The iOpener: Dayton Shooter's Friend Bought Gear Used in Attack

Good morning, iOpeners. It's Tuesday, August 13, 2019. 

A friend of the man who shot and killed nine people in Dayton on Aug. 4th is facing federal charges for lying on a federal firearms form. Federal authorities say Ethan Kollie of Kettering lied about his drug use while buying a pistol that was not used in the shooting. He's also accused of possessing a weapon while using illegal drugs. They say Kollie bought the body armor, 100-round magazine and a firearm accessory that shooter Connor Betts used in the deadly attack. U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman said Kollie was involved because Betts wanted to hide the purchases from his parents. Investigators stressed that Kollie appeared to have had no knowledge of Betts' plans and that Kollie's weapons played no role in the mass shooting.

A group seeking a voter referendum to overturn Ohio’s new nuclear power plant bailout package will have to start over, after Attorney General Dave Yost rejected the language of their proposed ballot summary. Yost identified what he described as 21 inaccuracies in the summary provided by Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts. The group said it will rewrite its proposal.

A majority of bicycles in Cuyahoga County’s bike share program, UH Bikes, are inoperable, due to aging batteries and an out-of-date software system. The county’s sustainability director, Michael Foley, said the company which runs the system is awaiting a shipment of battery upgrades this week that will put more bikes into circulation. He said it’s a “short term fix.” He said new control systems are needed and a new bike fleet may be in order.

A former Ohio State Diving Club coach has been sentenced to four years in prison for having sexual encounters with a 16-year-old diver in 2014. William Bohonyi Jr. must also register as a sex offender every 90 days for the rest of his life. In her statement before sentencing, the diver, Estee Pryor, said Bohonyi “has no remorse, no care for his actions, and he needs to be put behind bars.”

For a second consecutive game, Carlos Santana came through with a clutch hit to propel the Indians to victory, after closer Brad Hand blew a save. With the game tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, Santana hit a walk-off home run to give the Indians a 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field last night. It came a day after he hit a go-ahead grand slam in extra innings against the Twins. The Indians now lead the Twins in the AL Central by a half game.

Weather forecast for Cleveland: Scattered showers and thunderstorms likely; cloudy, high 79.  Tonight, the chance of rain diminishes, but clouds hang around. Low 68.  Tomorrow, mostly sunny, high 79.