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  • Public Safety
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    🥎 Softball Showdown! Grown-Up Drama Explodes Into Week-Long Police Saga 💥 

    First Responders Use Axe to Break Through and Save Disoriented Man

    🩸Stabbing Scare at Wheelersburg Kroger 

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    78 Calls Keep Scioto County Crews on the Move Monday

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    Busted! 07/01/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    💥 Gunshots, & Chaos: Recovery Facility Feud Explodes Again in Lawrence County 

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    🚨 Sunday Surge: Stabbings, Fires, and False Alarms Mark a Chaotic Day for Scioto County First Responders 

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    Busted! 06/30/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    Busy Day for Scioto County First Responders: Medical Runs, Alarms, and Crime Reports Stack Up 

    William Kerns

    🔥Flasher, Firebug & Free Again? Paroled Arsonist William Kerns Arrested (Again) After June 26 Parole Violation 

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  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    No Kings

    Scioto Dems Snort at “Well-Funded” No Kings Protest Claim

    Cathy Coleman Still Fighting: Family Shuts Down Hospice Rumors, Says Recovery Still Underway

    County May Tap Opioid Settlement Funds to Finish MARCS Tower Project 

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    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel This Week’s Meeting 

    Robert Horton

    Sudden Twist: Horton Court Dates Scrapped Ahead of Trial 

    ‘A Sign of Hope’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Small Improvements Amid Ongoing Critical Condition 

    Recorder Gary Jenkins

    Scioto County Recorder Gary Jenkins Unveils New Office Website 

    Staggering 236 Recovery Houses in Area — and the Fight for Reform Faces Pushback 

    Cathy Coleman

    Community Urged to Pray For Cathy Coleman as Family Faces Devastating Update 

    Scottie Powell

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    Risky Business? City Wants to Sell $4.5 Million in Bonds

    Portsmouth LGBT Sanctuary City Proposal Scrapped – New Resolution Coming

  • Feel Good

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    Scioto County Champs: Lady Trojans and Word Wizards Bring Home the Gold 

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  • Obituaries
    Ann Bartlett Truitt

     Ann Bartlett Truitt, 92 of Waverly

     Cornel Cave

     Cornel Cave, 69 of Portsmouth

    Mahala Dawn Pelfrey

    Mahala Dawn Pelfrey, 49 of Lucasville

    Nancy Ackerman-Nash, 71 of Granbury

    Nancy Ackerman-Nash, 71 of Granbury

    Denver Eugene Raike

    Denver Eugene Raike, 87 of Wheelersburg

    Robin Gail Ramsey, 63 of West Portsmouth

    Geneva Mullins 78 of New Boston

    Willard Fenton

    Willard Fenton, 86, of South Webster

    Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis, 75 of McDermott

    Judy Gayle (Wells) Scifres

    Judy Gayle Scifres, 74 of South Shore,

    Braxton Spears Jr., 76, of South Shore,

    Braxton Spears Jr., 76 of South Shore

    Walter Ronald Kidd

    Walter Ronald Kidd, 89 of Xenia

    Lois Helen Friend

    Lois Helen Friend, 76 of Lucasville

    Patricia Ann Holland

    Patricia Ann Holland, 93 of Waverly

    Marsha Faye Gammon

    Marsha Faye Gammon, 72 of Wheelersburg

    Janet Sue Perkins

    Janet Sue Perkins, 79 of Ashland

    Barbara Williams

    Nancy L. Pistole, 85 of West Portsmouth

    Charles Lloyd Smith

    Charles Lloyd Smith, 84, of Portsmouth

    Maxine Ballard

    Maxine Ballard, 84, of South Point

    David Paul Kidder

    David Paul Kidder, 57 of West Portsmouth

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A Mother’s Anguish: Son on Hunger Strike and Suicide Watch at SOCF

Concerned Citizen by Concerned Citizen
2 years ago
in Opinion
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I am writing regarding the situation at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) with Austin T. Burke who is currently on suicide watch and a hunger strike for the past 7 days or so.

I’m making you aware that he has filed proper grievances about the lack of medical care for the 3 boxer fractures in his right hand, where there is documented evidence that no nurse saw him for an entire 30 days, as no logs were signed by any nurse. This prevented him from being able to make a formal request for care for his open wound and multiple fractures.

He was in the slammer cell as a result of a fight on 8/12/2023 (where he had to defend himself against an Arizona “Mexican Mafia leader”, who threatened to kill him). This Ruben Melendez has brutally killed at least one other prisoner in the past stabbing them 47 times and has stabbed others in OSP). This prisoner unfortunately met his demise three days later, from an unknown etiology.

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Austin Burke was administratively punished with 10 years of solitary confinement which arguably is unconstitutional. He filed a proper appeal to the warden and later to Columbus.

Within 6 hours he received a notice back from Columbus denying his appeal based on events that never actually occurred. It reads that he “assaulted a correctional officer and tried to kill him. This never happened. The statements from the correctional officers on the day of the fight were not indicative of any assault on themselves, and Austin stopped fighting when his name was called. Please see the statements from the correctional officers who were present.

Since this fight happened and media involvement, there have been correction officers at the SOCF who have made insidious comments and threats to Austin. Despite the fact that he has maintained his innocence, they now are biased against him and believe that he was responsible for the murder of a fellow correction officer’s son.

Austin wrote letters to the deputy director and the director from the prison pleading for help and asking for a transfer for his safety.

I am worried about my son’s continued health and mental health as a result of the lack of proper procedures and the torture and torment that he is being subjected to. I am starting with this letter pleading that somebody take appropriate measures and look into the problems with these circumstances and save my son.

There are many other issues with this fist fight including why both of the doors were rolled when the correction officer named Butler knew that Melendez had threatened to kill Austin. This would be able to be viewed on the body camera within the 20 minutes prior to the fight. And why did he roll both doors and go lock himself in the bubble and allow these two prisoners to fight without any mace or attempts to stop it?

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I have tickets from Ohio State Penitentiary where Ruben Melendez has stabbed prisoners there and somehow still earned a transfer to Lucasville, which is a lower-security prison. He never should have been in this prison to be able to threaten my son and he never should have had access to my son by having the doors rolled after there was a clear and obvious threat made to him in front of a correction officer. Why was Melendez not thrown in the hole for threatening to kill my son?

I need somebody to answer this letter immediately with information about the well-being of my son and his health. There are serious problems with how this whole situation has been handled. Cruel and unusual punishment is supposed to be unconstitutional in The United States. Prisoners are supposed to have rights, especially in a state where there are so many wrongfully convicted!!!

Tags: FamilyHealthLetter to EditorLucasvilleOhiosafetySouthern Ohio
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