CINCINNATI — For years, cards keeping the names of murder victims alive were placed inside the Justice Center to help solve cold cases. Now, one mother is calling on Hamilton County's sheriff to reconsider removing the cards she calls a security risk.

Hope Dudley, CEO of U Can Speak For Me, said the playing cards were more than just a novelty deck. Her son was killed in 2009, and the cards represent families who are seeking closure and searching for answers.

"'See something, say something' cards [are] very important to mothers like me who have victims that have been murdered in cold cases," Dudley said.

The cards were placed in jails and other public locations, but were recently removed from Hamilton County's jail. In a statement, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffy said she supports Dudley and her organization, but said the jail has experienced multiple incidents of inmates compromising cell locks using playing cards — something McGuffy said has cost the administration more than $40,000 to repair.

Because of this, the jail discontinued any playing cards due to a security risk, with McGuffy stating "I will not compromise the safety of our officers and the prisoners, nor will I spend taxpayer money on something we can prevent."

Dudley says the decision is unfair, pointing to cases solved with the cards inside the facility — and she's not alone. Among those who protested Saturday for the cards to stay was former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil.

"These cold cases were solved because of our use of the playing cards," Neil said. "Anything can be construed as a security hazard, security just needs to adapt and overcome — we've done it from day one."

The cards are still in other law enforcement facilities, like Butler County's.

"This is the only facility," Dudley said. "When I called the other facilities, they said no, so I don't understand."

CINCINNATI — Law enforcement officers arrested a second man in connection with a 2019 shooting that left a man and a teenage boy dead after an attempted robbery turned violent inside a hotel room.

U.S. Marshal Pete Tobin said marshals partnered with Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies to arrest Kevin Coes, 21, and charge him with two counts of murder in the deaths of 20-year-old Taymar Jones and 15-year-old JaQuan Howard.

Deputies transported Coes to the Hamilton County Justice Center after an early-Thursday morning arrest, Tobin said.

The shooting occurred late in the evening of Nov. 1, 2019, when sheriff's deputies responded to the Hampton Inn and Suites on Ronald Reagan Drive in Sycamore Township.

A group of individuals had rented a room "for a night of gambling including craps and betting on the Madden video game" during which "several thousand dollars [exchanged] hands," according to a December 2020 news release from the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.

According to prosecutors, Jones arrived at the hotel room with two other men and attempted to rob the people attending the gathering, at which multiple people were carrying firearms. Gunfire ensued, in which Jones and Howard were caught and later died as a result.

In their release, prosecutors identified six individuals facing indictments from the shooting, including Coes. Also included in Coes' indictment were three counts of aggravated robbery, three counts of robbery, one count of aggravated burglary and two counts of felonious assault.

If convicted on all counts, he could face life in prison.

In January, marshals arrested 23-year-old Jay Harris on two counts of murder and other felony charges in connection with the shooting.

Of the other individuals indicted in the case, 24-year-old Marvin Brown Hughes is also facing murder charges.

Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey's assigned county vehicle was stolen from her home driveway early Saturday morning; by Monday, the vehicle was recovered but McGuffey's duty weapon, which was locked inside the vehicle, is still missing.

McGuffey said there was no wrong-doing on her part and speculated that her key fob may have been cloned, allowing a thief access to her vehicle.

“Apparently there are ways that some of these criminals can override that key fob," McGuffey said on Sunday. “I don’t know that for a fact, but I have to assume that’s what happened.”

McGuffey said she responded to an incident Friday night and parked her vehicle in her driveway. She left her handgun in a compartment in the vehicle, not in plain sight. She said she wasn’t sure if she locked the compartment or not.

"My conduct was as the Sheriff of Hamilton County, a law enforcement officer who legally and appropriately has a weapon," she said. "Who legally and appropriately has a weapon in a vehicle in the event that there would be a call out, which there actually was."

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office firearms policy addresses the proper way a firearm should be stored in a vehicle: It says it should be locked and put in the trunk.

A spokesperson with the Sheriff's Office said McGuffey's gun was not in her trunk, but was concealed inside the a compartment in the vehicle.

Conceal carry instructor Jeff Chastain said he teaches his students to keep their guns on them or in a steel lock box, if they must remain inside a car.

"I'm not a big fan of leaving guns in cars," he said. "I think they make for lousy holsters."

He said with many guns being stolen as a result of unlocked or stolen cars, it's a gun-owner's responsibility to keep their guns secure.

"The thing that is most concerning is, sure you've got the loss of property, but it's the damage that can happen and hopefully I pray that doesn't happen," said Chastain.

Former Hamilton County Sheriff, Jim Neil, took aim at the situation on Monday in a social media post.

"I can tell you the vehicle and handgun were issued specifically to her, and it's her responsibility to secure both," reads a Facebook post by Neil. "She was absolutely negligent, and it's an abuse of power to declare she did nothing wrong. If this happened to any deputy they would certainly be subject to discipline."

McGuffey ousted Neil in the Democratic primary for Sheriff in April 2020, winning 70% of the vote.

No suspects in the theft of McGuffey's vehicle and gun have been identified and officials said the investigation is ongoing.

LOCKLAND, Ohio — The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says a Lockland police officer fired shots at a man who allegedly attempted to fire shots at him during a traffic stop.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon at 300 Wyoming Ave., according to a release from the sheriff's office, Lockland Police and Cincinnati Police. No one was struck during the shooting, police said.

The man then fled, receiving "assistance from another person" in a vehicle. Undercover officers caught up with the car and suspect a little more than a mile south in Roselawn and ended up crashing at 7901 Reading Rd. The man tried to flee again and was apprehended after a Cincinnati Police officer shocked him with a Taser.

Police identified the man as 22-year-old Dale Allen Smith III, and he was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

Smith has now been charged with attempted murder, aggravated robbery, resisting arrest and harassment with a bodily substance.

Previously, Smith had been charged with 10 felony counts and two misdemeanor counts stemming from an incident on March 18, according to Hamilton County court documents. In February 2019, Smith accepted a plea deal for drug trafficking charges and received three years community control. Later that year, he was arrested for aggravated possession of drugs and sentenced to one year in prison.

Nicholas Dickey was working nearby when the shooting occurred.

"Heard a couple pops. I thought it was a train. There was a train nearby. I was told afterward we're going on lockdown, there was a shooting across the street," Dickey said.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office at (513) 825-1500.