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Columbus Police Say They Broke Up a Juvenile Crime Ring

Columbus police say they disrupted a months-long organized crime spree involving 10 juveniles and one adult, with the group now facing 284 charges tied to stolen cars, stolen guns, credit cards, robberies, and vehicle break-ins across the city.

According to police, the group’s activity stretched from February to November 2025 and affected 551 victims. Investigators say the spree included 34 stolen vehicles, 76 stolen credit cards, 42 stolen firearms, $18,000 in stolen money, and thousands more in stolen merchandise.

So yes, this was a little more involved than “kids making bad choices.” This was a full-time operation with worse HR.

Police announced the charges at a press conference held at a Home2 Suites on Stelzer Road, one of the hotels where the juveniles are accused of repeatedly breaking into guests’ cars. Not exactly the brand activation Home2 Suites had in mind.

The investigation involved Columbus police’s Gang Enforcement Unit, Organized Crime and Property Crimes bureaus, and the NextGen Safety Initiative. Police said they used data analysis to connect suspects, track patterns, and link crimes through associations, repeat behavior, and social media activity.

The arrested juveniles had a combined 37 prior felony cases, and 35 of those ended with probation, restitution, or letters of apology. That detail is now central to the city’s argument that repeat juvenile crime needs stronger intervention before stolen cars and stolen credit cards turn into something far more dangerous.

The adult charged in connection with the spree, 32-year-old Tanisha Renae Jenkins, was the mother of two of the juveniles and aunt of another. Police said she was originally indicted on 25 felony counts and has since been convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Searches of six homes connected to the investigation turned up 37 firearms, only 17 of which had been reported stolen, along with seven machine gun conversion devices, 65 stolen credit cards, 25 vehicle key cards, and four automotive key programmers.

That is not teenage mischief. That is a criminal supply closet.

There is a bigger, uncomfortable question here: how does a group of teenagers rack up dozens of felony cases, hundreds of alleged charges, stolen firearms, key programmers, and more than 500 victims before the city gets to this point?

Columbus has spent the last few years talking about youth violence, car thefts, and repeat offenders like they are separate problems. This case shows how quickly they can become the same problem.

And once stolen cars, stolen guns, and organized crews overlap, the situation stops being a neighborhood nuisance and starts becoming a citywide warning light.

Scarlet Letter Trivia

Question: How many Semi Trucks pass through Columbus a day?
A. 18,000 - 22,000
B. 13,000 - 17,000
C. 9,000 - 11,000
D. 0

The Murph Is Coming to Ohio State

On May 22, Buckeye Nation is invited to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for one of the most meaningful and punishing workouts in the country: The Murph.

It is free to participate. You get an official 2026 Murph T-shirt. There will be complimentary food and beverages while supplies last. Special Ohio State guests include Tom Ryan, head wrestling coach, and James Laurinaitis, linebackers coach.

So yes, you can technically say you went to Ohio State to run, do pull-ups, push-ups, squats, honor a Navy SEAL, and maybe get lightly humbled before most people have finished their coffee.

The workout starts at 9 a.m., with arrival at 8 a.m.

The Murph is simple in the same way climbing a mountain is simple:

1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
1-mile run

That’s it. Just a short little fitness errand from hell.

The workout is named for Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005, during Operation Red Wings. Murphy left cover during a firefight to find a signal and call for help for his team, knowing the danger it put him in. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Before it became a Memorial Day tradition, Murphy called the workout “Body Armor.” Today, thousands of people complete The Murph each year to honor his sacrifice and remember service members who never came home.

And here’s the important part: you do not have to be the fittest person in the stadium to show up.

You can do it solo. You can do it with friends. You can scale it. Break up the reps. Take your time. Do the version your body is capable of doing.

Because The Murph is not really about being the fastest or strongest. It is about showing up, doing something hard on purpose, and remembering why it matters.

May 22. Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Arrival at 8 a.m. Workout at 9 a.m.

No entry fee. No easy reps. Just show up and give what you can.

Columbus Just Got Another $2.28 Million From the Forever Chemical Lawsuit.

Columbus just got another check in its ongoing lawsuit over “forever chemicals,” which is a nice reminder that sometimes the phrase “corporate accountability” actually comes with a dollar amount attached.

City Attorney Zach Klein announced that Columbus received $2.28 million more in settlement funds from major chemical producer DuPont, bringing the city’s total payout so far to more than $13 million.

The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by hundreds of cities across the country to hold major chemical companies accountable for producing PFAS, better known as forever chemicals. They earned that nickname by doing exactly what it sounds like: sticking around in the environment, water, soil, air, and the human body for a very long time. Charming little molecules. Truly terrible houseguests.

According to the city, companies like DuPont knowingly produced these chemicals despite the risks and failed to properly warn the public. Over time, PFAS can build up in people and the environment, potentially causing health problems and contaminating water sources.

Klein’s argument is simple: Columbus residents should not be the ones paying for future water infrastructure upgrades if corporations helped create the problem.

“Companies like DuPont made the mess, and now it’s time to pay up,” Klein said.

For now, Columbus says its water still meets or exceeds all drinking water standards. The city’s Water and Power division operates a Water Quality Assurance Laboratory that has been monitoring chemical levels for years.

But the concern is what comes next. Columbus provides water not just to the city, but to more than 20 surrounding suburbs. If future technology upgrades are needed to keep PFAS out of the water supply, those costs could be significant. The settlement money is meant to help protect ratepayers from footing the entire bill.

More money may still be coming.

So no, this is not panic-button news about Columbus water suddenly being unsafe. It is more of a “good thing we’re paying attention before this becomes wildly expensive” story.

The takeaway: Columbus has now secured over $13 million from chemical companies tied to forever chemicals, with more potentially on the way.

Which feels fair. If a company helps create a problem that lasts forever, paying for it should probably last a little while too.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol Has Entered Its Semi Truck Era

Ohio drivers have spent years treating work zones like optional obstacle courses with orange barrels. Now, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is trying something harder to ignore: a semi truck.

OSHP is using a seized semi along the Ohio Turnpike to help catch drivers speeding through work zones. The truck was originally taken under the Ohio Drug Offender Law and is usually used for recruitment and education. But troopers realized it could also be useful for sitting high above traffic and watching everyone pretend the work zone speed limit is just a light suggestion.

Here’s how it works: two troopers ride inside the semi. One drives and operates the speed radar. The other radios information to nearby troopers on the road. Those troopers then spot the vehicle, follow it, wait for confirmation from the semi, and make the traffic stop.

Basically, it is a group project, but instead of making a PowerPoint, everyone gets a speeding ticket.

And there are plenty of tickets to go around. In 2025, OSHP issued 2,142 work zone speeding citations along the Ohio Turnpike. More than half were for drivers going 20 miles per hour or more over the limit, which is not “running late.” That is auditioning for a construction-zone safety video.

The Ohio Turnpike says it welcomes the extra enforcement, especially with more than 1,000 workers expected to be out in 2026 as pavement replacement continues. Some crews are protected by barriers, but others are separated from traffic by little more than cones, barrels, and a collective prayer that everyone remembers how physics works.

As summer travel season begins, officials are asking drivers to slow down and plan for delays.

Add a few minutes. Watch the signs. Respect the work zones.

Or don’t, and find out that the giant semi next to you is not just hauling vibes.

B) 13,000 - 17,000