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Ohio grand jury declines to charge woman with abuse of corpse after at-home miscarriage

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Ohio grand jury declines to charge woman with abuse of corpse after at-home miscarriage


A grand jury declined to return an indictment Thursday against Brittany Watts, an Ohio woman facing an abuse of corpse charge after suffering a miscarriage in her home. The Trumbull County prosecutor’s office stated that, after evaluating the case, they believed Watts did not violate the Ohio Criminal Statute of Abuse of a Corpse. The grand jury responded by returning a no bill—effectively dismissing the case.

Watts had initially been charged with felony abuse of a corpse in October after Warren County police found the remains of her pregnancy in her toilet and trash. The case had been turned over to the Trumbull County Grand Jury in November to determine if Watts should be indicted to stand trial after the municipal court found probable cause to believe Watts guilty.

Watts miscarried in her toilet in September, leaving the 22-week-old fetus in the toilet and removing some of the contents to the trash. Her doctor had previously told her she was carrying a non-viable fetus and that she should have her labor induced or risk “significant risk” of death. Traci Timko, Watts’ attorney, said Watts waited at the hospital for eight hours to receive treatment while the hospital tried to decide how to act under Ohio’s abortion laws. Watts never received the treatment, and an autopsy revealed the fetus died in utero with no identifiable recent injuries.

A 2021 study found that Black women had a 43 percent increased risk of miscarriage compared to white women. In Our Own Voice, an organization that promotes Black women and their right to reproductive justice, released a statement on the case after the decision had been announced. President and CEO Dr. Regina Davis Moss stated:

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[Watts’ experience] is a grave example of how Black women and their bodies face legal threats simply for existing. Her story is one that is becoming alarmingly common: in states with abortion restrictions, Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people are being surveilled, arrested, prosecuted, and punished for pregnancy loss.

The grand jury’s decision comes two months after Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights. After the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling in 2021 overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that recognized an individual’s right to an abortion, states across the country have been initiating new laws to regulate access to reproductive health care. In December, the Texas Supreme Court denied Kate Cox access to an abortion, despite her pregnancy compilations. In October, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban. A 2023 report by Care Post-Roe revealed that healthcare providers in states with abortion bans are unable to meet medical standards, putting their patients at risk.

More decisions on access to reproductive care are to come in 2024. In Florida, an amendment to enshrine abortion protections in the state’s constitution will appear on the state’s 2024 ballot. The US Supreme Court also agreed in December to hear two cases on mifepristone, a drug that is widely prescribed for abortions and miscarriages.



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Ohio

Severe storms bring downed trees, power outages across Northeast Ohio

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Severe storms bring downed trees, power outages across Northeast Ohio


NORTHEAST OHIO (WOIO) – Thousands are without power Friday after severe weather sweeps across Northeast Ohio counties, creating weather-related damage.

FirstEnergy reports more than 71,000 in Northeast Ohio are without power Friday night.

More than 22,000 are without power in Cuyahoga County.

The utility company reports that more than 700 are without power in Erie County.

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Lake County reports over 1,000 outages, and Portage has over 4,000 outages.

Trumbull County is experiencing over 1,000, and Ashtabula reports over 3,000.

Lorain County is experiencing more than 3,000 reported outages, and Geauga County has more than 7,000.

Medina County reported more than 1,000.

Chardon fire crews field wave of storm calls

The Chardon Fire Department shared the calls it responded to concerning storm damage Friday evening.

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Fire crews said they responded to a tree in a house at 127 Burlington Oval.

The department said a tree fell on a gas line, causing a gas leak at 408 Charleston Avenue.

Wires were reported down on South Claridon Road, closing State Route 44 near South Street.

Wires were reported down on a house near Irma and South Hambden.

Fire crews said a tree was reported down on a home at 306 North Hambden.

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The department also said alarms went off at UH Geauga Hospital.

Downed wires also closed Auburn and Twing roads.

The department said power was out on the south side of Chardon City.

Another tree was reported to have fallen into a house at 109 Burlington Oval, but no injuries were reported.

Fire crews said an incident involving a tree in a house and electric lines was reported at 11396 Aquilla Road, but no injuries were reported.

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Fallen tree takes out power line in Independence

The city of Independence said a downed tree took out a live power line on lower Stone Road.

The city asked the public to avoid the area because of the danger posed by live wires.

The city said FirstEnergy had been notified and both police and firefighters were on scene.

Downed wires prompt closures across Hambden

The Hambden Fire Department said Friday night it was dealing with multiple storm-related incidents.

Crews said Claridon Troy Road was closed between Route 608 and Chardon Windsor Road because of downed poles and wires.

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Kenny Drive was closed south of Leaders Mobile Home Park because of downed wires across the road, according to fire crews.

Multiple wires were reported down on Route 6 near Cutts and Grant Street along the north side of the road.

The department said the public should use caution in areas with downed wires and poles and should not attempt to move any of the wires.

Anyone with an electrical emergency or who encounters downed wires is asked to call 9-1-1.

Hambden Fire said people should not call 9-1-1 to report an outage.

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The department said FirstEnergy is aware of these issues and is working to fix them.

Check FirstEnergy’s, AEP’s, and Cleveland Public Power’s websites for the latest outage numbers.

These outages come after severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple Northeast Ohio counties this evening and were extended until 10:45 p.m.

SEND PHOTOS & VIDEO: Share your content with 19 News, and you may see it on TV or online.

Check back with the 19 News First Alert Weather team for the latest weather forecast.

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Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



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Where and when to see fireworks in Central Ohio

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Where and when to see fireworks in Central Ohio


Friday, July 3

Downtown Columbus: Billed as the Midwest’s largest fireworks show, Red, White & BOOM! takes place along the Scioto Mile. The fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m. More information can be found on the event’s website.

Bexley: Festivities at Capital University begin at 6:00 p.m., with a fireworks display starting at 10:00 p.m.

Buckeye Lake: The Buckeye Lake Area Star Spangled Tradition (BLASST) fireworks display will take place at approximately 10:00 p.m. The primary viewing area is at Fairfield Beach, Lake Shore Drive NE, Thornville.

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Canal Winchester: First Friday at Loose Rail Brewing will feature a fireworks show at approximately 9:00 p.m. The brewery will also show Red, White & BOOM! on big screens.

Gahanna: Activities start at 5:00 p.m. at the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course and the fireworks show is at 10:00 p.m.

Newark: Central Ohio Technical College and Ohio State Newark campus will host festivities with live music and food trucks at the Martha Grace Reese Amphitheatre, culminating with a fireworks display at dusk (approximately 10:00 p.m.).

Pickerington: The city’s fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m.

Reynoldsburg: Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. at Civic Park, with fireworks starting at 9:45 p.m.

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Saturday, July 4

Chillicothe: Fireworks are scheduled to begin at approximately 9:45 PM from the Yoctangee Park Annex.

Circleville: AMVETS Post 2256 will host food trucks, live music, and a fireworks display after dark.

Clintonville: Whetstone Park of Roses hosts a live music event followed by fireworks at 9:45 p.m.

Delaware: Fireworks will launch from the city’s Cherry Street property at 10:00 p.m.

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Dublin: Independence Day Celebration activities wrap up with fireworks at 9:50 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School.

Grove City: Fireworks will launch from Murfin Fields at 9:45 p.m.

Hilliard: Freedom Fest takes place at Roger Reynolds Municipal Park with fireworks starting around 9:45 p.m.

Lancaster: A full day of celebrations culminates with fireworks at dusk at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.

Marysville: Fireworks at approximately 9:00 p.m. at the Union County Fairgrounds.

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New Albany: The July 4th Festival ends with fireworks at 10:00 p.m. at New Albany High School.

Upper Arlington: The annual Party in the Park begins at 5:00 p.m. at Northam Park, followed by fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Westerville: Evening festivities and food trucks can be found at the Westerville Sports Complex until the fireworks show begins at 10:00 p.m.

Worthington: The city’s celebration concludes with fireworks launched from Thomas Worthington High School at 10:00 p.m.



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Licking County real estate transfers for June 15-19, 2026, hit $697K

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Licking County real estate transfers for June 15-19, 2026, hit 7K



Real estate transfers in Licking County, Ohio, range from $55,000 to $697,500

The following are property transfers recorded in Licking County from June 15-19, 2026.

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First name indicates the seller; second name represents the buyer

Bowling Green Township 

  • No address listed – South St.; Gohl Investments LLC; Jude Properties LLC; 6/16/2026; $55,000

Eden Township

  • 12967 Pleasant Valley Road; Troyer, Bryan L; Phillips, Charles and Susan; 6/15/2026; $170,000

Granville

  • 319 Summit St.; Dunham, Timothy and Jill; Lenfest, Cody and Pagett, Victoria Rose; 6/16/2026; $585,000

Harrison Township

  • 6582 Outville Road SW; AJ Pataskala LLC; Bemiller, Paige O and Gillam, Hunter; 6/16/2026; $286,000

Johnstown

  • 51 Kasson St.; Jones, Dana; Dyer, Steven R and Melissa C; 6/15/2026; $169,900

Madison Township

  • 20 Fairfield Drive NE; Ullom, Gary and Barbara A; KP Homes LLC; 6/15/2026; $190,000

Newark

  • 1781 Ashford Lane; Scott, Mark W; Bergeron, Kyle M and Jacqueline M; 6/15/2026; $697,500
  • 1687 Emerald Court; Roelle, Courtney R (Trustee); Haren, Patrick and Kayla L; 6/15/2026; $410,000
  • 889 Dietrich Court; Fahner, Adam and Hannah; Bales, Preston T; 6/16/2026; $315,000
  • 67 N. 31st St.; Morgan, Randy; Piper, Marian Richele; 6/15/2026; $275,000
  • 195 Jefferson Road; Meister, Rachel; Flippin’ Out Renovations LLC; 6/17/2026; $150,000
  • 63 W. Harrison St.; Linn, Carolyn M; Bloise, David Jr; 6/16/2026; $65,000



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