LEBANON, Ohio —

A Deerfield Township man accused of sexually assaulting children had his bond set at $300,000 Thursday.

John "Ben" Reynolds, 53, is charged with one count of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition. Detectives with the Warren County Sheriff's Office said they've identified three victims who were known to Reynolds.

According to court documents obtained by WLWT, the children are currently between 13 and 14 years old. Two are girls and one is a boy. Documents state the sexual assaults started in 2016 and took place at multiple locations including Liberty Center, the KOA campground in Lebanon, a local YMCA and Reynolds' home.

The children told social workers who interviewed them that Reynolds would buy them items such as jewelry, clothes, stuffed animals, toys and candy, according to court documents.

The investigation into the assaults began after the mother of a child reported Reynolds to Butler County Children Services in April.

During Reynolds' arraignment Thursday, his attorney, Edward Perry, said his client was a family man.

"He is married, judge. He's been married for 29 years, and he's got three grown children," Perry said.

Perry said his client moved to Warren County after graduating from Southern Illinois University in 1992.

"He came to Warren County and made Warren County his home, and he's been here ever since. He was married here. He purchased and bought a home in Mason, Ohio. Him, his wife and his family have been in that house in Mason for the last 22 years," Perry said.

Perry said Reynolds has been employed as a software developer, most recently by the Cincinnati Financial Corporation.

"He suspects that, because of his arrest, that job is no longer available to him," Perry said.

Detectives said Reynolds was involved with a Boy Scout troop out of Mason, but they say the children are not associated with the scouts.

Reynolds is scheduled to be back in Lebanon Municipal Court on June 2 for a preliminary hearing.

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio —

Clermont County officials have issued a statewide Missing Adult Alert for Thomas Mills, a 71-year-old man.

Pierce Township police Chief Paul Broxterman said a neighbor was the last person to see Mills around 8 a.m. on Tuesday in the Amelia Court Apartment's parking lot at 1381 W. Ohio Pike.

Broxterman said when Clermont County County Senior Services arrived to pick up Mills, he was nowhere to be found.

"They checked inside. He wasn't there. So, they called the nephew who called us."
Broxterman said.

Police said Mills is 4 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds, and has grey hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black jacket.

"He only walks around this immediate area. He's lived here for two years, and he has a very distinctive ... he has trouble walking. So, we're hoping someone in the area sees him and gives us a call," Broxterman said.

The apartment complex is next to Kroger on Ohio Pike.

"We're checking the cameras of Kroger. We pinged his phone, and, you know, we got a hit about 300 meters around this area, which is 1,200 feet. We've had the sheriff's department come with the dog to do a search. We had a drone up. We have the search and rescue team coming to help us," Broxterman said.

According to officials, Mills is autistic and suffers from "a delayed mental capacity."

There are two search teams leading the efforts to find Mills, Cincinnati Search and Recovery and Ohio LandSAR Search and Rescue.

"We're worried about the weather cause he's going to have hypothermia. He wasn't dressed to be out in the rain," said Cincinnati Search and Recovery Chief Jeff Shari. "We come out here and all of us are volunteers. We don't get paid. We're in it because of our heart. We want to find him so we're going to stay here until we find him."

Shari said the fact that Mills is autistic changes the dynamic of the search.

"We do a calculation on age, mental capacity and how far of a distance he could have gone since he went missing. They're usually attracted to water, lights, he lives right next to Kroger so obviously we check Kroger first. We have a K9 out checking the retention ponds in the area," Shari said. "We will then hit is common routes."

Search crews ask anyone who lives in the area to check their property and backyards, especially places Mills may have gone to get warm. Anyone who sees Mills is asked to call 911 or 1-888-637-1113.

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

Another shoe has dropped in the investigation of suspected abuse at Hillcrest Academy.

Hamilton County and Juvenile Court announced Wednesday afternoon they will end their contractual ties to Rite of Passage, which runs the treatment program for at-risk youth at Hillcrest.

The decision comes in the wake of allegations that surfaced within the past few days from a worker there.

An investigation is underway into whether a female staff member sexually assaulted at least one student.

There was an emergency Juvenile Court meeting about it over the weekend.

According to a joint statement this afternoon from Hamilton County Juvenile Court and Hamilton County Job and Family Services, "On Saturday, HCJC held an emergency shelter hearing to remove all 12 of the children the Court placed at Hillcrest. HCJFS is also in the process of relocating its residents. In addition, the County Administrator and the Administrative Judge have given notice that it intends to terminate its contract with Rite of Passage."

The statement mentioned there were 50 current residents at Hillcrest.

A dozen were placed there by Juvenile Court, six by Jobs and Family Services.

The rest of the residents were sent to Hillcrest by other entities from out of state.

Neither Hamilton County leaders nor anyone from Juvenile Court would say anything further about the separation, referring all questions to the Hamilton County Prosecutor.

As for the criminal investigation, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office said there is nothing new to release at this time.

HIGHLAND COUNTY, Ohio —

One person is dead and another was injured after a two-vehicle crash in Paint Township.

It happened around 2:08 p.m. when highway patrol officers responded to Keplinger Road off of U.S. 50.

There, they discovered the two-vehicle crash.

Officials said a driver, identified as Douglas Hurt, 62, was driving down Keplinger Road when he failed to yeild to a stop signa nd was hit by another car.

Hurt was taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The other driver suffered minor injuries.

No drugs or alcohol are suspected at this time, OSP said.

The crash is under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

COLUMBIA TWP., Ohio — The first medical marijuana dispensary in the Interstate 275-loop opened its doors Wednesday morning in Columbia Township.

Verilife, a medical marijuana dispensary company owned by the Illinois-based Pharmacann, opened the dispensary at 5134 Ridge Ave. between Pleasant Ridge and Oakley Wednesday at 11 a.m.

"We are looking forward to meeting the medical cannabis needs of Ohio's patients seeking relief," said Chaz Mize, general manager of the Cincinnati Verilife dispensary.

The dispensary offers a wide range of medical marijuana products for the medical needs of people in Cincinnati.

"Whether it's tinctures for the senior citizen with cancer receiving chemotherapy, or vaporizers for the patient with chronic pain, we want to ensure our patients are empowered to find what works to meaningfully improve their lives," said Mize.

Patient consultation rooms and access to patient care representatives are also available at the dispensary.

RELATED: What to expect from Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries

About Wellness, located in a strip mall at 1525 Genntown Dr. in Lebanon, Ohio, was the first of seven medical marijuana dispensaries to open in Greater Cincinnati.

“We believe there are folks that don't have dispensaries close to them," Mize said. "And then we believe that there are a considerable number of people here in the Cincinnati market that just haven't had the opportunity to use their card yet."

Michael Harris, a medical marijuana patient living in Hamilton County, said Verilife's new location is about 30 miles closer to his home than the Lebanon dispensary.

"I have chronic pain in my legs, in my shoulder and in my back," Harris said. "I have a herniated disc."

He said medical marijuana doesn't make his pain go away, but it makes it manageable, so he can live his life. He said living closer to a more accessible dispensary has made a big difference for him.

Ryan Hoover, another medical marijuana patient, said he uses medical marijuana to treat his PTSD, Crohn's Disease and IBS. He's tried different prescription drugs over the years, but said nothing has worked for him as well as medical marijuana.

"Medicines, some of them work," he said. "But it’s just a matter of time before they stop working or you catch a lot of the side effects from it. I don’t like taking pills so this is really going to help me.”

Medical marijuana is not a prescription, but the state of Ohio allows certified physicians to recommend medical marijuana to patients with certain medical conditions. Patients are provided a card, not a prescription to fill, and can purchase it from state-certified dispensaries.

Butler County could also see its first dispensary soon. Bloom Medicinals said it plans to open a dispensary in Seven Mile before the end of the month.

CINCINNATI —

Thursday is a big day for students as a new school year starts for some in several local school districts.

It's exciting, but uncertain as COVID-19 protocols continue to be adjusted.

Some schools are still deciding mask and COVID-19 protocols and on Wednesday night, the Forest Hills School District made a decision that came with cheers and jeers from parents.

The meeting was full and at one point, a board member cast the incorrect vote twice.

Parents appeared to have had enough before it ever really started.

"I just felt like (Gov. Mike) DeWine lifted that and said we could take them off and I don't want to put it back on and I don't want my children to put it back on either," parent Shawna Myers said.

Parents, students, and community members all stood outside Nagel Middle School greeting school leaders with signs against masks.

Their signs were on display during a meeting of the Forest Hills School Board, where masks were the task at hand.

"I believe that students should wear masks for their protection and for the protection of others," board member Dee Dee Choice said.

"I don't understand why we would do things differently when our goal shouldn't be to experiment. Our goal should be to make sure every child has the ability to learn in person," board member Dr. Leslie Rasmussen said.

"They struggle to learn when they can't fundamentally interact with each other. So to mask them out of fear of what might happen is outrageous," board Member Elizabeth Maier said.

At the end of the night, the board decided for elementary school students, masks will be required in instructional settings, but not in hallways, restrooms or at recess.

For secondary students, masks are optional.

The big concerns appeared to surrounded quarantines and contact tracing.

Members said last year, about 400 children were out with COVID-19 cases leading to about 4,000 in quarantine who did not get sick.

Parents in masks also took part in the meeting, supporting the mask effort.

Unfortunately, we were unable to catch up with them after the meeting.

They appeared to support any mask policy, with one woman saying she did not want her children near unmasked kids.

But those who were protesting said no mask policy is the right policy.

"I don't believe it'll have any effect at controlling the spread. I think the cases will continue to rise in the cold and flu season. We'll have another failed mitigation strategy," parent Scott Nelson said.

As part of the motion the board passed, the school district will revisit mask protocols for schools on Sept. 13 basing any changes on data and the situation at the time.

The Forest Hills School District includes Anderson and Turpin high schools and Ayer, Maddux, Mercer, Sherwood, Summit and Wilson elementary schools.

It serves more than 7,300 students in Anderson Township and the Village of Newtown.