COLUMBUS - The Ohio State Highway Patrol commissioned 29 new troopers at a ceremony held today at the Patrol’s Training Academy.

The Patrol’s 144th Academy Class graduated today after 25 weeks of rigorous law enforcement training. Kenneth L. Morckel, Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety; Colonel Paul D. McClellan, Patrol Superintendent; and Nancy J. Dragani, Executive Director, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, all addressed the graduates and presented their commissions and certificates of training.

Courses completed by the 144th class included firearms, traffic and criminal laws, self-defense, and crash investigation training. Cadets also drove on the new performance track at the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy (OPOTA) in London.

Tpr. John D. Chaney of Westerville was selected class speaker and thanked the Academy staff, family, and friends for their support during the training period.

Seven of the graduates received special honors for top performance in various fields of study at the Patrol Academy. The honorees are:

Each of the newly commissioned troopers will report to their posts on Monday, October 10. The troopers’ first 60 working days will be a field-training period under the guidance of a veteran officer. The new troopers are assigned to 20 of the Patrol’s 55 posts.

Name	Hometown	Assignment
Jason R. Abramski	Boardman	Lima
Aaron M. Belcher	Madison	Norwalk
Ryan A. Born	Marion	Xenia
Jennifer L. Bosiacki	Twinsburg	Defiance
Lonnie M. Butler	Cincinnati	Lima
Joshua J. Carter	Wapakoneta	Wapakoneta
John D. Chaney	Westerville	Toledo
Timothy R. Cunningham	Lore City	Swanton
Christopher Delgenio	Niles	Medina
David R. Handschumacher	Marietta	Marysville
Coby L. Holloway	Galion	Mount Gilead
Richard D. Hughes	Hillsboro	Wilmington
Jason R. Hutchison	Vandalia	Springfield
Nathan H. Krug	Homeworth	Lima
John L. Lamm	Niles	Ravenna
Nicholas L. Lewis	Portsmouth	Wilmington
Aaron M. Morgan	Newark	Findlay
Kevin R. Morgan	Hamilton	Xenia
Jeremy L. Morris	Sidney	Van Wert
Brandon D. Pastor	St. Clairsville	Cambridge
Ryan W. Pickett	Kirtland Hills	Fremont
Ryan D. Rainsberger	Dennison	Defiance
Jody D. Sawyers	Heath	Granville
Thomas M. Sherman	Wheelersburg	Findlay
Kyle R. Shirer	Adamsville	Marysville
Dennis A. Spangler	Napoleon	Defiance
Tarrence J. Staton Lake	Sheffield	Milan
Matthew D. Stoffer	Navarre	Mansfield
Frank E. Yoskey	Canal Fulton	Ravenna

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