DRUG DEFENDANT HELD IN HIT-MAN SHOOTING

FREMONT - Faced with felony drug charges, Christy Claussen tried to solve
them by hiring a hit man, authorities say.

One day before her trial was scheduled to begin, Sandusky County sheriff's
deputies said she arranged the shooting of one of the witnesses who was
expected to testify against her.

But that witness, Jarrod Skinner, survived Monday's shooting. Now he's
expected to testify against Ms. Clausssen again - this time for attempted
murder.

Sandusky County Sheriff David Gangwer said Ms. Claussen, 40, of Gibsonburg,
was charged with one count of complicity to attempted murder for allegedly
hiring Tyrias Johnson, 25, of Fremont, to shoot Skinner.

"It was a possession case in Ottawa County and now it's escalated a bit,"
said Dave Boldt, an Ottawa County assistant prosecutor who's handling Ms.
Claussen's case. "We had no idea that someone would do this. This is just
something that doesn't normally happen."

Skinner, 33, of Oak Harbor, was listed in serious condition yesterday at
St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo. He was shot in the shoulder and
face, authorities said.

Ms. Claussen was held in lieu of $500,000 bond in the Sandusky County jail
after a video arraignment in Fremont Municipal Court. No other court dates
were set.

Sheriff Gangwer said a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Mr.
Johnson, who remained at large last night.

Two other men, James Miller, 46, and Norman Runion, 47, both of Gibsonburg,
were being held at the county jail on charges of obstruction of justice for
allegedly aiding Ms. Claussen in the shooting. They will be arraigned today
in Sandusky County Court, Woodville.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m. Monday when Ms. Claussen allegedly asked
Skinner to follow her to a Ballville Township farmhouse on Baker Road, just
south of Fremont. The two know each other, Sheriff Gangwer said.

"They ran into each other downtown. She asked him to follow her," the
sheriff said. "We can only speculate what was said."

When he exited his vehicle, Skinner was shot several times. He then
attempted to drive himself to Memorial Hospital but was stopped on South
Tiffin Road by Fremont police Chief Monte Huss, who noticed a vehicle
swerving in the roadway.

Skinner was transported to the hospital, and authorities immediately began
looking for suspects. The sheriff said his detectives interviewed Skinner
about the shooting.

Mr. Boldt said Ms. Claussen was scheduled to go on trial yesterday morning
in Ottawa County Common Pleas Court on one count of possession of crack
over 10 grams and one count of possession of cocaine over 100 grams, both
second-degree felonies. The charges stem from a police search at Ms.
Claussen's former Williston home Feb. 5, 1999. The case was delayed because
Ms. Claussen changed her plea several times. She originally had planned to
plead guilty to two third-degree felonies, but she changed her mind on the
day of sentencing.

Skinner was one of about six witnesses in the Claussen case. Mr. Boldt said
others included members of local law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Boldt would not say whether Skinner was considered to be a lead witness
or if he was working as a drug informant for the county.

After Mr. Boldt learned Skinner had been shot, he asked Judge Paul Moon for
a continuance in Ms. Claussen's drug case. The trial was rescheduled for
Oct. 31.

Skinner is facing a criminal charge of his own in Ottawa County Common
Pleas Court. He has pleaded not guilty to possession of a weapon under
disability and is scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 9.He was sentenced in
March, 1989, to spend 18 months in prison and pay a $1,000 fine for drug
trafficking.

Drug charges against Mr. Johnson are pending in the nearby Sandusky County
Common Pleas Court. He was charged in July with three varying counts of
trafficking in cocaine for incidents in April and May of this year.

Mr. Johnson, who was one of more than 50 people arrested following a drug
sweep in Fremont and Clyde, was free on a personal recognizance bond after
pleading not guilty to the charges. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for
Nov. 3, with a trial planned for Nov. 13.