SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2022
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Sentence unchanged in accidental shooting case BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist
Defendant Jagger Miller appeared in criminal court on Feb. 1, via video from the Harrison County Jail, for a hearing to consider a motion to suspend the remainder of his sentence. Miller was represented by attorney Travis Collins, covering for attorney Jeffrey Jakmides. Judge T. Shawn Hervey presided over the court, and Prosecutor Lauren Knight was present representing the state. Miller was originally indicted in the fall of 2020 for improper discharge of a firearm (a second-degree felony) and assault (a first-degree misdemeanor). The incident for which Miller was charged occurred in spring 2020 when Miller was shooting his rifle outside his home. Three rounds penetrated a neighboring home, and Buell Hall, who was in that house, was shot through the throat. Miller was originally sentenced to 60 days local incarceration. At the time of the Feb. 1 hearing, he had completed approximately half of that.
Miller’s future mother-in-law, Jackie Moulton, appeared as a witness on behalf of the defendant. “We’re sorry about what happened,” she said. She went on to explain that Miller’s daughter was upset and doing poorly in school due to her father’s absence. Collins also noted that the defendant was behaving well in jail. The defendant himself also made a statement. “I’m sorry for what happened,” he said. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” The court then heard from witnesses from the victim’s family. Buell Hall Jr. spoke on behalf of his father, requesting that Miller serve the remainder of his sentence. He argued that it would not be fair for the defendant to be able to “go home and rest” after what he did. “Our dad will suffer from pain, PTSD, and nightmares for the rest of his life because of Miller’s actions.” The victim’s grandson, Brian Hall, also addressed the court. He stated that they had
BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist
A small group of Clark Gable aficionados met on his actual birthday, February 1, to celebrate the native son’s 121st birthday. However, the main event is slated for February 5 to properly celebrate Gable’s birthday. Coffee and cake are planned for Saturday the 5th at the Clark Gable Foundation (138 Charleston Street Cadiz, Ohio 43907 USA). Ron Beard will also be performing, and the celebration will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Photo by twm134
OVOGA president discusses surprise impact of local energy On Jan. 26, the Ohio Valley Oil and Gas Association (OVOGA) gathered at Ruttenbucks Bar and Grill for their first event of 2022. Sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment Rentals, the “Speak Out” luncheon provided an excellent opportunity for representatives of different companies to introduce themselves and network. Jim Milleson, OVOGA president, shared with the News-Herald that this was just the first of several oil and gas-related events his organization will be offering in the weeks ahead. On Feb. 23, they’ll be hosting “Networking with the Nailers.” And on March 29, they’re organizing an energy job fair at the Highlands Event Center. “It should be a really nice event,” Milleson said. In his view, it's a sign that the economy in the area is doing well, thanks to the energy industry. “People can go to work now without a four-year degree,” he said. “A laborer can set their pay.” He also noted some of the benefits the county has enjoyed because of oil and gas — like infrastructure money coming in. “The state money was cut by Kasich,” he said, referencing the former governor’s cuts to local government funding. “Townships were on the verge of being bankrupt. Thanks to oil and gas, they’re not.” He also pointed out that funds have helped support education in Harrison County. Oil and gas reserves in Harrison County — and Appalachia in general — mean the region is posed to have unique significance for national and global politics. With rising tensions in Europe and concerns about dependence on
Russian oil and gas, as Milleson explained, “We are in a unique position here in Appalachia. The whole world is looking at us.” He also noted that this area can produce “some of the lowest-cost natural gas in the world.” Milleson acknowledged that the oil and gas industry is “not perfect” but emphasized his organization's work in ensuring landowners’ interests are protected. “One thing we saw early on in the play: people weren’t educated to the value of their surface and subsurface assets. Some of those people literally sold their minerals because they didn’t know what they were worth. A lot of people got taken advantage of. We went to work educating people, making sure they got their fair share. We saw families starting to get monthly income.” Milleson stated that the energy industry has created more opportunities for everyone — even with rising property costs and for those who don’t own mineral rights. “We have better schools and libraries, better sidewalks, roads, and bridges.” He even mentioned that the oil and gas royalties have allowed the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District to improve its lakes. “And entrepreneurs are talking about building affordable housing,” he said, which can also create new regional jobs. Milleson explained that people need to understand that the present high cost of gasoline is due to supply chain issues. Ideally, he explained, we’d move toward being more local in terms of energy dependence, just as some have begun to think more locally about sourcing food. “COVID changed our perspective, and we started growing and planting again,” Milleson said. He’d like to see a similar economic pivot happen, with energy.
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JAGGER MILLER appeared in court on video from the Harrison County Jail. Harrison News-Herald Photo/ REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS
First omicron case in Harrison Co.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Gable.
BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist
never received an apology from Miller prior to this. “It sounds like he’s making this apology to backpedal,” Hall said. “Now that his life is being inconvenienced, he can’t take ownership of his actions. It’s pretty pitiful.” While Hall acknowledged that it is “sad and unfortunate” that Miller’s daughter is struggling, he also stated that this was irrelevant to the case itself. Referencing the incident itself, Hall also noted that Miller “kept on shooting, the day he shot my grandfather, even when he was asked to stop shooting because he’d shot someone.” And he observed that Miller didn’t seem very penitent, as he had just been laughing and smiling before speaking to the court. Hall concluded with an address to Hervey: “Your honor, I beg of you: It’s only been 30 days. My grandfather’s got to live with this for the rest of his life.” Hervey stated that considering all relevant factors, he saw no reason to change Miller’s sentence. “It’s supposed to be a hardship. It’s not supposed to be fun,” he said.
Harrison County had its first confirmed case of the omicron variant earlier this week, but health administrator Garen Rhome explained that health officials presume — because of the spread the county has seen — it’s been omicron for a while. “The sequencing takes a while,” he said, “so that was probably a case from a week or more ago.” Rhome also said that due to the rapid rate of spread coupled with the shorter period of infection and of symptoms, the Ohio Department of Health has moved away from its previous method of contract tracing. The CDC shortening quarantine time was also a factor because people have been out and about before getting their test results. “As instructed, we along with other local health departments have moved away from universal contact tracing to an outbreak or cluster-based model, prioritizing people in high risk or congregant settings.” It’s still important for those who get a positive test result to report. But health departments will no longer be notifying
everyone who came in contact with a positive case. They will be focusing instead on clusters of high spread, especially in care facilities. And it’s essential to isolate and test if you feel sick. But the quarantine protocols for an exposure have also evolved along with the changing nature of the virus; those who have had contact with a person who tested positive do not need to quarantine so long as they have no symptoms, are vaccinated, and wear a mask. “It is still a Class A reportable disease,” Rhome said. “So if you are sick and get tested, these results will be passed to the health department. They will be analyzed to see if they link to outbreaks or congregate locations.” About 44.5% of the age-eligible population in Harrison County is presently vaccinated. Hospitalizations across the state continue to fall, and the number of hospitalizations in Region 8, where Harrison County is located, has plateaued. And there were less than 100 new cases in the seven-day period between Jan. 26 and Feb. 2. “On a macro level, some officials are hopeful that omicron could signal the end of the pandemic phase,” Rhome said. But, of course, this assessment could change if new variants emerge.
H. Hills still wearing masks BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist At the beginning of January, the Harrison Hills City School District Board of Education announced that they were beginning the 2022 school year with a mask policy reinstated. This policy has been in place since Sept. 7, when the school updated its policies from a mask recommendation to a mask requirement. At the time, school officials planned to convene again at the end of January to reevaluate and see whether their policies needed to be updated. “They look at it every month, at the meetings,” superintendent Dana Snider explained to the News-Herald. When the board met on Jan. 27 last Thursday, they voted to extend the mask policies again until the end of February, when they will evaluate the situation once more. Also, in mid-January, the county health department initiated a new policy regarding employees who have had close contact with anyone with a positive COVID test. Snider explained what this new policy entails: “If your child was COVID-positive,
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and someone else stayed home with your child, you could still come to school as a teacher, as long as you wear a mask.” And of course, she added, the school is following other health department guidelines: cleaning, disinfecting, sanitizing, and physical distancing. “This allows students to stay in school, which is what the health department wants,” Snider said. “We’re trying to keep kids as safe as possible, and the numbers are coming down. And we’re hoping the trend will continue.” Despite recent record highs in transmission rate and cases in the county, the local schools have not experienced periods of massive staff shortages because of the pandemic. “It rolls,” Snider explained. “Two or three will come back, and two or three more will go out.” Snider also said that the mask requirement doesn’t seem to be a big issue for the children. ‘They’re pretty accommodating,” she said. “Once you come to school, and you’ve worn them all day, almost every day, it becomes a part of what you wear.” At present, vaccination is not a requirement for school employees.
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