Barefoot coach inspires teen to begin collecting shoes

By: Donavon Campbell

Inspired by the story of a barefoot college basketball coach in Indiana, a pair of Grandview Heights residents have decided to collect shoes.

If it doesn’t make sense yet, it will.

Thirteen-year-old Gabriela Romero Rose and her mother, Charity Romero Rose, said they were watching a story on television about Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter.

He coached a game in his bare feet to raise awareness about Samaritan’s Feet — a nonprofit organization that collects new shoes and gives them to children around the world — during the NCAA basketball tournament this spring.

Gabriela Romero Rose, who played basketball, said Hunter’s story made a mark.

“That’s what kind of inspired me,” Romero Rose said. “I thought, I could do something like that.”

The goal of Samaritan’s Feet is to provide 10 million pairs of new shoes for orphans and impoverished children in this country and around the world, according to the organization’s Web site.

The group was founded by Emmanuel Ohonme, a native of Nigeria who didn’t receive his first pair of shoes until he was 9 years old.

Ohonme, who now lives in the United States, said his organization hopes to collect three million pairs of shoes by the end of this year.

“I can’t imagine,” growing up without shoes, Romero Rose said. “I enjoy going around in my bare feet, but I can’t imagine going through my childhood without shoes.”

But before you can get to 10 million, first you’ve got to get one.

Gabriela Romero Rose said she and her mother’s first attempt to raise some awareness was not as successful as they had hoped.

The two tried to organize event for one of her daughter’s basketball games, but the timing was too soon to get a big effort together, Charity Romero Rose said.

So they redoubled their efforts this summer by setting up booths at the monthly Grandview Hop events, the Tour de Grandview Cycling Classic and the weekly Music on the Lawn series at the Grandview Heights Public Library.

They admit it has been slow going. To this point, they’ve managed to collect three pairs of shoes and roughly $70 in donations.

But Gabriela Romero Rose said she is not discouraged.

“I’ve only set up a booth a couple of times,” she said.

“It may be a slow start but I’m sure things will pick up this summer. I’m not that worried about not getting anymore.”

Romero Rose said she also has her eye on the end of the summer when parents do their back-to-school shopping. The two are planning to put up a booth at the ice cream social event at Stevenson Elementary School Aug. 18.

Their goal is to collect 100 pairs of shoes to send in to Samaritan’s Feet, said Romero Rose, adding, “that’s a lot of shoes.”

Ohonme said the importance of individual efforts such as the Romero Roses’ cannot be understated.

“That’s the fuel that keeps us going,” Ohonme said.

“People realize that they’ve been blessed, and with blessings come the responsibility to give back.

“To me, it’s just music to my soul.”

For more information about Samaritan’s Feet or to find out how to donate visit the Web site samaritansfeet.org.

To make a donation through the Romero Roses, call 614-421-2391.

“People realize that they’ve been blessed, and with blessings come the responsibility to give back.”

–Emmanuel Ohonme

(this article appeared in the July 8, 2009 Tri-Village News)

Humane Society’s duty goes beyond pet adoptions

By: DONAVON CAMPBELL

Inside the foyer of a large office building in Hilliard cats doze quietly in “kitty condos,” a dog barks somewhere down the hall and guinea pigs rustle in the wood shavings that line their tanks.

For many people, this is the atmosphere that comes to mind when they think about the Capital Area Humane Society.

Although it is a good place to find the right fur-covered companion, there’s more to the Humane Society than adoption offices and an orange cat named “Mo” lazing on a swivel chair.

The Humane Society also is responsible for investigating cases of animal cruelty in Franklin County.

It’s the only non-profit organization with law enforcement authority in Central Ohio.

“A lot of people are confused about our level of responsibility,” Humane Society Director of Operations Rachel Finney said.

Whenever someone is suspected of violating state statute 959.131 under the Ohio Revised Code — the section dealing with a wide variety of animal-related crimes involving companion animals and some farm animals — the Humane Society investigates and seeks prosecution.

The offenses, all of which are misdemeanors, range in penalties from a $750 fine or 90 days in jail up to a $1,000 fine and 60 days behind bars.

Finney said a vast majority of calls they receive center around issues of neglect, or someone simply not knowing how to take care of an animal.

“Education is a huge part of what we do,” Finney said, adding the organization often offers help through the donation of dog houses, food and veterinary appointments.

“But if the treatment is so gross or neglectful, we will prosecute. Our conviction rates are pretty high.”

The Humane Society received 7,093 reports of animal mistreatment during 2008 and found enough evidence in 2,988 of those cases to investigate for cruelty or neglect. That’s up from 5,887 calls in 2005.

Nearly 96 percent of all cases investigators file in the Environmental Court of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas result in conviction, according to the society’s annual report.

The Human Society has five full-time investigators who rely on a wide variety of sources to help them do their job.

On top of civilian calls, Finney said, another of the organization’s main resources is a reciprocal relationship with local fire and police departments.

The Humane Society often receives reports from police officers and firefighters who see signs of animal abuse.

“And it works both ways,” Finney said.

“As we’re out on a case, we also work to report to other agencies.”

Humane Society Chief Investigator Kerry Manion has been with the Humane Society for 25 years. He said it is no coincidence many of the people they catch abusing animals are also involved in other nefarious activities.

“There is a strong correlation between animal abuse and (other crimes),” Manion said.

“Animal abuse is a predictor of violent behavior.”

Manion said the Humane Society relies on a lot of reliable sources when it comes to reports of animal mistreatment, including some that many people might not consider.

“Some of the best, most accurate referrals come from utility workers,” Manion said.

With so many people on the lookout for animal abuse, the average day for a Humane Society investigator often entails looking into as many as 12 reports.

In the end, Manion said, it is mostly a matter of diligence.

“We really have to be out there in the community working with pet owners to try and improve the quality of the lives of their pets,” Manion said.

To report a case of suspected animal cruelty call 614-777-7387 ext. 250 or to find out more about the Capital Area Humane Society visit cahs-pets.org.

(this articles appeared in a variety of the Jan. 19, 2009 issues of Suburban Newspapers)

Up in smoke

By: DONAVON CAMPBELL

A rainbow bloomed in the mist next to a column of smoke and flame rising above 2730 Crafton Park in Upper Arlington.

Fire trucks lined the street, the yard was filled with firemen, neighbors and passers by. All the while, multiple hoses were wetting down everything, except the burning house.

The Upper Arlington Fire Division — along with units from Liberty Township, Norwich Township and Grandview Heights — got together to burn a house down Thursday, Oct. 30.

UA firefighters, who had been using the home since September for a variety of training exercises, received the house as a donation from the owners, John and Emily Ness. They had plans to demolish the structure and build a new home on the plot.

According to Fire Division spokesman Dan Kochensparger, more than 30 houses have been donated in this fashion since 1988. After the building is burned down, the title of the home reverts back to the owners.

“One of the biggest things,” said Kochensparger about the benefit of training in actual homes, “is being in the actual circumstances and being in the kind of place where you’re actually going to get most of your runs.

“There is nothing that can match both the physical and emotional environment of a live fire-training scenario.”

Even so, the fire department doesn’t just show up one day and light a match, said Kochensparger.

“It takes a lot of work to get (the house) prepped,” said Kochensparger.

“There are a lot of things that have to be done before hand.”

Kochensparger said the department must adhere to National Fire Protection Association regulations and the home must go through a number of inspections for asbestos and any other hazardous materials before it can be burned.

Even then, the neighbors must agree to the scenario and no flammable liquids are allowed to be used to start the blaze.

“These are practices any prudent fire department would follow,” said Kochensparger.

Firefighters then perform a number of training runs through the home before burning down completely. They use wooden pallets and straw to set fires in different rooms to practice situations that require “reading smoke” as well as some search and rescue operations.

“I’d say it’s as close to the real thing as we can get and still train in somewhat of a controlled environment,” said Lt. Drew Durbin, an Upper Arlington firefighter with 16 years of experience.

“You’re more focused because in this type of training there is real danger.”

Kochensparger said perhaps the most important thing to come from these opportunities is the chance to work on communication in a realistic situation.

“You get into some places and if you don’t have everybody working together, you can actually make it worse,” said Kochensparger.

Mr. and Mrs. Ness, along with their four children, stood among the crowd watching the old house literally go up in smoke.

“It’s great,” said Mr. Ness. “The fire department has been fantastic to work with.

“We’re excited that they’re benefiting from the live training that they receive from this kind of activity.”

However, as the heat rose — according to Kochensparger the heat from a house fire can eclipse 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit — the windows burst and the house began to fall in on itself, Ness added that the event did not come without a twinge of remorse.

“It doesn’t feel good to destroy a house,” said Ness.

“But it does feel good to give the fire department the opportunity to do this kind of training.”

Mrs. Ness said the experience has given her somewhat of a sense of the real thing.

“I can’t imagine … how painful that would be,” she said Ness.

“It’s emotional … it gives me a good appreciation for what the fire department does.”

(this article first appeared in the Nov. 5, 2008 issue of the Upper Arlington News)

Cyber sleuths

By DONAVON CAMPBELL

Through countless doors with keypad locks in the bowels of the Upper Arlington Police Division Headquarters is a 12-foot-by-12-foot room.

Cramped within that room, Officer John Priest and his assistant, Officer Brian Correll, work with SAM and FRED. The partners sweat out the details of crimes committed in today’s cyber-centered universe from overlooked, but always informative, accomplices: computers.

“The amount of information we bring back is absolutely mind-boggling,” said Priest.

“We can recover stuff people don’t even know is on their computers.”

The UA computer forensics department only began in 2005 when Priest – a self-described “hacker” during his high school days — used his computer skills to help break a case that had been mired on the shelves of a number of other computer labs throughout the county.

Three years and more than 400 hours of training later, Priest is one dude you do not want to get ahold of your hard drive if you have anything to hide.

“You can lie to me in an interview,” said Priest. “But your computer is not going to lie to me.”

FRED, or forensic recovery evidence devise, essentially makes an exact copy of a computer’s hard drive. The original hard drive must be replicated and preserved for evidence, so Priest has to work from the copy.

Then Priest gets busy “carving up” and drawing out anything and everything the computer has to offer.

Priest sits in front of a 42-inch screen — it has to be large so he can look at multiple computer screens at once — and converts lists of numbers into Web sites, e-mail messages, downloaded files, pictures, videos and even keystrokes.

“I work in the hexadecimal level a lot,” said Priest. “Which is just a step above binary (code).”

Essentially, that means Priest stares at grids of double-digit figures, each a keystroke or a mouse click, instead of wallowing in the most basic level of computer programming: binary code is an endless string of zeros and ones that can equal almost anything.

Once a working copy is made, the hard drives are stored in SAM. That acronym has many colorful variations, but essentially is a storage device with a four-terabyte capacity.

An average laptop has 100-120 gigabytes of storage space. One terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes.

Perhaps even more amazing is that SAM is home made. Correll has pieced the machine together from donations, seized equipment and, few and far between, some newly purchased items.

“We begged, borrowed and stole to make this thing,” said Correll.

He said he has become notorious for pilfering unwatched electronic equipment throughout the office, located in the Municipal Services Center on Tremont Road.

The forensics lab shares a door with the evidence room. Inside there are shelves of 30 or more computers that have been confiscated and need to be searched.

Priest said he can examine a computer in 10-15 hours. However, more and more cases are involving multiple computers.

One recent case involved 35 computers from one house.

“That one took up a lot of my life for a very long time,” said Priest.

Computer forensics is invaluable in a number of different types of crimes these days, from fraud to missing children to online threats.

Priest said most of his cases sadly involve child pornography.

In 2007 Priest helped build cases against more than 100 child pornography offenders in the Franklin County area.

“John is one of the top dogs in Ohio,” said Correll of Priest’s ability and experience with computer forensics. “John is good.”

Still, not all cases are so sinister. Priest has helped find missing children by reconstructing recent e-mails or instant message conversations they’ve had on their home computers.

Nevertheless, tucked away in their techno-bunker, Priest and Correll — who are also patrol officers — mark the beginning of an eminent wave in law enforcement.

“On almost every search warrant we grab the computer,” said Correll. “It’s that important.”

In fact, when Priest submits either a physical or digital report into evidence, he often times finds himself educating the judge and prosecution about what it is he is presenting to them.

While Priest and Correll said they are appreciative of the opportunity to work in computer forensics, they are quick to mention how crucial it is that law enforcement stay ahead of the curve.

“We gotta change,” said Priest about keeping up with technology as it continues to be an ever increasing part of our lives and, therefore, a larger arena for criminal activity.

“This isn’t going away,” said Priest.

“This is getting worse.”

UA’s computer forensics lab is one of only a handful in Central Ohio. Columbus, Westerville, Reynoldsburg and Delaware also have at least a part-time computer forensics department.

(this article appeared in the June 11, 2008 issue of the Upper Arlington News)