SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Springfield Township family facing the possibility of homelessness now has a safe place to stay.

Stephanie Payne's landlord is planning to sell her house, telling Payne she and her granddaughters must be out this week. Though she had known since April, Payne said she was struggling to find a new place that would accept her housing choice voucher, commonly known as Section 8. Payne stays home to provide 24-hour care to her granddaughter Mekyla, who has cerebral palsy.

"Her name is MeMe, my everything," Payne said. "Mekyla requires a lot — she's got to have room for all of her machines, all of her equipment."

After telling WCPO her story, multiple people and agencies offered to help Payne's family. Payne said her case manager at Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services was able to find her a temporary place for the rest of December, and a new home to move into in January.

"Sounds like a pretty good situation to me — a lot better situation," Payne said. "It feels good to see the love, to see that there's still people out there who care and are willing to help when you're in a bad situation."

Hamilton County DDS said outcomes like this are not always expected, but they are thankful that things were able to line up to make it possible in this case.

"This is one of those situations that we were just glad that we were able to help," said Ryan Braun with Hamilton County DDS. "The timing worked out perfectly for a few things — we had this temporary location that happened to be open right at the right time."

Case managers work with clients and a housing coordinator who can help families, but with so many moving pieces, Braun said, it can be a difficult process.

"It's important to note that housing can be difficult to find for a lot of folks, so we're happy that we were able to help out in this situation," Braun said.

A GoFundMe to help the family with moving costs has raised more than $3,500 and Payne said she is also getting support from "Their Voice of Greater Cincinnati," a cerebral palsy-focused nonprofit.

"It feels great. I feel a whole lot better than I did," Payne said. "Now I've got something to look forward to. I've got a new home to look forward to: we will be together for Christmas."

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COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Police responded to four shootings in Mt. Healthy and Colerain Township – all occurring within several blocks of each other and leading to responses from four police departments.

The first shooting occurred outside a Walmart in the 8400 block of Colerain Avenue in Colerain Township before midnight on Monday. Shortly after police arrived, there were reports of another shooting on Forest Avenue in Mt. Healthy.

Another shooting was reported nearby on Werner Avenue in Mt. Healthy followed by another shooting call nearby on Arbor Wood Drive in Colerain Township.

Police said no injuries were reported.

"We were able to find evidence that there was some kind of a shooting (at the Walmart)," Jim Love, Public Information Officer for the Colerain Township Police Department, said. "The last one, it seems to have spilled over to Talon Terrace. We haven't found evidence of a shooting yet. But there's still more going on. A handful of police agencies are looking into it and trying to piece it all together."

Police officers from Colerain Township, Springfield Township, Mt. Healthy and North College Hill responded to the reports.

"It's just a matter of being able to connect all the dots and see what it was and how it happened," Love said. "Immediately we had Springfield Township, Mount Healthy and North College Hill come over. Everyone was on high alert. It seems to have been settled now, (but) the question is what was all this?"

WCPO will continue to update this story.

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP — A Springfield Township police officer was injured in a crash late Friday night.

Police at the scene said the officer was helping handle a disabled vehicle at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Springdale Road when a car slammed into the back of the police cruiser.

Both the officer and the driver were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

No one was in the back of the police cruiser, police said.

According to police, impairment does not appear to be a factor.

Police are investigating whether the weather or slick roads played a role in the crash.

The officer's identity has not been released. We've reached out for an update on the officer's condition but have not heard back.

A Springfield Township police officer was involved in a crash Friday night.

The department says the officer was responding to a separate call about a disabled vehicle when his vehicle was struck from behind.

It happened near Hamilton Avenue and Springdale Road.

Springfield Township Police say the officer was not injured and is doing fine. There is no information about the driver of the other vehicle.

Police say an investigation is pending.

A 2-year-old toddler is in the hospital with extensive burns after being caught in an apartment fire Saturday night in Hamilton County.

Springfield Township Fire Department says they responded to the fire in Galbraith Pointe Apartments. They say they found the 2-year-old boy on the second floor in the apartment where the fire first started.

Officials say other children were on the scene too but were not hurt. They say the child was first taken to Children's Hospital but is now being airlifted to a burn unit in Columbus because of the severity of his burns.

The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire.

Tianna Robinson, a Springfield Township mother accused of abusing and killing her 4-year-old daughter, could receive the death penalty if convicted.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced Monday that Robinson had been indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and endangering children in connection to her daughter’s death on April 21, 2021. She could be sentenced to death if a jury finds her guilty of aggravated murder.

"This child was enduring, really enduring, tremendous torture at the hands of her mother," Deters said.

It was April 13 when Springfield Township police arrived at a residence where Robinson was with her boyfriend, Rensley Washington III, and her daughter. She called 911 to report the child passed out.

"This is like her third time doing it now," Robinson told the dispatcher. "So, I'm not sure. She came back every time, but this time she's not."

Court documents said Robinson later admitted to punching and strangling the girl until she could no longer breathe, and doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital observed signs of “prolonged physical abuse” when Nahla was admitted.

Deters said he believes the couple left the toddler alone at the home while they went to the grocery store. When they returned, she had a bathroom accident.

"She was not toilet trained, had urinated," said Deters. "The mother snaps, attacks Nahla, hits her, strangles her."

Deters said doctors documented a broken arm, internal bleeding and bruising as well as a burn on her hand from that incident. He said doctors noted months of prior abuse and malnutrition.

She died April 21. Deters said she weighed 23 pounds, half of what a healthy 4-year-old weighs.

The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a homicide caused by strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Robinson was initially charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and child endangering. Monday’s indictment drops the attempted murder charge and adds three for murder.

“I have never understood how anyone could hurt a little kid so badly, especially the child’s own mother,” Deters said. “Violence like this goes against every instinct we are born with as humans and as parents.”

The boyfriend, Washington, faces charges of obstruction and child endangerment. Deters said he could face more.

Nahla's father, Nathaniel, has set up a GoFundMe to assist with funeral and other expenses.

A driver operating a salt truck late Thursday night drove at two Reading police officers while they were executing a traffic stop before leading officers from multiple agencies on a chase, the Reading Police Department said Friday.

According to a news release, two officers were in the process of taking a suspect into custody after a traffic stop near the intersection of Reading Road and Sunnybrook Drive when they observed 36-year-old Omar Armstrong accelerating a city of Cincinnati salt truck in their direction.

Terry Helmer (WCPO)

"The officers had to jump back to avoid being struck by the truck," the release indicates, adding that the officers estimated the vehicle was traveling in excess of 60 miles per hour as it passed.

As one of the Reading officers completed the initial traffic stop, the other pursued the salt truck. Armstrong refused to stop, officers said, leading them on a chase up Interstate 75 on to Ronald Reagan Highway.

Springfield Township police eventually joined the pursuit, as well, as Armstrong returned to the site of the original traffic stop, spraying salt on the officer again, the release stated.

Springfield Township officers finally succeeded in stopping Armstrong, where he was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted vehicular assault, failure to comply, and reckless operation, among other charges.

Armstrong's attorney said Friday in court that he did not see the police vehicle's flashing lights behind him as officers were pursuing him. She also said he has worked at the city of Cincinnati for five years.

A judge held Armstrong on a $9,000 bond and set a grand jury date for Feb. 8.