
The Nelsonville City Council announces that the Street Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 6:30 pm has been re-scheduled to Monday, May 16, 2016 at 6:00pm. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

The Nelsonville City Council announces that the Street Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 6:30 pm has been re-scheduled to Monday, May 16, 2016 at 6:00pm. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

The Nelsonville City Council announces that there will be a Utility Committee meeting on Monday, May 16, 2016 at 7:00pm in council chambers. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVER THUNDER STORM WATCH FOR ATHENS COUNTY UNTIL 2 AM, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11.
REMEMBER, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO, LOCAL TV, RADIO OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The following incidents have been listed by Athens County Crime Solvers Anonymous as May 2016 Crimes of the Month.
The Athens Police Department is requesting your information pertaining to three criminal acts, connected by DNA, which occurred within the City of Athens.
The Athens, Ohio Police Department is actively investigating three separate but related violent assaults which took place in Athens between 2006 and 2015.
On June 20, 2015, at approximately 2:00 AM, a female was walking home from the uptown area. As she walked through the parking lot at the rear of 19 E. Carpenter St, an unknown suspect approached her from behind and attempted to sexually assault her but was scared away by others walking in the area.
DNA evidence obtained as a result of the investigation was submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for analysis. The results of the analysis showed the suspect from the 2015 assault was the same suspect that had been identified by DNA in a sexual assault reported in 2006. The details of the 2006 sexual assault are very similar to the 2015.
In the 2006 incident, the female victim was also walking home from the uptown area when she noticed an unknown white male following her. After arriving home, the suspect illegally entered the victim’s home and forcibly raped the victim and then fled the scene. The victim described the suspect as being 5’08” to 5’10” tall, weighing 130 to 150 pounds, with short light-colored hair. This description is very similar to the description provided by the victim of the 2015 incident.
The third incident occurred in December of 2015. Again, the nature of the assault is similar to the prior incidents.
We are seeking information on the suspect who is described as a white male in his late twenties to early thirties, 5’8” to 5’9” tall, and weighing approximately 160 pounds. The attached composite was developed through use of the suspect’s DNA. If you have any information related to these two incidents or know the identity of the suspect, please provide it to the Athens Police Department.

The Athens Police Department is also investigating the passing of counterfeit money at the Speedway on Richland Ave on April 17, 2016. A white male wearing an Ohio University t-shirt, as seen in the surveillance footage, provides the clerk with a counterfeit bill to pay for merchandise he selected in the store. After the transaction was complete and the male had left the store, it was determined the bill he passed was in fact counterfeit. The male left the lot in a 2006-2012 black Toyota Rav4.

The Athens and Nelsonville Police Departments are requesting your information pertaining to multiple restaurants being broken into and they appear to be related.
The following restaurants were forcibly entered and similar items were taken from each one:
Athens County Crime Solvers Anonymous is offering a $2,000.00 cash reward for information on the above crimes if that information leads to the arrest and/or indictment of the person or persons responsible. *Information on serious misdemeanors will be limited to a $1000.00 cash reward. **Any information that leads to the arrest of an individual responsible for graffiti, the board can authorize up to a $500.00 cash reward. If you have information on these crimes, please call (740) 594 – 3331.
Other cash rewards are available for your information regarding other crimes that have been committed in Athens County and if you have knowledge of other crimes, you are asked to call (740) 594 – 3331. Also visit our website at www.crimesolversofathens.org for information on previous crimes of the month.
Remember! Crime Solvers Anonymous needs your information and not your name so that your information can be passed onto the proper authorities.
Help us to help Athens County become a safer place.

The Nelsonville City Council will hold a regular Council meeting on Monday, May 9, 2016 at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

The Nelsonville Water Department has canceled the boil order for all of Mill Street. We would like to thank the residents affected by this incident for their patience and understanding.

The outdoor emergency warning sirens in Nelsonville, The Plains and New Marshfield will be tested at 12 noon on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, with a one minute sounding of the sirens. Local residents are asked not to call local emergency agencies inquiring why the sirens are sounding.
The outdoor warning siren system is normally tested on the first Wednesday of every month at 12:00 p.m. The monthly test will be cancelled if severe weather is threatening. If severe weather cancels the test it will be postponed until the next month. There are three conditions that result in the warning sirens being activated in Athens County.
When the outdoor warning sirens are sounded for an emergency they will be activated for five minutes. When you hear the warning sirens you should do the following;

The Nelsonville Water Department announces that a boil order has been issued for all of Mill Street until further notice.
Boil orders are put into place as a result of broken water lines or local flooding. When this happens, the drinking water may have been contaminated which can cause many illnesses.
Here are some tips to keep in mind, should you find yourself in this situation: • Bring water to a full boil, and boil for three minutes prior to use.

ATHENS, Ohio – As indicated in an earlier statement, Ohio University police received a report this morning (April 29) of an anonymous threat posted to the location-based social media app Yeti. Although it was initially believed that the post was made to the “Ohio University” group—thus tying the threat to Athens—further investigation, with assistance from Yeti application technical staff, has revealed this was not the case.
Users on Yeti can monitor key words in posts which will cause material to appear in their feed that is not associated with the group to which they belong. Investigation has shown that the threatening video was posted by a user in Europe who is not affiliated with any group on Yeti. Although the complainant belongs to the “Ohio University” group, the video appeared in the complainant’s feed based on key words, not location. With assistance from Yeti application technical staff, detectives were able to confirm the user who originally generated and posted the video was not in the United States. Based on this latest information, we do not believe there is any specific threat to Athens or Ohio University at this time.
We would like to commend the complainant who reported the video, as it is always best to take threats seriously and “See Something, Say Something.” We would also like to thank Yeti application’s staff for their assistance with the technical investigation.
This case was another example of coordinated investigative work by local and federal law enforcement to bring the matter to a quick close.

ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio University police received a report early this morning (April 29) that an anonymous video threatening the safety of “American students” had been posted to a location-based social media app called Yeti. The app allows users to post and view images associated with college-based user groups. The threatening video was posted to the “Ohio University” group, which allows users to affiliate with the Athens campus. A screen capture of the video appears below:

Local law enforcement shared the information with Athens County school personnel, who in an abundance of caution, closed area schools. Ohio University remains open, and commencement will continue as scheduled, but additional police staffing and increased security measures will be in place.
The FBI is assisting local law enforcement, who are working to evaluate the credibility of the threat. The investigation is ongoing.