CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio —

A former firefighter and paramedic for two local departments is facing more than a year behind bars after pleading guilty to violence and child endangerment charges.

Some of the abuse was documented on video.

Steven Hendrickson Jr. was working as a firefighter/paramedic for the Deerfield Township fire department in Warren County and Stonelick Township fire department in Clermont County.

Hendrickson Jr. plead guilty to felony aggravated assault, child endangerment and domestic violence last week. He was previously indicted on five charges.

Hendrickson Jr. resigned from Stonelick Township Fire Department within the last several months. He resigned from Deerfield Township Fire Department more recently, within the last several weeks. The department previously placed him on administrative leave. Exact dates were not immediately available Wednesday.

Nicole Hempleman said her now ex-boyfriend wanted the two to appear happy to others and that nothing was going on between them. She gave birth to their baby girl last year.

"When he hit me, I looked down at Annabelle and I couldn't grow up letting her think that was normal," Hempleman said. "She would grow up thinking that is love, and that is not anywhere near close. You don't do that to somebody you love."

She said Hendrickson Jr. hurt her and threatened her life on multiple occasions in their Clermont County home.

She called 911 after an incident on October 7 and believes two incidents recorded on camera are the reason Hendrickson Jr. pleaded guilty.

Her motion-censored surveillance camera caught Hendrickson Jr. knocking Hempleman's phone from her hand while she was in a pack and playing with their daughter. The video then appears to show him lifting Hempleman up and hitting her.

The baby starts to cry, and Hempleman is seen on camera immediately calling 911. Court records said during that time, Hendrickson Jr. left the room and came back with a gun.

Hempleman said she started documenting her abuse and took a video about a month earlier showing Hendrickson holding their baby and telling Hempleman to stop recording her.

"Put your phone away. I'm (expletive) holding the baby. Stop recording me. You're going to lose it," Hendrickson said. "Put it down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

What happens next is too violent to show. Hempleman leaves the room with her phone still recording. Within six seconds, Hempleman screams and is then seen in a chokehold.

"You don't understand what it's like unless you're there living it and the fear and the way that people get into your head," Hempleman said. "The feeling of getting out and getting mental help, going and getting therapy and all that stuff, it's so relieving. I'm a completely different person now. It turns you into something you're not."

Hendrickson Jr. is set to be sentenced next month. He faces a maximum of a year and a half in jail. Hempleman was in court the day Hendrickson Jr. plead guilty.

"For so long he told me nobody is going to believe you. Nobody is gonna believe you. I'm a firefighter," Hempleman said. "Hearing that guilty plea, it was almost like I was finally heard."

MILFORD, Ohio —

A woman is dead after engaging in a shootout with officers at an apartment complex in Clermont County Friday evening. Just released body camera footage shows the moments police shoot back.

“I could see the writing on the wall, I didn’t think it was going to go this far. I don’t think anyone expects this to happen," said Casey Greenberg, the neighbor who first called police to do a welfare check on the woman.

Police came and left. Moments after police said they received a 911 call at around 5 p.m. from someone stating a woman was spotted in the parking lot of the Berry Lane Apartments on Business 28 in Miami Township with a gun.

"I need police at Berry Lane Apartments some lady just walked outside, shirtless, and just shot a gun in the air," Greenberg said.

Additional callers said the woman fired off two rounds and then approached a resident. Here is that resident's 911 call: "She's coming at us with the gun. She's coming at you with a gun? Get out of there then OK."

Miami Township officers arrived at the scene at around 5:02 p.m. While officers were at the scene, they said the woman fired a round at an officer. The officers advised her to drop her gun, but she did not.

"Some of these officers knew this female they had dealt with her in the past on different calls. They almost had a vested interest in it because they knew her," said Miami Township police chief Mike Mills.

A police officer raised his weapon and at that time, the woman fired another round at the officer. The officer returned fire at the woman and she fell to the ground.

"The officer that had the vantage point raised up with his weapon and she fired another round. He engaged her with six rounds and she went down," Mills said.

EMS arrived at the scene and provided care to the woman. Air Care was also called to the scene. EMS took her to Air Care and Air Care officials pronounced her dead.

Right now, Miami Township police are not identifying the woman as they're still working to notify her family.

Police said they do believe mental health may have been a contributing factor in the shooting.

"We have officers that are highly trained (for mental health), however, when somebody shoots at us, we don't have time. We've run out of options at that point," Mills said.

As soon as the police department was notified they contacted Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Police said the veteran officer who fired shots at the woman will be placed on administrative leave following the bureau's investigation. He was not injured.

NEW RICHMOND, Ohio —

Six suspects are in custody following a double homicide in Ohio Township last week.

Four of the suspects are under the age of 18.

One of the oldest suspects, 20-year-old Dakota Pfeiffer was initially arrested on charges of tampering with evidence.

Pfeiffer was also charged with murder in court on Tuesday, officials said.

He’s being held on a $1.5 million bond. Pfeiffer's next bond hearing is set for July 25.

According to Clermont County investigators, Pfeiffer admitted to being at the scene of the murders and claims he saw at least one victim motionless, face down on the floor.

RELATED: Man arrested in Ohio Township double murder

Pfieffer did not confess to committing the crime, police said.

The victims, the Rusty Larison 59, and his son Ryan Larison 34, were found shot to death in their home in Ohio Township last Thursday, police said.

Clermont County deputies were searching for a 17-year-old believed to be the trigger man, over the weekend.

That teen was taken into custody Tuesday, police said.

His brother, 18-year-old Anthony Montgomery was arrested over the weekend.

Investigators said the motive for the murders was robbery.

The juvenile suspects will no longer be named due to their age.

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio —

A Clermont County man has creativity and the Cincinnati Bengals' success to thank for accidentally starting a new business.

Ahead of the Bengals' game against the Raiders in January, Ron Boyle designed and created big Bengals chains for him and his daughter. He made one that said "Joey Franchise" for him and a "Chosen 1" for his daughter, paying homage to Ja"Marr Chase.

"They're called the 'Flava of Who Dey,'" Boyle said before chuckling.

He admits he is not exactly sure how he came up with the idea but thinks he may have come up with it after seeing Ickey Woods wearing that big Bengals "B" on his chest.

His chains were a hit at the game and caught the eye of 9-year-old Kingston Thomas, who WLWT has featured as a favorite among Bengals fans, and his mom Erica.

"She asked me if I could make a couple for her and a couple turned into 30 or 40 or whatever it is now," Boyle said. "Bengal Jim put it out on his social media and boom, there it went."

The two super fans attracted attention from Bengals fans, Cincinnati fans of other sports teams and sports fans in other parts of the country.

Before he knew it, he was running a side business. It's kept him up late into the early morning hours as the Super Bowl approaches.

Boyle's home office has transformed into a tiger lair, with orange and black artwork in every corner.

"My full-time regular job is designing toys," Boyle said. He added that designing chains has felt like a full-time job lately and wishes he would have thought of the idea sooner.

"I would have gotten some sleep in the last two weeks if I had done it a couple months ago," he joked.

A lot of people want chains about Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase or Evan McPherson. Many others ask for custom designs with nicknames.

"I've done Joe Brrr, Joey B, Joey Franchise, the Joe Shiesty one hanging on the wall over there," he said.

He estimates he has made more than 125 in just three weeks' time. He lays each design out on his computer system and then transfers the design to one of his 3D printers.

"It takes seven to eight hours to print one," Boyle said. "That's why I have seven printers running almost all the time."

Boyle was a season ticket holder for three decades and has been a Bengals fan even longer.

"Through the 90s and the early 2000s, I couldn't get anybody to go to games. It was so bad. It was the worst football around," he said.

Boyle said games were fun again under Marvin Lewis and under Zac Taylor, although he initially didn't agree with his hiring, the team is on track to have many more winning seasons.

He expects more fans to want necklaces after the Super Bowl, especially if the Bengals take home the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Each custom design is $40.

Boyle is planning to launch a website once he catches up on orders after the Super Bowl. For now, if you are interested in placing an order, you can contact Ron Boyle on Facebook or email him at boylermakercustoms@gmail.com.

NEW RICHMOND, Ohio — In what Judge Richard P. Ferenc called one of the most brutal and cold-blooded murders he's seen in his career, Keyanta Gardner was sentenced to life without parole on Wednesday in Clermont County Common Pleas Court.

Gardner pleaded guilty in October to aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit aggravated murder in the death of Bobby Farrell on July 6.

"It's unfathomable to me," Ferenc told Gardner. "I don't know how a brain can operate to do this to such a trusted friend. In the 44 years I've been a participant in the criminal justice system, this is one of the most brutal, cold-blooded, planned executions I've seen."

Members of Farrell's family – including his brother, sister, mother and father – spoke before Gardner was sentenced. Gardner's uncle and mother spoke on his behalf, as did some of his co-workers.

"He sat and watched as our whole world crashed around us for six days," Katie Farrell, Bobby's sister, said. "He played with Bobby's daughter while we got fake ransom calls."

Katie Farrell recalled going for a ride with Gardner and recording it with his permission after her brother went missing. She was hoping Gardner could recall details of the night her brother went missing.

"On July 9, as everyone was looking for my brother, I recorded him with his permission in hopes he remembered something," she recalled. "I know we went the same route he took my brother that night. We turned around two minutes from where he dumped his body."

After Beasley and Gardner disposed of Farrell's body, Gardner continued to hang around Farrell's family, going as far as to travel with them to view surveillance footage in Clifton on the chance it gave a clue to Farrell's whereabouts.

Jenny Farrell, Bobby Farrell's mother, described talking to Gardner through text while at the hospital waiting for the birth of her granddaughter, hoping he could remember clues that could find her son.

"We loved him as one of us," she said. "When we made plans, he was invited and he would come. He was always polite, never got angry and never gave me a reason to not like him, but boy was I fooled."

WCPO: Sentencing scheduled for man involved in murder-for-hire plot of best friend
July 2021: Missing New Richmond man found dead, another man charged with murder
WCPO: Prosecutor says man schemed to murder his best friend in cold blood

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Since the pandemic started and schools shut their doors to students, officials in Clermont County said on paper they have seen a drop in child abuse cases, but they fear that just means cases are going unreported.

"If you're a child and being abused, who are you going to tell?" Scott O'Reilly, Clermont County's assistant prosecutor, said. "The abuser in the house?"

O'Reilly said abuse cases are down nearly 50%. However, he thinks just because the case numbers are down means they aren't being reported.

"Normally, when you've got pediatricians, you've got teachers, you've got kind of that front line of defense of child abuse is recognizing it," O'Reilly said. "What do you do when there's not that front line?”

While O'Reilly said people won't see the true effects of child abuse until years down the road, he said that's why he has worked to build the Little Fork Family Advocacy Center, so that he and others can help victims of child abuse now.

"My goal is to get some positive change for these kids, for these families, when... something like this goes through it so we're not repeating the cycle," O'Reilly said.

You can donate to help construct the Little Fork Family Advocacy Center by visiting their website here.

Clermont County residents in need of a COVID-19 vaccine have an easier way to access appointments, as demand for the shots across the county has more than doubled in recent weeks. That easier access is coming in the form of a mobile app.

Starting Wednesday, Clermont County residents can use the ArmorVax app to track down clinics in the area that have vaccination appointments available.

Demand for coronavirus vaccines dropped in the county over the summer months, with the Clermont County Department of Public Health receiving as few as 10-20 appointment requests per day, according to communications coordinator Keith Robinson.

RELATED: Hamilton Co. health officials say FDA approval hasn't moved the needles

That meant vaccine clinics only needed to operate two days per week, Robinson said. He attributed the decline to unvaccinated folks remaining hesitant due to the vaccines' lack of full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Since the Pfizer vaccine received full FDA approval late last month, Robinson believes that's caused a surge in demand. Requests for appointments were up closer to 50 per day this week.

"We know that some people early on were a little hesitant to take that without the full approval," Robinson said.

Robinson said the late-summer surge in COVID-related hospitalizations across the state — largely associated with the rise of the virus' delta variant — might be motivating people to get their shots.

"It's not only affecting the older population, as it was earlier in the pandemic," Robinson said. "A lot of younger adults are being affected, as well. So I think, you know, that may have a role to play in the increased demand, as well."

Those interested in using the app can download it here.

BATAVIA, Ohio — Clermont County Commissioner David Painter and nine other staff members working in the County Administrative Building in Batavia have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Clermont Sun.

Painter confirmed the news via email on Jan. 25.

He said he’s been working from home since the morning of Jan. 15, explaining that he began feeling symptoms late in the evening on Jan. 14.

Painter said he believes that he was exposed to the virus at work.

The Clermont Sun is a media partner of WCPO 9 News. Click here to read the full story.

BATAVIA, Ohio — One woman has died after rear-ending a box truck on State Route 32 in Batavia Friday afternoon, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Police said 20-year-old Emily Partin, of Williamsburg, Ohio, was traveling westbound in a Kia Forte behind a box truck in a work zone. A preliminary investigation found that Partin's Forte struck the rear of the box truck, which was slowing for traffic.

Central Joint EMS transported her to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The driver of the box truck was transported to Clermont Mercy Hospital with minor injuries.

OSHP said Partin was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Impairment is not a factor in the crash, police said.

OSHP's Batavia Post will continue their investigation.

NEW RICHMOND, Ohio — A Clermont County judge Thursday morning issued a $1-million bond for the suspect accused of killing a man who went missing from New Richmond earlier this month.

Twenty-three-year-old Bobby Farrell had been missing since July 6 when authorities discovered his body abandoned on a tree-lined country road in New Richmond Monday. Police have since accused 23-year-old Kenyata Gardner of murder in Farrell's death.

Photo courtesy New Richmond Police Department

Gardner was already in custody at the time officers from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation identified him as the culprit.

He’d been questioned during the investigation into Farrell’s disappearance, and his answers earned him charges of tampering with evidence and obstructing official business.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ohio — Miami Township (Clermont County) police have charged four people in connection with the discovery of a woman's body in Fayetteville earlier this week.

James J. Thompson, 36, of Milford; Jeffrey C. Payne, 45, of Goshen; Charles Andre Lykins, 43, of Goshen; and Michael A. Young, 46, of Goshen all face tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse charges in Clermont County court, Miami Township police announced Thursday. Thompson also faces charges of permitting drug abuse.

The four men are accused of participating in disposing the body of a deceased person. It is also alleged that Philpot's cell phone was destroyed in an attempt to conceal her whereabouts.

In a Facebook post, authorities said officers found 26-year-old Amanda Philpot of Goshen, Ohio, in a wooded area. Investigators determined Philpot had died 11 days earlier at a residence on Woodspoint Drive.

The agency went on to detail the charges against the four individuals.

All but one of the suspects were being held in the Clermont County jail Thursday afternoon. Police were still searching for Jeffrey C. Payne.

Officials were still investigating the cause of Philpot's death.

TATE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Two people, including a 17-year-old, were killed and two others were seriously injured after a crash in Tate Township Friday afternoon, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Police said the driver of a 2005 Honda Accord traveling east on Bethel New Richmond Road lost control and struck a 2015 black Ford Escape in the opposite lane. The Accord then traveled off the road and struck a utility pole. The force of both impacts split the vehicle in half, police said.

A 17-year-old passenger in the Accord, Austin T. Rose, was ejected from the vehicle. Both Rose and 26-year-old Jose F. Noland were pronounced dead at the scene by the Clermont County Coroner. Neither person wore a seatbelt at the time of the crash, police said.

The driver and a 16-year-old passenger in the Escape were transported to area hospitals in serious condition. Both were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

The crash remains under investigation by OSHP's Batavia Post.

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