AP HONORS CAVS LEBRON JAMES C1

CARS INVESTIGATED FOR BRAKES C4

Star Beacon
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016

Carrie Fisher dies

at age 60 A5

Ashtabula, Ohio | www.starbeacon.com 

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Rail safety improving

County ranks 12th highest in the state for train-related accidents

EDITORS NOTE: Dec. 29 makes the 140th anniversary of the
1876 Ashtabula Train Disaster. In recognition of the event, this
week the Star Beacon is looking at the past and present of the
railroad in Ashtabula County.
BY JUSTIN DENNIS
jdennis@starbeacon.com

Railroad owners and

operators in the county
must play an active role
in rail safety as does
the public.
There are 101 pub-

lic, at-grade crossings

in Ashtabula County,
according to the Federal
Railroad Administration. Of those, 68 employ gates as primary
warning devices; 13 rely
on flashing lights; and
19 have only X-shaped

crossbuck warning
signs.
Only one crossing in
the county, along First
Street in Dorset, reportedly has no primary
warning devices. The
one-lane freight line
crossing operated by
Norfolk Southern sees
approximately 16 trains
a day, according to an
FRA inventory, going an
average speed of 40 to

50 mph.
The Star Beacon could
not find any reports of
accidents or injuries at
that crossing in the last
several years of available reports.
But 12 crashes involving vehicles have
occurred at county
crossings since 2012,
with one reported fatality in Jefferson in 2013,
according to the PUCO.

That year, the county

saw four total vehicle-train collisions, the
most in one year out of
the last six years.No vehicle-train crashes were
reported in Ashtabula
County from 2009 to
2011, according to the
PUCO.
Last year, the county
reported two crashes
with injury, both along
CSX Transportation

lines one along Gore

Road in Conneaut and
the other along State
Route 167 in Jefferson
and ranked 12th
highest in the state for
train-related accidents.
More than 2,000
collisions were reported
at highway-rail grade
crossings nationwide in
2015.
SEE SAFETY, A3

Plenty of
activities to keep
children busy
over break
BY SHELLEY TERRY
sterry@starbeacon.com

Its the same old

winter break problem
the kids are bored and
parents are at their wits
end trying to keep them
entertained.
Luckily for local children, northeast Ohio
hosts a week of enjoyable activities at various
venues.
Take them to the
movies.
Just about everyone
likes the Star Wars
movies and, luckily,
Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story, (PG-13) is playing
at Carmike Ashtabula
Mall 6, 3315 N. Ridge E.,
Ashtabula.
Children under 13?
Two relatively new releases, The Secret Life
of Pets (PG) and Disneys The Big Friendly
Giant (PG) are playing
at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m
Thursday, respectively,
at the Kingsville Public
Library Simak Welcome
Center, 3105 School St.,
Kingsville. Cost is free.
The Ashtabula Library
also is hosting a childrens movie time at 1
p.m. today. Free popcorn and beverages.
If the children enjoy making crafts, the
childrens librarians will
have a craft project for
them to work on from
11 a.m. to noon today.
Nothing says the
holidays like twinkling
lights.

Ashtabula Countys
Lights on the Lake is
glowing for its 11th
season at Lake Shore
Park in Ashtabula Township. The drive-through
light display along Lake
Erie features a nativity display, toys, elves,
Santa, candy canes,
poinsettias, snowmen,
penguins, a lift bridge,
flying saucer and more.
The lights illuminate
at 6 p.m. Friday and
will continue to twinkle
from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Cost is
$5 per carload.
Village officials in
Jefferson, the county
seat of Ashtabula County, is decorated with
several light displays at
Jefferson and Chestnut
streets. The gazebo
boasts a Christmas tree,
while a horse and sleigh,
candles, and much more
light up the village at
dusk. The site of the
old elementary school
at Jefferson and Market
streets glow with several
displays, as well.
Cost is free and be
sure to drive along West
Jefferson Street to see
how residents have decorated their homes.
Head out to the Roller
Den.
Winter break is the
perfect time to go roller
skating at the Roller
Den, 2255 West Ave.,
Ashtabula.According to
its website, open

WARREN DILLAWAY | STAR BEACON

SEE BREAK, A3

Ben Layman, 5, of Ashtabula, picks out a book on Tuesday afternoon during a visit to the Ashtabula Library.

Former jail officer gets probation in inmate assault

BY JUSTIN DENNIS
jdennis@starbeacon.com

JEFFERSON A former corrections officer

at the Ashtabula County
Jail was placed on two
years of probation after
he pleaded no contest
Thursday to assaulting

GOT A
NEWS TIP?
CALL US!
440-994-3243

an inmate in July 2015.

Frank C. Sundquist
II, of Mentor,pleaded
to one first-degree
misdemeanor count
of assault Thursday in
Eastern County Court,
according to a release
from county Prosecutor
Nicholas Iarocci. Judge
The Star Beacon office
will close Dec. 30 at
noon and reopen
Jan. 3 in observance of
the holiday.
Customer service lines
will be available at
440-994-3242
on Sat. 6 a.m.-noon
and Sun. & Mon.
7 a.m.-9:30 a.m.

Robert Wynn rendered

a guilty verdict.
In exchange for the
plea, Sundquists other
three assault charges
and two dereliction
of duty charges were
dismissed.
Sundquist wont face
any jail time, as part of

the stipulated sentence

between the parties and
based on Sundquists
lack of a prior criminal
record, the release
reads. All 180 days
included in the sentence were suspended.
He was placed on two
years of probation and

ordered to pay $200 in

court costs.
As a condition of the
probationary sentence,
Sundquist withdrew attempts to return to the
county Sheriffs Department, and submitted
a letter to that effect
during his final hearing.

DEATHS
EASTON, Ella M.
KIRK, Robert P. Sr.
KRUMINS, Dzintra Z.
MARKIN, Kenneth J.
MARVIN, Raymond P.

OUTS I DE

OCONNELL, Carolyn A.
ROCCO, Ruth E.
SPANGLER, Bruce R.
WARING, Patricia
WRIGHT, Marian L.

Obituary deadline for the New Years Edition

will be 4 p.m. Saturday

SEE JAIL, A3

I NS I DE

Partly Cloudy
High 36 | Low 32
A2
Sunrise 7:50 A.M. Sunset 4:59 P.M.

After his dismissal

following the incident,
the Ohio Patrolmens
Benevolent Association, which represents
Sheriffs Department
employees, filed a grievance on Sundquists

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