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Saturday, February 18, 2023
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023
HARRISONNEWSHERALD.COM
Currence pleads guilty in child death case BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter CADIZ—Jessica Currence appeared in court on Tuesday for a change of plea. The case, involving the death of 8-year-old Paityn Merkins, began in June of 2021. Paityn reportedly had a host of underlying medical issues but had also allegedly been victim to abuse by both her father and Currence. Currence was originally charged with four counts of child endangerment and one count each of manslaughter, reckless homicide, permitting
child abuse, felonious assault, domestic violence, and tampering with evidence. While it initially appeared that Currence would be tried before a jury, which had been scheduled for this week, she and the state, represented by Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Knight, came to an agreement instead. Currence pled guilty to four charges: reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, and domestic violence. The fourth charge, originally endangering children, was amended to attempting to endanger children. The rest of the charges were dismissed.
Swelbar brings cheer to the county home
She was not immediately sentenced because the defense requested a presentence investigation. The primary purpose of a presentencing investigation, as outlined by the U.S. Probation Office, is to “assist the court in determining an appropriate sentence. However, the presentence report is also intended to assist the probation office in supervising defendants during any subsequent terms of probation, parole, or supervised release.” The report is conducted by the probation office. An officer will conduct an interview with the defendant to gather information such as family history, educational background,
community ties, and mental and emotional health. The officer may also interview friends and family of the defendant to gather additional information. The investigation also has victim impact statements and must “include a verified assessment of the financial, social, psychological, and medical impact upon, and cost to, any individual against whom an offense has been committed. Although distinguished with a GUILTY See Pg.- 4
Hoagland named ‘Vet of the Month’
Darla and Frank Hoagland received Frank’s ‘Veteran of the Month’ award from Dirk Harkins (right) of the Veterans/First Responders Jamboree earlier this month. NH PHOTO/BONNIE RUTLEDGE
BY BONNIE RUTLEDGE Publisher
Marilyn Swelbar with Harrison County Home Activities Coordinator Kim Burgess. Burgess said of Swelbar, “She’s a godsend. I don’t know what I would do without her!” NH PHOTO/CORNELIA GRACE
BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter CADIZ—87-year-old Marilyn Swelbar has been a Harrison County resident for most of her life. “I grew up out in the country,” she said. “Once I graduated, I moved uptown and started working.” She was one of five kids, sang in the choir at her church for 30 years, and has always stayed busy. Her first job out of high school was working in the local drugstore. “Then I worked at City Loan for ten years, and then I had my baby and quit working. I stayed home for a while, but I volunteered for anything that came along if they needed another hand.” She has always been willing to help with anything that needs to be done. She’s been recognized as an important member of the community. In 2006, she received the Community Service Award from the Cadiz Woman’s Civic Club for 30 years of dedication to the community Christmas basket project. “It was a lot of work!” she said. Her daughter and other children would often help. “I enjoyed it, and I missed it when it was done.” Swelbar was also named Woman of the Year by the Cadiz Business and Professional Women’s Club in 1991. Now, she volunteers often at the county home, “I had a friend who was down here,” Swelbar said. “I came every day to visit her. She passed away. But I had gotten to know everybody, so now [they] put up with me,
coming every week!” She said she partly came to the home because she didn’t have any family in the area and wanted something to do. The staff at the county home know her well, “She’s a joy to have around,” said Activities Coordinator Kim Burgess. Swelbar has found volunteering to be rewarding in its own way. “We fell in love with her instantly! It was about five years ago, maybe even longer, that we met.” She said that Swelbar makes a positive impact on the residents, “There are times I can’t get a word in edgewise because there are conversations going on with everyone! They can’t wait to talk to her!” “I enjoy it; I enjoy people,” Swelbar said. “Sometimes, just the expression on their face. I know some of them probably don’t have company. I know lots of them because I’ve been around town for a hundred years!” Speaking about the younger generations, she said, “Some young people like old people, and some of them don’t want any part of that. This is kind of sad because one day, they’re going to be one of us. At the same time, young people are often the most caring.” She said that it’s important to remember we don’t know what will happen in the future and to take each day as it comes along. Harrison County Home Administrator Albert Peters said Swelbar is a great asset to the home and that “she has a heart larger than life.” Swelbar is always a joy to have in the home, and she looks forward to many more years of sharing her time with the amazing residents and staff.
CADIZ—”I grew up in the military. My father was an Army Green Beret. I was born in Steubenville, and my grandmother owned a store in Mingo Junction—I can remember it; I was about five years old, but when my dad got back from Vietnam (think Tet Offenses), we moved to Panama in Central America.” Frank Hoagland explained how formative the base schools were and fondly recounted stories of his foreign teachers. His family spent eight years in Panama before returning to the Ohio/Pennsylvania region. Hoagland looked up to his father and, one night, as they were working on a car together, told his father of his aspirations to become a “frogman” (Navy SEAL). Hoagland’s father swiftly smacked him and told him to be an engineer instead. Hoagland played football for Buckeye North and attended the Jefferson Vocational School for heating and air conditioning. He and his wife, Darla, were high school sweethearts and married a year after they met at 19 years old. Twenty days after graduation and following in his brother’s footsteps, Hoagland enlisted in the Navy. “My goal all along was to be a frogman. And we did it. Darla and I had no clue what we were getting into. My brother had just gone through it, and then I did all the basic training that’s normal…first off, I was classified for high-pressure pipe and welding. Then I went through BUDs (Basic Underwater Demolition) and frogman, and I never looked back. I had a blast—worked my way up through the ranks, and it was the best time of our lives. Darla and I just loved what we did.” The Hoagland family had their fair share of
difficulties, too. Their first son was born while Hoagland was deployed. He was commissioned to spend long periods of time away from home and, due to the nature of his assignments, only got a ten-minute phone call every three or so months during some of those assignments. He was able to make it back home for the birth of his second son but didn’t get to stay long before deploying again. While he was away, Darla oversaw the building of their new home. After a particularly gruesome day of combat, he remembers calling home only to learn that Darla’s number had been disconnected. She had already moved into their beautiful new home and, when they got connected later that night, informed him that she needed a new washer and dryer. Hoagland recounted how happy he was to worry about something like a washer and dryer instead of what he had faced that day. “I was just proud to serve with the men and women who were with us through it all. Maybe we wore different uniforms, but we all served the same purpose. That integrity is what is so addicting. That’s why veterans today gravitate to each other—not everybody values that level of character that was beaten into us.” Hoagland retired from the Navy in 2003, but the Department of Defense soon recruited him to help run operations in Afghanistan. He spent 10 more years overseas and averaged 200 days away from home. “In that world, I did really well at what I had to do. We had some terrible, terrible times, and there were some highlights too. When you take down your objective, and everything goes well, we, as war fighters, gravitate toward those successes. It’s not for everybody. It’s a tough job. And it’s not like we become desensitized… VET OF THE MONTH See Pg.- 3
OBITUARIES Glenn Christy
USPS Publication No. 236-080 One Section, 8 Pages Vol. 55, No. 41
Monte Frashure
Elizabeth Mihalco Dunlap