Judge Willamowski named Presiding Judge
LIMA John R. Willamowski, judge with the Third District Court of Appeals in Lima, has been designated as presiding judge of that court for 2021.
The duties of presiding judge include setting the schedule and presiding over oral arguments; assigning the judges to hearing panels; determining procedural motions and administering the personnel policies of the Court.
Willamowski was elected to the Third District in 2006. He previously served as a state representative from 1997-2006. He resides in Lima with his wife, Mona.
William R. Zimmerman, judge with the Third District Court of Appeals, has been designated as administrative judge of that court for 2021. The administrative judge assists and, in the absence of the presiding judge, carries out those duties. Zimmerman was elected to the Third District in 2016. He previously served as a Shelby County Common Pleas Court Judge from 2009-2016, and he resides in Sidney with his wife, Deb.
Grand jury indicts 36 individuals
By Jim Painter - For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY – A city man faces sex-related charges involving a minor after being indicted by the Shelby County grand jury on Thursday, Jan. 7.
In all 36 people were indicted. They were arraigned on Monday in Shelby County Common Pleas Court.
Noah F. Rayborn, 27, Sidney, was charged with three counts of rape, all first-degree felonies, and gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony.
According to online court records, Rayborn is accused of having sexual relations with a girl under the age 13. The incidents allegedly occurred from March through Oct. 6, 2020. Travis Lee Johnson, 32, Sidney, was charged with two counts of dissemination matter harmful to juveniles, both fifth-degree felonies. He is accused of electronically sending nude photos to a juvenile.
COVID-19 pandemic top story of year
SIDNEY The year 2020 was a year unlike one that Shelby County residents had never experienced in their lifetime. The year had individual events which changed lives but non like the coronavirus pandemic which started in March and continues to today.
The editorial staff selected what they felt were the top stories of 2020.
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic dominated the news cycle and affected lives more than few, if any, events ever have.
The Sidney-Shelby County Health Department has reported more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 in the county. More than 100 residents have been hospitalized because of the virus, and there have been 18 confirmed deaths. At times Shelby County had one of the state’s highest incidence rates.
Dayton man indicted on drug charges
By Jim Painter - For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY – A Dayton man has been indicted on several drug-related charges by the Shelby County grand jury. Also, indicted on a weapons charges, was a Sidney man.
No arraignment date has been set for those indicted in Shelby County Common Pleas Court.
James Tuttle, 43, of Dayton is charged with aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second-degree felony. He was also indicted for possession of drugs, a fourth-degree, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, counterfeiting, a fourth-degree felony, tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.