The Cincinnati Enquirer

$525K bond for suspect in boss threat

By Sharon Coolidge

June 23, 2009

DOWNTOWN - Bond was set today at $525,000 for a man police say was en route to
kill his former boss at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

John Rosser, 28, of Mount Auburn, was arrested Monday and has been charged with
carrying a concealed weapon and attempted murder.

Hamilton County Municipal Judge Melissa Powers set bond for Rosser after
Cincinnati Police Detective Jeff Dunaway showed her a picture of several knives
and a loaded handgun that police seized from Rosser.

"That's a small arsenal," Powers commented during Rosser's bond hearing.

When Cincinnati police took him into custody Monday afternoon just a few blocks
from the convention center, Rosser possessed at least five knives, a 9 mm
handgun, gun clips, a pair of handcuffs, binoculars and other objects that could
be used as weapons, court records show.

Dunaway said Rosser was evicted yesterday, which prompted him to tell his
landlady he was going to kill his former boss at the convention center.

Then Rosser started walking downtown. He was caught about 100 yards away from
his former workplace.

As news of the man's alleged plan filtered through police scanners at around 1
p.m., police briefly locked down the convention center while they searched
downtown.

Enquirer staff writers Eileen Kelley and Jennifer Baker contributed to this
story