Murder suspect to be arraigned

Van Wert independent staff

An Ohio City woman accused of killing her mother in mid-November has been indicted on unspecified charges during the December session of the Van Wert County Grand Jury on Friday.

Tamara K. “Tammy” Menke, 47, was bound over to the grand jury following a preliminary hearing held in Van Wert Municipal Court on November 21 and remains incarcerated in the Van Wert County Correctional Facility on a $1 million cash bond.

According to Michael Kirkendall, court reporter and bailiff for Van Wert County Common Pleas Court, Menke is set to appear for an 8 a.m. arraignment in that courtroom this coming Monday, December 9.

The Ohio City woman is accused of shooting her mother, Barbara Robinson, and a man unofficially identified as her father on November 15 at their residence on South Fulton Street.

Robinson was later pronounced dead by emergency room personnel at Van Wert County Hospital and County Coroner Dr. Scott Jarvis had her body taken to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office in Toledo for an autopsy. The other shooting victim was later released from the hospital after treatment.

Van Wert police officers responded to 223 S. Fulton St. about 6 p.m. Thursday, November 14, after reports that shots were fired at the residence, but Menke had reportedly left the residence by then.

She then evaded capture for more than 15 hours before being taken into custody without incident shortly before 10 a.m. the next morning when deputies searching for her found her walking near an outbuilding at her residence outside Ohio City and arrested her.

Assistant County Prosecutor Martin Burchfield originally charged her with murder, but no information has yet been released from the secret indictment detailing what charges were handed down.