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Two indicted in child’s death

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

CADIZ—In a joint press conference Thursday morning, Harrison County sheriff Joe Myers and prosecutor Lauren Knight announced the indictment of two Moorefield residents in the death of 8-year-old Paityn Merkins.

The 27-year-old Jessica Currence was indicted on 10 counts, and the 32-yearold Kristopher Merkins — and the father of Paityn — was indicted on nine counts. Currence was not the mother but was in a relationship with Merkins at the time. Both Currence and Merkins were taken into custody Wednesday night and appeared Friday for their bond hearing. The death of Paityn occurred on June 27 this year.

A third person, Angela Parcell, was also indicted on two counts. Per Knight, Parcell is the “stepgrandmother” of Paityn and the mother of Currence but was not living with the couple. Myers said the long wait was due to the coroner’s report from Cuyahoga County but was finally received two weeks ago.

“Very, very bad situation,” Myers said, referring to the night Paityn died. “So, we’re glad with this resolution.” Knight said the Harrison County Coroner’s Office also assisted in the overall report. But neither Myers nor Knight could comment on the type of wounds Paityn suffered or if drugs were an influence in the crime. Myers did state there were visible injuries but said there was no gunshot wound.

“It was very sad for all of us working this case because we all have kids...it comes back to your heart, and we’re glad for this outcome that we’ve presented today,” Myers said. He added that neglect had been reported in the past, but nothing came from it at that time.

“It’s tragic that this happened, but we have the right outcome,” he stated. “It’s just unbelievable as far as, it’s heart wrenching that a child would go through this much.” Both Myers and Knight thanked the Harrison County Jobs and Family Services for their assistance.

Area judges to fill Beetham’s court

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

CADIZ—With the recent passing of the beloved judge and longtime public servant Mark Beetham, Harrison County Court is seeing a response by committee. Retired Judge Michael Nunner, who resigned from Harrison County’s Common Pleas Court in 2012, was appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court. Wednesday, Nunner appeared at the end of the Harrison County Commissioners meeting to address and inform the public of what was happening.

“But I’m here to fill you in on how the responsibilities of the Harrison County court are being met,” Nunner explained. “And it’s tragic to have to come in and follow up to Judge Beetham,” who he called a “terrific guy and a terrific lawyer.” Nunner called himself a “fallback” judge; although he will serve on the bench at times, he’s taking the role of an administrative judge working the paperwork with budget and payroll responsibilities, as well.

“What they’ve done is they’ve appointed a team of retired judges and sitting judges to handle those responsibilities in accordance,” he told the board. Other judges he noted were Eric Costine of Belmont County (western division), Judge Gary Willen of Carroll County’s Municipal Court, and Judge Brad Hillyer of Tuscarawas County Court. Retired judges Edward O’Farrell from Tuscarawas County

Common Pleas Court and Mark Frost from Columbiana County will also be helping out.

Nunner stated that the group of judges has already heard cases from last week; he didn’t expect delays on the level that would impact the court or the litigants.

Commissioner Paul Coffland expressed appreciation on behalf of the commissioners for Nunner’s “stepping up” and for the visit to inform the public on what the setup was. The governor will ultimately pick a successor to fill Beetham’s position.

COVID cases holding steady

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

HARRISON COUNTY—Health administrator for Harrison County, Garen Rhome, said this week that COVID cases are down to around 10 per day, but that is still keeping the county in a high transmission category.

Rhome said with those numbers, cases have remained almost the same since last week — approximately 45-50 new cases were recorded. He repeated from last week that they are waiting on confirmation, but more deaths should be expected because of COVID.

Regarding vaccines and booster shots, the FDA has voted in favor, but they will have to wait on what the CDC decides; they still have to vote on approval for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Masks are still encouraged for indoor usage because of the high case count that remains.

Patti, Pam, and the News-Herald go West

BY SHAWN DIGITY (twitter@DIGITYnodoubt)

Patti Poilluci, her sister Pam Tope, grandson Haydon Skipper, and great-niece Camryn Pennington recently took a 10-day trip out West. The family ventured through famous national parks and forests like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks and the Lolo National Forest. The crew flew into Missoula at the end of September, and with their rental car, meandered through Montana and Wyoming. And as mentioned, one of the stops was the country’s first national park: Yellowstone. “We did four days in Yellowstone,” Patti explained.

There are many sights to see and trails to take in Yellowstone, but there might not be a more apropos microcosm of the family’s adventure than when they had to idle in the car in the middle of the road and wait on a passing-by herd of American bison. And they weren’t crossing the street; they were strolling down its center in a procession. According to a video that Camryn took, the bison were right there, too. One bison nearly turned its head right into the window. They strolled past the car, seemingly without a care in the world — just a few feet away. While Haydon and Camryn were impressed with the bison parade, Patti had a lingering concern in the back of her mind that the rental car might get damaged. It’s a reasonable thought when a dozen bison — animals that can weigh over a thousand pounds — are trotting toward the vehicle. “It was cool,” Haydon added.

The family had their close encounter with the buffalo, but they got to see much more local wildlife than just the bison. As they ventured, they were able to see elk, moose, bears, and antelope, as well. In addition, a rescue sanctuary across from their hotel featured a menagerie of nuisance and rehabilitating animals: grizzly bears, wolves, bald eagles, otters, and snakes. The refuge typically takes in animals that affect neighborhoods or orphaned cubs and pups.

While they drove through the Lolo National Forest, Patti emphasized how secluded and expansive the forest was: “We passed 11 cars in like 30 miles. It was all gravel road.” But getting out and about, there were numerous suspension bridges built over the forest’s streams. The water was so crystal clear that every stone and rock could be seen on the bed. And there were a lot of waterfalls throughout the parks they visited. “[We got a] bazillion and one photos of waterfalls,” Camryn exclaimed. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (pictured) is just one of the waterfalls the family got to see while on the trip. Those weren’t the only bodies of water worth mentioning, though. There were Yellowstone’s geysers. As the Yellowstone website touts, the park hosts “over half the world’s geysers;” moreover, there’s a unique empirical juxtaposition among them. As revealed by Patti, the geysers reeked of an unpleasant sulfuric stench and irradiated heat to the point where the large ones had rings of dead trees. But optically, the brilliant cerulean of the water was a sight to behold.

Some people have made a hobby of sitting in front of the geysers, waiting for their eruptions. They tabulate the duration, height, and span between explosions and give the data to the park; then, the park keeps records on that data. Those statistics vary with each geyser. Smaller ones can go off every couple of minutes before irrupting back into the earth like a drain, as Patti put it. But Old Faithful’s eruption is about every 45 minutes. While the crew waited around to witness Old Faithful’s display, the famous geyser didn’t live up to its namesake, and they waited a little longer.

As the family broke down some of their favorite parts of the trip, Pam mentioned she enjoyed every aspect of it, and each forest or park had its own feel; they were all unique. "Each one is so different," said Pam. "It's a different world," she shared. "I'd say probably my favorite would be the Grand Tetons. I think they're absolutely beautiful," Pam continued. "The Grand Tetons: They were pretty," Patti agreed. "We had beautiful weather," Patti added. And Haydon enjoyed the bison crossing, the snakes at the sanctuary, and the giant candy store they got to visit. But, for Camryn, it was the Bill Cody Ranch and the bison.

Pam and Patti, as they mentioned other facets they enjoyed, brought up a gondola ride. And the responses were polarizing. Haydon and Camryn weren't fans of the gondola. "The view was absolutely gorgeous," Pam calmly rebutted. And while Camryn reluctantly agreed, she admitted that it was panic-inducing at the same time.

The crew's adventure concluded in Jackson, Wyoming, a town south of the Tetons. It used to be a little cowboy town back in the 1990s, and it was something that Pam wanted to see again after visiting 30 years ago. While Pam mentioned that Jackson had modernized, and it wasn't quite the same, there was still one thing that still stood true: the Elk Antler Arches. It might be Jackson's most notable landmark. The antler arches that make up the town's entrance "have been gates to the Jackson Town Square since 1960. The antlers are from elk that winter on the National Elk Refuge. About 7,500 elk spend each winter on the refuge. The bulls shed their antlers each spring. Antlers are picked up by local Boy Scouts and sold by public auction in this square each May," according to the plaque that adorns the gateways.

The venture to Montana and Wyoming wasn't Pam and Patti's first trip. They've been to other countries around the world like Peru, New Zealand, and Australia. And the trip West won't be their last. Next September, Pam, Patti, and around half a dozen others are going to England, Ireland, and Scotland.

Caption 1: Largely by technicality, the Harrison News-Herald was able to attend the trip (in spirit) out West with Patti, Pam, Haydon, and Camryn. Photos provided by Patti Poilluci.

Caption 2: According to the Yellowstone Visitor Guide, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone’s Upper and Lower Falls “were formed when the Yellowstone River cut through rhyolite lava flows previously weakened by hydrothermal activity,”