BATAVIA, Ohio — A man has been arrested and charged with murdering his father on Nov. 24 in Batavia, according to the Clermont County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said dispatchers received a 911 call on Nov. 24 at around 9:38 p.m. reporting a death in a home on West Main Street.
The caller told dispatchers his elderly father was dead, according to the sheriff's office.
When Batavia officers arrived at the home around 9:43 p.m., they found 60-year-old Dewayne Allan Pelfrey lying unresponsive inside the home, police said. EMS was called, but Pelfrey was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
Two days later, on Nov. 26, the sheriff's office was called in to assist Batavia police; after interviewing family members and witnesses, the sheriff's office said it determined Pelfrey's son, 39-year-old Zane Pelfrey, was responsible for his death.
The sheriff's office said Zane was then interviewed by detectives and "was forthcoming with details related to his involvement in his father's death."
On Monday in court, the public defender's office requested a low bond amount for Zane, citing the fact he has no criminal history prior to this case, has two young children and lives in Batavia. However the prosecutor's office requested a higher bond amount after they said his family warned them about him skipping town.
"Speaking with the family members, who are here today, they may be aware that if the defendant were released, they do believe he would be a flight risk," said the prosecutor's office. "My understanding is he's a truck driver, they believe through that work and employment he has contacts with people and would take steps to remove himself from this jurisdiction."
Court records also show Zane lived with his father at the apartment located on West Main Street in Batavia. Some said Dewayne Pelfrey had some health problems, and had a woman taking care of him. They said he walked with a cane, and was having trouble getting out of the apartment.
"I'd seen him Thursday, my boss bought him Thanksgiving dinner because he's had health issues, he's told me before he hasn't had a whole longer left to live," said Joseph Smith, who works in the area. "We always told him, you need anything, just call us, he would call my boss and ask him about praying and how to become a Christian and stuff like that, and I hope we helped him out in some way."
Zane has been charged with murder and is being held in the Clermont County jail on a $1 million bond.
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