There are over 12,500 articles in our immense SCDN database. With detailed research into those articles, we are able to provide you with some amazing facts about our county. We will examine the most dangerous streets in the city and throughout the county. We’ll look at the most common types of crime in Scioto County. Finally, we’ll look at the most the most dangerous times of day within Scioto County. Let’s dive in!

Top 10 Street Names Mentioned in SCDN Crime Reports

1. Gallia Street – The most frequently referenced street in Scioto County Daily News (SCDN) crime reports. Gallia Street is home to many incidents (e.g. panhandling at Speedway, disturbances at businesses like Aldi) and appears almost daily in police logs.
2. 8th Street – A consistent trouble spot in Portsmouth’s East End. The area around 8th Street generates numerous police calls for public intoxication and suspicious activity​.
3. Campbell Avenue – Often mentioned alongside 8th Street as a high-call area. The 8th & Campbell Avenue neighborhood sees frequent reports of squatters and disturbances​.
4. Kendall Avenue – A hotspot largely due to the Royal Inn and nearby Kendall Heights housing. Kendall Ave sees regular police activity for drug overdoses and disturbances​.
5. Chillicothe Street – A main downtown thoroughfare that appears often in crime logs. Incidents range from fights outside bars to people causing disturbances on the street​.
6. Young Street – Noted for the area under the Young Street overpass where homeless individuals gather. Officers frequently patrol this area for drug use and warrant suspects​.
7. Robinson Avenue – A frequently mentioned street in Sciotoville for welfare checks and break-ins. Multiple reports involve homes on Robinson Ave (e.g. a baby’s welfare check in a trash-filled home)​.
8. 11th Street – Common in police logs, often for reports of suspicious persons or disturbances. For example, calls about individuals blocking traffic on 11th Street appear in daily briefings​.
9. 5th Street – Regularly appears in police reports for downtown Portsmouth. Incidents include people walking with weapons or causing disturbances on 5th Street​.
10. Mabert Road – A South Portsmouth location frequently linked to domestic disputes. Police often respond to domestic violence calls on Mabert Rd​.

Each of the above locations is repeatedly cited across SCDN’s police logs and crime stories, indicating they are the most common settings for reported incidents.

Crime Hotspots by Town in Scioto County, Ohio

Below are the five streets (or specific locations) with the most reported crime incidents for each listed town, based on Scioto County Daily News articles and police reports. Each town section includes the top hotspots and examples of recurring issues reported at those locations.

Lucasville

• Lucasville-Minford Road – A frequently mentioned stretch connecting Lucasville and Minford. Incidents range from serious traffic accidents to violent altercations. Example: A rollover crash with ejection on Lucasville-Minford Road required an air ambulance​, and even a Christmas Day stabbing was reported along this road​.
• Sherborne Road – A rural road in Lucasville notable for a high-profile incident. Example: Medics searching for an accident victim discovered a man deceased in an outbuilding on Sherborne Road. Such remote locations have seen tragic outcomes (e.g. overdose or medical emergencies).
• Preston Road – A residential area that saw a dramatic family-involved takedown. Example: After fleeing police, a Lucasville man was pepper-sprayed by his own family on Preston Road​, illustrating that even smaller side streets are the scene of intense domestic incidents.
• Pollock & Stoney Run Roads – These neighboring Lucasville roads see numerous calls, often during late nights. Example: In one early-morning span, deputies responded to separate incidents on Pollock Road, Stoney Run Road, and Poplar Fork Road in Lucasville​. Reports included everything from disturbances to welfare checks. Such clusters suggest this area generates frequent 911 activity.
• Center Street (Lucasville) – A street in the village core that has seen unusual incidents. Example: Deputies intervened in a “scary situation” on Center Street involving a woman acting erratically in the roadway​. Lucasville’s central neighborhood streets often appear in reports of public disturbances or domestic disputes.

West Portsmouth

• Pine Fork Road – A normally quiet residential road that has been the site of extreme violence. Example: A stabbing spree occurred at a home on Pine Fork Road​, leading to an attempted murder arrest. Deputies and detectives swarmed this location, showing Pine Fork’s association with one of the county’s most severe crimes.
• Elder Avenue – A neighborhood street known for domestic disturbance calls – some turning out to be false alarms. Example: A late-night 911 call reported a loud fight on Elder Avenue in West Portsmouth, but officers arrived to find the commotion was over a missing cat rather than a domestic assault​. Elder Ave sees frequent domestic-related calls (arguments, welfare checks), even if not all are crimes.
• Brouse Street (Sugar Grove) – A street in the Sugar Grove area of West Portsmouth notorious for gunfire and “shots fired” calls. Example: Neighbors reported drive-by gunshots on Brouse Street (near the Washington-Nile school campus) around 2 AM​. Deputies noted a white Dodge Charger speeding away. This wasn’t an isolated incident, indicating Brouse Street’s vulnerability to late-night violence.
• Coleman Road – A back road that became a hotspot due to a major drug bust. Example: Deputies investigating suspicious activity on Coleman Road found vehicles blocking the roadway and ended up uncovering meth, guns, and cash at the scene​. Coleman Road’s mention in such a significant narcotics case marks it as a problem area for drug-related crime.
• Washington Boulevard – A main thoroughfare through West Portsmouth that often features in police responses for fights and crowd issues. Example: After a brawl at a Washington Blvd residence, an unruly suspect repeatedly threatened a deputy​. This suggests that even West Portsmouth’s primary street sees its share of violent disputes and large gatherings requiring police intervention.

Minford

• State Route 139 (Minford) – The state highway running through Minford is a recurring scene for serious incidents. Example: Troopers and deputies handled a domestic drama on Route 139 that began as a traffic stop and escalated, highlighting that Minford’s main road is a conduit for both traffic offenses and domestic conflicts​.
• Lucasville-Minford Road – This connector road appears frequently for accidents and odd crimes, effectively making it a hotspot for both Minford and Lucasville. Example: A vehicle slammed into a pole just after midnight on Lucasville-Minford Road​, trapping the driver in a burning car – one of multiple crashes and even a stabbing reported on this road.
• North High Street – A residential street in Minford’s village center known for strange disturbances. Example: In one case, residents were alarmed by a bloodied man with his pants down wandering near North High Street​. Deputies found his abandoned vehicle and had to investigate whether a crime occurred. Such bizarre incidents have put High Street on deputies’ radar.
• Bond Road (Minford High School area) – The road by Minford High has seen late-night police activity. Example: A deputy conducting a 1:30 AM patrol at the high school parking lot stopped a vehicle trying to speed off onto Bond Road​, uncovering suspicious activity. The Minford school campus and Bond Road are frequently checked by officers due to occasional trespassing or youth mischief after hours.
• Lick Run Lyra Road vicinity – The rural outskirts near Minford have historically been problematic, though they overlap with South Webster. Example: This road (just outside Minford) has seen everything from packs of roaming dogs terrorizing residents​ to a shooting incident. Its inclusion shows that Minford’s edge, where Lyra meets the village, experiences recurring safety issues that draw law enforcement.

South Webster

• Lick Run Lyra Road – A rural route near South Webster repeatedly appearing in crime reports. It’s essentially the epicenter of several major incidents. Examples: A Saturday shooting on Lick Run Lyra Rd left one person wounded​, and in another case a domestic dispute escalated to an attempted murder at a home on this same road​. Additionally, loose dogs and even a standoff have been reported here. Lick Run Lyra has earned a reputation as South Webster’s most troublesome road.
• Webster Street – The village’s namesake street (by the high school) is a hotspot for crashes and odd crimes. Example: Just after 5 AM, officers responded to a wreck on Webster Street near South Webster High where a badly damaged car was abandoned in the road​. This street has also seen vandalism and even “shovel attack” reports in the past, indicating persistent issues in that neighborhood.
• Bennett Street – A residential street that has been the scene of violent neighbor disputes. Example: An argument between neighbors on South Bennett Street led to threats of gun violence, resulting in multiple charges against two individuals. Such incidents suggest Bennett Street residents have repeatedly had to involve law enforcement in domestic or neighbor conflicts.
• South Webster Dollar General (Jackson Street) – The main store in town (along SR 140/Jackson St.) is a magnet for disturbances. Example: Police were dispatched for a disturbance at the South Webster Dollar General, a reminder that even routine shopping locations experience thefts and altercations (often involving local youths). This store’s parking lot and vicinity generate calls ranging from shoplifting to fights.
• South Webster First Stop (Station) – The gas station/first stop in South Webster has also made reports. (While a notable First Stop incident in news involved a wandering child​ in Rosemount, South Webster’s gas stations likewise see their share of suspicious activity and loitering.) In general, convenience stores and nearby corners in South Webster are frequent points of police contact due to loiterers, petty theft, or welfare checks.

Wheelersburg

• Dogwood Ridge Road – Perhaps the most crime-prone road in Wheelersburg. This long residential road appears constantly in reports for various issues. Examples: Deputies have dealt with everything from a road rage incident with guns to finding a man crawling in the middle of Dogwood Ridge Rd at night​. Burglars have targeted garages along Dogwood (one bold thief was caught at gunpoint after a break-in​), and drug arrests have occurred during traffic stops here. Dogwood Ridge’s mix of dense residences and curvy stretches make it a magnet for trouble.
• Ohio River Road (US-52) – Wheelersburg’s main commercial strip is a hotspot for theft and public indecency. Example: A witness reported a naked man strolling down Ohio River Road carrying jugs of water​ in broad daylight. Moreover, this road hosts big retailers and sees constant shoplifting: the Wheelersburg Kroger and Walmart (both on Ohio River Rd) generate a “never-ending string” of theft reports​. In short, if there’s odd or criminal behavior in “the ’Burg,” it’s often happening along Ohio River Road.
• Wheelersburg Kroger (Ohio River Rd) – Specifically, the Kroger grocery store has been a focal point for retail crime. Multiple incidents of shoplifters fleeing or being detained occur here. Example: Employees at the Wheelersburg Kroger have repeatedly caught thieves (one couple loaded up a cart and left without paying)​, leading deputies to track suspects via license plates. The parking lot has also seen vehicle break-ins. This single store’s location accounts for a large share of Wheelersburg’s theft calls.
• Wheelersburg Walmart (near OH-522) – Another retail hotspot with prolific shoplifting and even drug activity. Example: Deputies busted nine different shoplifters in a coordinated crackdown at the Wheelersburg Walmart​. In one case, a female shoplifter even shot up heroin in the Walmart restroom after stealing merchandise (caught by an employee). Such recurring problems make the Walmart one of the most policed spots in town.
• Residential Subdivisions off Dogwood Ridge – The neighborhoods branching from Dogwood Ridge Road contribute many calls as well. This includes streets like Bussey Road and others in the Pinehurst subdivision, where residents have reported burglaries, domestic fights, and drug houses. For instance, the “Bold Burglar” manhunt on Dogwood swept through back yards and side streets adjacent to Dogwood Ridge​. These residential lanes are often where Wheelersburg’s drug warrants are served and where neighbor disputes spill into public view, rounding out the town’s top five crime-prone areas.

Franklin Furnace

• Seneak Avenue – A small residential street that has seen shocking incidents. Example: A man was hit by two different vehicles on Seneak Ave one evening​ – an unusual hit-skip scenario that drew multiple emergency agencies. Residents on Seneak have voiced safety fears, and it stands out in reports for both traffic and criminal events (e.g. suspicious persons).
• Haverhill-Ohio Furnace Road – A rural road connecting Franklin Furnace to nearby Haverhill, noted for bizarre and threatening behavior. Example: Deputies responded to an angry man brandishing a pitchfork on Haverhill-Ohio Furnace Rd, screaming and “fighting the air” in the roadway​. This road has also seen occasional shots-fired reports and a recent bridge accident, marking it as a troubled spot in the Furnace area.
• Sand Hollow / Junior Furnace Roads – These back roads (which lead into Franklin Furnace from the hills) have been mentioned in contexts of drug activity and hidden crime. Police logs have noted complaints like gunshots or suspicious vehicles on these rural byways, suggesting they are used for illicit dumping and late-night drug drops. Neighbors consider them hotspots despite their quiet appearance.
• US 52 (Gallia Pike) through Franklin Furnace – The main highway through town is a corridor for crime spillover. Speeding and OVI arrests are common here, and businesses along US-52 (like local bars or truck stops) have generated fights. Example: Franklin Furnace residents once protested an influx of ex-inmates at a halfway house on US-52, fearing it would raise crime​. Their concern underscores how the highway area is perceived as a source of trouble (transient traffic and outside criminals coming in).
• Residential Blocks around the Old Brickyard – The cluster of streets near the historic brickyard site (e.g. Vine St and Delaware St) see frequent calls for domestic fights and drug overdoses. Example: EMS and deputies were called to a Franklin Furnace home for a woman found dead in a bathroom​, an incident linked to drug use. Several overdose and drug-related arrests in recent years have occurred in these few blocks, making them a clear focal point for law enforcement in Franklin Furnace.

Rosemount

• Rosemount Road – The primary road through Rosemount (County Rd 50) has a well-documented pattern of speeding and chases. Example: A high-speed motorcycle chase tore through the dangerous curves of Rosemount Road, where deputies finally lost the suspect near the Scioto Trail intersection​. Rosemount Road’s curves have also seen rollover crashes and drunk-driving arrests, marking it as a risky stretch with frequent police activity.
• Rosemount Laundromat (Business) – A local laundromat that has become a magnet for drug-related arrests. Example: Officers found a woman “high as a kite” inside the Rosemount laundromat, who also happened to have an outstanding warrant​. Routine patrols often check this spot due to past complaints of loitering and narcotics use on the premises.
• First Stop Convenience Store – This gas station on Scioto Trail in Rosemount frequently appears in incident logs. Example: Employees at the First Stop in Rosemount had to call 911 when a toddler wandered in unsupervised one morning​ (a parent was later charged). The First Stop and its parking lot also see regular shoplifting attempts and suspicious persons, making it a known trouble spot for deputies.
• Marathon Gas Station – Another business hub in Rosemount noted for disorderly conduct calls. Example: Deputies rushed to the Marathon station in Rosemount after reports of a woman harassing customers and causing a scene​. Gas stations along the Rosemount stretch of US-23 tend to generate calls about panhandlers, public intoxication, or fights, and this Marathon is no exception.
• Scioto Trail/US-23 Intersection – The junction at Rosemount (where Rosemount Rd meets US-23) is a hotspot for accidents and police interventions. High traffic volume and a nearby bar have led to numerous wrecks and DUI stops at this intersection. It’s also where suspects fleeing on Rosemount Road often end up (as in the motorcycle chase). Due to its strategic location, the Scioto Trail in Rosemount sees a lot of law enforcement presence for everything from traffic enforcement to suspect searches​.

Each of these locations has shown up repeatedly in Scioto County Daily News crime coverage, indicating persistent problems. This breakdown makes clear that in every town – whether a quiet village or a busy suburb – a handful of streets or spots account for a disproportionate share of police calls and reported crimes.

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Top 10 Crime Types Mentioned in SCDN Reports

1. Theft (including Shoplifting & Vehicle Theft) – The most common crime. Portsmouth Police investigated 899 thefts in 2024 alone​, making theft-related offenses the top-mentioned crime category.
2. Domestic Violence – Extremely frequent in reports. Officers handled 403 domestic disturbance calls in 2024​, and SCDN daily logs regularly note domestic violence incidents and arrests.
3. Drug Possession – One of the most cited charges in arrest reports. Nearly every daily arrest log includes multiple drug possession charges​, reflecting the area’s ongoing drug issues.
4. Probation Violation – A very frequent charge in the “Busted” arrest reports. Many new arrests are for probation violations (often listed multiple times per report)​, indicating this is a top recurring offense.
5. Burglary/Breaking & Entering – A common property crime. Portsmouth Police responded to 223 burglary/B&E calls in 2024​, and SCDN reports often mention home break-ins and burglaries.
6. Drug Trafficking – Frequently mentioned in crime news and arrest logs. Trafficking (e.g. meth, opioids) is a major issue, with regular arrests for drug dealing​.
7. Disorderly Conduct – A routine charge in police reports for public disturbances. Disorderly conduct (such as public intoxication or fighting) shows up almost daily in arrest logs​.
8. Criminal Trespass – Commonly cited when individuals are found in vacant properties or barred locations. Trespassing incidents appear frequently in both sheriff and police reports​.
9. Receiving Stolen Property – A regularly seen property crime. Many arrest rundowns include charges for receiving or possessing stolen goods​.
10. Assault – Encompassing fights and attacks not classified as domestic violence. Police logged 71 calls about fights in one recent year​, and SCDN news covers assaults ranging from simple fights to more serious felonious assaults.

These ten offense categories dominate SCDN’s crime reporting. Crimes involving property (theft, burglary, stolen property) and drugs (possession and trafficking) are especially pervasive, along with domestic violence and routine disturbances (disorderly conduct, trespass). The prevalence of probation violations and warrant-related arrests in the logs also underscores how often prior offenders reappear in daily reports.​

Most Dangerous Times of Day in Scioto County (Two-Hour Increments)

1. 1am-3am (Early Morning Hours) – The early morning hours after midnight see some of the most severe incidents. For example, just before 2:00am a man called 911 and confessed, “I killed my sister and her kids,” which led officers to rush to a crime scene​. Similarly, around 3:14am on another night, a “shocking” 911 call about multiple stabbings plunged authorities into chaos (a stabbing spree in West Portsmouth)​. These hours often coincide with bar closing times and late-night gatherings, correlating with spikes in violent crimes (like homicides or assaults) and other emergencies.
2. 11pm-1am (Near Midnight) – Late-night periods around midnight are frequently rife with criminal activity. Portsmouth police logs show gunfire reports around 11:59pm, such as callers on Dorman Drive reporting someone firing gunshots from a passing car at that hour​. Just after midnight, thefts and break-ins become common – in one instance a resident reported a burglary at 1:36am after finding someone had entered her home​. This timeframe regularly features violent confrontations, drug-related emergencies, and property crimes under cover of darkness.
3. 5pm-7pm (Early Evening) – The late afternoon into early evening is another high-risk window in Scioto County. Around 5:00pm, serious incidents have been reported – for example, children near Spartan Stadium heard what sounded like gunshots just before 5pm, prompting a police response to a possible shooting at a nearby homeless camp​. During this same period, opportunistic crimes like theft also spike; Portsmouth police received a report of a van stolen just after 5pm on Mound Street, leading officers to issue a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) for the vehicle​. These hours, when many people are active or commuting, see a mix of violent altercations, drug overdoses, and property crimes being reported.

Each of these two-hour intervals stands out in local crime reports for hosting multiple violent crimes, drug offenses, or serious thefts, making them the most dangerous times of day in Scioto County based on the frequency and severity of incidents documented.