Ohio

Letter carrier attacks spark Ohio lawmaker to co-sponsor bill improving technology, impose stiffer punishments

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

Press Room

Letter carrier attacks spark Ohio lawmaker to co-sponsor bill improving technology, impose stiffer punishments

CINCINNATI — It was 57 degrees outside in January 2019 when letter carrier Ryan Pierani had a gun pointed at his head.

“I was just having lunch and I heard somebody jiggle my side door of my ProMaster,” he said.

That’s when he saw a kid wearing a mask in his mirror.

“He seen I was there with my window down, he hopped up on the side of my ProMaster and put the pistol to my head and demanded my arrow key,” he said.

Across the country, mail carriers have been targets for their arrow keys. WCPO 9 has reported on the attacks and robberies here in Cincinnati.

Data analyzed by WCPO partner Journal-News showed mail collection box thefts have dropped by 47% year over year in Ohio and robberies of the keys to open the boxes off of postal carriers had dropped by roughly a third from 34 to 23 over the same time period in the state of Ohio.

“Since January of 2022, Branch 43 has had 17 of its members robbed at gunpoint,” said Ted Thompson, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers in Cincinnati.

“We need to keep our letter carriers and postal workers safe,” said Congressman Greg Landsman.

A possible solution to this problem is a new bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Landsman. It aims to make letter carriers and your personal information safer.

It would allocate $1.4 billion to the U.S. Postal Service to install high-security collection boxes and replace older universal keys, known as arrow keys, with electronic versions.

Landsman should the new technology should deter thieves and isn’t too worried someone will figure out a work-a-round.

“The technology is pretty good. The electric key is one of the requires a whole host of things that you can’t just get by stealing the actual key,” he said.

Thompson said this will help keep his members safer.

“It helps devalue the reason that we’re being robbed of, right, so that our equipment and what we carry with us no longer has value to criminals in an attempt to gain access to the public’s mail,” Thompson said.

The second component of this bill has to do with the law.

“It provides additional support for the investigation and prosecution of those who commit these crimes against our letter carriers,” Landsman said.

The bill would direct the U.S. Attorney General to appoint assistant U.S. attorneys in all 94 U.S. judicial districts to lead investigations and prosecutions of crimes against USPS employees, assets and facilities.

It would “also establish new guidelines for the punishment as though a letter carrier being assaulted is the same as a law enforcement officer being assaulted,” Thompson said.

Thompson said of the 17 people who were robbed at gunpoint, four have resigned and one retired.

Pierani was one of the people who came back.

“My coworkers and my customers, getting back to serving them that’s really what drove me to go back,” he said.

“Some of the members I represent they’ve also said because it is a traumatic experience to go through that going back to work was actually helping them in the healing process because sitting at home they were just dwelling on it over, and over, and over again,” Thompson said.

Thompson said they have some electronic keys installed, but the rollout is moving “at a snail’s pace.”

Landsman said if this bill passes it should speed up that process.

Landsman believes this bill will get widespread support. He said conversations with other lawmakers have been serious but optimistic.

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Ohio

Ohio Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Midday winning numbers for Jan. 10, 2026

Published

2 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 10, 2026, results for each game:

Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

05-19-21-28-64, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 2-8-2

Evening: 4-0-5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 2-8-5-5

Evening: 3-1-2-2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 1-6-3-5-9

Evening: 2-4-4-4-5

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Rolling Cash 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

03-14-20-28-34

Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Classic Lotto

Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

01-28-32-36-38-45, Kicker: 2-7-1-1-7-4

Check Classic Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Lucky For Life

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 10:35 p.m.

17-24-36-38-43, Lucky Ball: 17

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.

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Ohio

Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN

Published

14 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN

The ex-husband of Monique Tepe has been arrested in connection with the killings of the mother and her husband Spencer Tepe, a respected dentist, in their Ohio home last week, Columbus police said Saturday.

Michael David McKee, 39, who court records identify as Monique Tepe’s ex-husband, is in custody in Winnebago County, Illinois, according to inmate records with the sheriff’s office.

McKee is scheduled to appear in court Monday, records show. He was arrested on two counts of murder in the killings on Saturday, an incident report shows, and was taken into custody “without incident” in Rockford, Illinois, police said.

Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds on December 30 in their house in Columbus. The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 1, were also inside but were not physically harmed, police said.

The arrest marks a major development in the case after the suspect in the couple’s killings remained on the loose for more than 10 days, during which police released scant details on the investigation.

Police said Saturday they will release further information “as appropriate” to avoid compromising the “active and ongoing case progress” and urged people to contact them with any information related to the tragedy.

Authorities did not find any obvious signs of forced entry or any firearm at the scene, CNN affiliate WSYX reported.

Colleagues in Spencer Tepe’s dental practice called 911 after he uncharacteristically didn’t show up to work. One of Tepe’s friends went to the couple’s house, peered inside and saw a gruesome scene next to a bed, according to emergency dispatch audio.

“There’s … there’s a body,” the friend told 911. “Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just did a wellness check. We just came here. And he appears dead.”

Asked if Tepe had been ill, the friend responded, “No, no. I was just with him yesterday.”

The couple’s two children and dog are now in the care of relatives, the Tepes’ brother-in-law said.

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