kid who wants a bike should have one. That is why Toy Time was such an honored and loved undertaking for so many years. It started in the early 1930s when the economy crashed and the Great Depression set in.
There were men in the Mansfield Fire Department who believed strongly that every kid in town deserved a Christmas present even if their parents were flat broke and out of a job. So the firemen began collecting old toys and fixing them up. It meant a lot and it started a tradition.
In later decades there were similarly inspired programs that were instituted nationally: following World War II there was “Tide of Toys;” and then in the 1950s and 60s it was called “Toys for Tots.”
Ken Cole started the organization in 1967. He called it Toys for Tots. The program was given new roots again, back where it originally began in downtown Mansfield. And later, when Ken died, his daughter Teresa Boner took over the program for a number of years starting in 2009. By this time it had long been called Toy Time, and it insured the first fact of life for our kids — before it stopped operation around 2018.
Next, from Ashland Source. The Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District will host a meeting in January aimed at how farmers can combat rising fertilizer prices. The Ashland SWCD’s monthly conservation chat, dubbed “Show me the Money,” takes place at noon on Jan. 25 at the district’s office. The free event will include lunch and feature speakers from Nutrien Ag Solutions, a crop inputs retailer.
The agronomists will speak about fertilizer pricing, access, availability and recommendations that they are making to farmers on how to make the most of their nutrient dollars. Kip Studer, a Western Lake Erie Basin Management Specialist with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, will also speak during the event. He’ll talk about the importance of making nutrient management plans in order to pivot in times of astronomical increases to the cost of farming.
All major crop production nutrients have experienced increased prices when compared to September 2020, according to analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation. And supply chain disruptions have affected nearly every part of the economy — including fertilizer production, transportation and retail distribution.
The Jan. 25 event is free, but registration is required. For more information, visit the conservancy district’s website or call 419-281-7645.
Earl Page
Finally, we’d like to take a moment to remember Earl Page of Lucas. Earl was born in Mansfield. He was a graduate of Madison High School. Earl was one of the hardest working men, there was no one that could measure up to his work ethic. He grew up on a farm off Laver Road, and in 1971 he bought his farm off of Applegate Road. At one point he was farming over 1000 acres of land.
For 40 plus years, Earl owned Page Demolition and Excavating. He purchased a lakefront property in Upper Michigan, the property that his father took him to as a child. This property became his vacation home that he referred to as “his hunting shack”, and was generous enough to share that with others.
He loved watching the wildlife so much he would drive up back fields on the farm just to watch the deer at sunset. He is survived by his children; his grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his sister. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate Earl’s life.
