Hot coffee was thrown at a Frisch's employee amid a fight.A former employee has been charged and arrested and it's still not clear why the fight happened in the first place.As of Monday night, the suspect, Lauren Ward, 38, was still listed as booked in the Hamilton County Jail charged with felonious assault.According to Hamilton County Court, Ward was arraigned on Monday.Police said she threw scalding hot coffee on another employee causing burns.It was piping hot trouble brewing at the Frisch's restaurant on Bridgetown Road."There's two people in here fighting," an employee told a 911 dispatcher.The sign outside advertises "Fresh and Fun," but on Nov. 8, police said things took a sour, angry turn.Cheviot police said Ward allegedly waited for the victim employee to come to work, started yelling and as a manager tried to step between the two, Ward threw a cup of hot coffee at the victim employee.Police said Ward also gouged the victim employee's left eye.Cheviot police said the 58-year-old victim employee was burned.According to a report, the roasting coffee splashed all over the victim's chest, face and eyes.Then, witnesses said Ward left the establishment.Investigators said she went to her apartment before officers arrived and no one would answer the door.Meanwhile, others comforted the victim employee."She's having trouble seeing out of her eye. They're coming, hun. I've got an ambulance coming and the police are coming," an employee said while on the phone with a dispatcher.Police said the victim employee was taken to UC Medical Center for burns to her face, a gouged left eye and coffee possibly in her eyes.Ward's bond was set at $5,000 and the case heads to a grand jury on Dec. 1.A manager at the Frisch's told WLWT the victim employee is doing OK.A man who identified himself as the victim employee's son also told us she was doing OK.So far, we have not been able to talk with the victim directly.Cheviot police said video exists showing what happened.We have requested a copy and expect to get it in the coming days.WLWT also reached out to Frisch's media contact for a statement, but we have not heard back.

A former U.S. attorney talked with WLWT about the riot at the U.S. Capitol exactly one week ago, and the process of identifying and prosecuting those who took part.Former U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman described the investigation into the Capitol riot as a monumental undertaking.He said the event was domestic terrorism and it is something the nation needs to confront now."This is not a new threat. This is a threat that has existed for quite a few years but has clearly been growing over the last several years and now appears to have hit a crescendo," Glassman said.He spent 15 years as a federal prosecutor and four years as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.Glassman also investigated and prosecuted domestic terrorism.He called last week's riot just that."I was beyond shocked. I was outraged," he said.Dozens have been charged and the FBI continues to scour a wealth of photos, videos and social media evidence.The agency has opened 170 case files and gotten more than 100,000 pieces of digital media since last week."I've seen many cases in my own experience where a cell phone video that someone took at the time of the crime was the difference between a successful prosecution and no prosecution at all," Glassman said.He said when investigating a case this serious, it is important to make sure it is complete so that all of the participants in any sort of criminal activity are known."Conspiracies are often investigated and then prosecuted by finding out the full scope of who's in the conspiracy and often charging or at least bringing to awareness of charges those people at the lower levels of the conspiracy first," Glassman said.He said those who carry out commands might decide to cooperate with law enforcement once they see what they've done is wrong and consider potential consequences.New tips about potential threats are pouring into law enforcement agencies leading to tighter security at statehouses and in Washington, D.C., ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.Glassman said peaceful protests are protected by the First Amendment, but if you are concerned about something you see or hear, tell law enforcement."The First Amendment does not give anyone the license to engage in violent conduct, to destroy property, to try to influence or coerce or intimidate the government. Those are all crimes. They're very serious crimes," Glassman said.There are concerns that some are "going dark" or switching to encrypted messaging systems.Compared to social media, Glassman said that makes it much tougher for law enforcement to identify future threats."There really can be, in my opinion, no higher priority for federal law enforcement than to identify and then, shut down this threat," he said.Glassman said over the years, there have not been many prosecutions for seditious conspiracy or for interstate travel to participate in a riot, but he thinks those will be important tools for federal agents and prosecutors as they move forward in these cases.

A former Cincinnati mayoral candidate is facing federal charges in a pandemic relief fraud scheme.Investigators said Kelli Prather received nearly $20,000 of the more than $600,000 in relief she applied for.Federal investigators are warning people who are tempted to defraud the system that they are watching it closely.They said Prather is part of their fourth round of fraud cases in our region."I'm not the career politician. I'm not the party favorite. I'm the person who represents the people," Kelli Prather said during a 2020 interview.She was in the spotlight running for Hamilton County Commission in 2020.Prather was more recently running for mayor of Cincinnati, a city plagued with federal corruption cases."The reason I decided to jump into the mayoral's race is because all of the problems that I have discussed in the past," Prather said during a 2021 interview about the race.Now, she is accused by federal investigators of taking part in pandemic relief fraud."The program benefits were designed to provide a lifeline, to cover payroll. Instead, the funds are being used for something else entirely," Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal Patel said.According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Prather applied for six paycheck protection program loans claiming to own six businesses.The feds started digging in September 2020, according to documents WLWT reviewed, and they found the businesses did not appear operational.They said Prather wanted more than $600,000 in relief funds and fraudulently received nearly $20,000.Officials said Fifth Third Bank found discrepancies and declined to fund more.Documents show one of Prather's loan applications listed one employee who made $19,862 a month, but supporting documentation showed only $1,500 a year in income."The charged defendants used these funds in various ways, but there was a lot of personal use going on," Patel said.Investigators allege Prather pocketed money and used it at salons and restaurants.Some of the purchases outlined in the federal complaint documents include stops at Dollar General, City Gear, Kroger and Juicy Crab.The documents show Prather claimed her businesses were legitimate, but that she admitted some expenses were personal.Federal officials warn that they are watching these programs closely."If they don't stop, they continue on, we're going to come knocking," Patel said.Prather faces charges including bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and making false statements.She declined to comment.Three other people from our area were also charged in separate pandemic relief fraud schemes.Federal officials said Toni Wright, 34, from Cincinnati, allegedly received $349,000 in fraudulent PPP relief loans.They said she made false statements at the purported sole owner of Poshedbar, a hair and nail salon, Beautiful Beginnings Doula Service and Jerry's Electronics.Investigators said Wright used the money for restaurants, purchases at Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Kay Jewelers and for vacations.They also said Wright spent more than $10,000 at Sono Bello, a facility that advertises laser liposuction and body contouring.Wright faces charges including bank fraud, wire fraud, making false statements and false representation of a social security number.Officials said Melissa McGhee, 37, from Cincinnati, allegedly received $186,000 in fraudulent relief funds, which she used, in part, to purchase real estate.Investigators said she allegedly lied about an FHA loan for a new home.They said she applied for seven different pandemic relief loans and received three.According to investigators, McGhee used the business names M&MM Realty Group and M&M Realty Group to submit fraudulent applications.She faces charges including bank fraud, committing fraud in connection with a major disaster or emergency benefits and wire fraud.Federal officials said Jon Alan Bader, 50, from Dayton, allegedly received more than $120,000 in fraudulent pandemic relief funds by lying on applications.They said he registered the business, JB Auto Wholesale, LLC, with the state of Ohio in June 2020, after the cutoff eligibility date for the loans.Investigators said he spent the relief money on Door Dash, Uber, apparel at Puma, Lacoste and Saks, and travel.He faces charges including bank fraud, wire fraud and making false statements.

A family is broken after a 13-year-old girl was stabbed to death in Winton Hills.The teen's father said the pain is immeasurable and described her as the glue that held them all together.Investigators said the teen was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where she died after the stabbing Monday night."I held her. I watched her as she died. I watched her, you know. All I could do was just hold her, hold her," Maurice Jackson said.Devastation, heartache and loss are all emotions that Jackson, Nyaira Givens' father, is feeling after her sudden death."I tried. I tried to stop the bleeding," Jackson said.There are so many feelings he cannot escape, and many people wouldn't be able to either, after the loss of a child.Cincinnati police said Givens was stabbed to death by another 13-year-old girl during a fight near the family's home on Topridge Place.Prayers on Tuesday evening helped ease the heartache, but just barely."Just tried my best to protect her and be the father I could be, you know? I guess I didn't pay attention to all the other stuff that was going on around her," Jackson said.He said his daughter was the second oldest of seven children.He also said she helped keep the family together and loved school.Jackson told WLWT his daughter was a freshman at Aiken High School and went to school with the girl who stabbed her.He said they were "on and off friends," but that his daughter was being bullied.Community leaders call the scene "tragic.""Learn how to solve problems, one towards another, because just because you're mad at somebody doesn't mean that their life has to be taken because of that," Cincinnati Police God Squad Rev. Alvin Scales said.A 13-year-old's life was stolen this time and it has left a family broken."The pain I'm feeling right now, it's just, I can't explain it. It's very unexplainable. She should be burying me. I shouldn't be burying her," Jackson said.Givens' father said she was smart, mature and wanted to be a hairstylist.He said she wanted to bring beauty to the world.Police said the 13-year-old suspect is being held at the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center and is due in court on Wednesday by Zoom.She faces a murder charge.