MASON, Ohio — Weeks after a Cincinnati Open intern fell from a cart on the Lindner Household Tennis Middle, a closely redacted police report from Mason police lists one individual as a suspect within the man’s dying.
Joshua Darst died after he fell from a cart on the tennis heart property on August 18.
A police report we obtained from Mason police by way of a public data request provides some particulars to what occurred that night time — however the 14-page report has over 5 pages absolutely redacted, together with the identify of a “suspect” listed on the primary web page of the report.
The “Associated offense” listed for that suspect is aggravated vehicular murder, particularly citing recklessness as a part of the crime. It is unclear why that individual’s identify is redacted from the report, or whether or not they had been formally charged. We’re reaching out to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell to be taught extra.
The 2 officer narratives which can be unredacted say that when police and EMS arrived on the Lindner Household Tennis Middle simply earlier than 11 p.m., Darst was mendacity on the bottom bleeding from a head wound and barely aware.
Close by was what police described as a “yellow industrial 4-passenger cart” with a flat mattress within the again.
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EMS labored to take care of Darst and loaded him into an ambulance; one officer wrote that he checked Darst for accidents apart from a head wound and found he had bruising and scratches on his legs and again.
As soon as the ambulance left to take Darst to West Chester Hospital, officers started questioning different folks within the space, in keeping with the police report.
“I started talking with the opposite volunteers,” wrote one Mason officer. “The supervisor suggested Darst is an intern for the match and that [REDACTED] was driving the cart when Darst fell. Contact was made with [REDACTED] who was on scene and he suggested that they had been driving by way of the lot when he started having issue with the steering on the commercial cart. As they approached a curve within the lot, going towards the volunteer entrance, away from the operations constructing, Darst fell out.”
One other Mason officer, who was first to reply to the incident, wrote in his report that after Darst was taken to the hospital, he had pictures taken of the realm close to the place Darst fell and marked the tires of the cart.
“I then moved the cart from the lane and parked it close to the forklifts,” wrote that officer. “Whereas transferring the cart, it appeared to function usually with none noticeable malfunctions.”
Officers additionally famous they labored to find out whether or not any surveillance footage captured the moments when Darst fell from the cart.
“The footage captured the cart going by way of the realm, however the footage was blurry and will barely show Darst falling off the cart,” one officer wrote.
“Just one angle of the incident might be noticed, however a tent blocked the view simply previous to the topic falling off,” a second officer wrote.
Whereas a number of officers had been concerned within the investigation and submitted narratives which can be within the police report, solely two of these narratives are unredacted.
The day after Darst’s dying, the Cincinnati Open informed us in a press release {that a} “tragic accident … took the lifetime of certainly one of our interns and valued staff members.”
“This loss is deeply felt by our complete group. Our hearts, ideas and deepest sympathies are along with his household, associates and all who knew and cherished him,” the assertion says.
Mason police initially informed us first responders had been known as to the Lindner Household Tennis Middle simply earlier than 11 p.m. Monday, the day of the finals, for a person who fell off a cart close to the ability’s loading dock. The person — who we later discovered was Darst — was taken to West Chester Hospital, police stated.
