Girl & Deaf Grandparents Killed In House Fire

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Girl and Deaf grandparents killed in house fire hours before rape trial in the small town of Ohio.



YOUNGSTOWN, OH - A northeast Ohio prosecutor says a 10-year-old girl died in a house fire early Monday morning, hours before a man suspected of raping her was scheduled to go on trial.



A total of three people were reported dead by the Youngstown Fire Department after the blaze on the city’s south side.



Neighbors in the 3600-block of Powers Way say they heard a loud explosion around 3:30 a.m.; moments later, they saw flames rip through the two-story home. “I looked out the window and the fire broke out from the bottom of the basement, just whoosh. And it was totally on fire.”



Dozens of firefighters were needed to control the flames. When it was out, firefighters found the bodies of two adults and their 10-year-old granddaughter. The adults are identified as Billy and Judy Schmidt, both in their 60s.







“Everybody who knew Billy loved him. He had friends all over the United States, he could probably go anywhere in the country and probably run into somebody that he knew,” said Connie Glozier, the victim’s sister.



The Schmidts, who were both Deaf, were raising their granddaughter. Neighbor Pamela Jones says the girl played with her grandchildren.



“I just can’t believe that something like this would happen,” said Jones. “I’ve been crying all day.”



Adding to the tragedy of this fire, the 10-year-old girl was the victim of an alleged sexual assault. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Robert Seman, appeared in court this morning.



“On literally the eve of trial, hours before this trial was supposed to begin, this victim dies in a fire under suspicious circumstances, at the very least,” said Mahoning County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie McLaughlin. “Only 10 years old, somebody who did not deserve these things that happened to her.”



Seman has not been charged in connection with the fire, but his bond was revoked and he was taken to jail. If convicted on the rape charges, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison... Read more: pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/03/30/fire-officials-3-dead-in-youngstown-house-fire/

Deaf Pilot Gets License In Ohio

Exclusive: Deaf woman pilot gets license that not going to stop her from taking to the sky.



LANCASTER, OH - Learning to fly is no easy feat, but Lancaster native Jenny Hurst was not going to let being Deaf stop her from taking to the sky.



From a young age, Hurst dreamed of being a pilot like her grandfather, a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. She has always been drawn to flying, she said, and before 9/11, one of her favorite things to do was to watch planes take off from Port Columbus International Airport. In her younger years, she went as far as telling boyfriends plane-watching was her preferred way to spend a date.



Aware of that desire, Hurst’s husband of 17 years, Adam, looked into flight lessons at Sundowner Aviation at the Fairfield County Airport for his wife, who has been Deaf since the age of 2. Officials there agreed to take her on, and one year later, after fitting in two to three hours of flight instruction per week, Hurst got her pilot license. She took her first solo flight July 18.



On Sunday, Hurst took her family up in the plane for the first time, although the family of six could not all fit in one flight. Hurst hopes to become registered in instrument flight rules so she can be allowed to fly larger planes that will fit her entire family.



Another use for the pilot license may be flying materials from suppliers to Hammock Gear, the backpacking outfitter the Hursts own in Lancaster. While Hurst would love to be a pilot for hire, she said she is still exploring her limits as a Deaf pilot and her abilities with communication... Read more: lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2015/03/24/deaf-pilot-gets-license-lancaster/

Deaf Boy Signs With Dragons Mascot

VIDEO: Baseball club Dayton Dragons mascot signs to Deaf child, 7, in heartwarming video.



DAYTON, OHIO (ABC News) It is a video being shared around the web after young, Deaf boy from Germantown made a connection with the Dayton Dragons mascot, Heater, that no one was expecting.



Hunter may be a bit camera shy, but he is not shy about his favorite team. "I met heater and Gem," signed the seven year old. The Samworths were at the game on Saturday.



"We were outside getting ready to go in and there was Heater and Gem so Hunter ran up. And so next thing you know, I'm telling Hunter, say. 'It's nice to meet you,'" said Hunter's Mom, Cheri Samworth.

Unexpectedly, a Green Team member escorting Heater, starting signing back to him. So Dad started recording it and that is when the mascot himself joined in. They exchanged names and talked about the big game.



"You can see on the video, his smile is like, he's gets me, he speaks my language, he understands me, Just a completely different experience for Hunter," Cheri said.



"It just froze, everything froze. It was just, the look on his face was just priceless," said Hunter's Dad, Matt Samworth. The Dragons are away so Heater and members of the Green Team have the day off. Source