VAN WERT — A Rockford man charged with the murder in the shooting death last fall of Van Wert resident Barbara Ganger has obtained new legal counsel.
Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin Burchfield appointed Lima attorney Zach Maisch to represent Ryan Houser, 38, who was indicted in November on charges of aggravated murder, possessing a weapon under disability and tampering with evidence.
The charges stem from the death of Ganger, 43, at the Van Wert West Apartments. Van Wert police were dispatched to the apartment complex on Sept. 4 for a welfare check on Ganger. Officers made entry into the apartment and found the woman dead on the floor. During the investigation it was discovered Ganger was shot once in the stomach area and once in the eye.
Houser is being held under a $1 million bond. A pre-trial hearing in the case is scheduled for April 24.
