BREAKING NEWS | Ohio drops two-drug lethal injection method

COLUMBUS — State prison officials say they will no longer use a two-drug lethal injection combination that resulted in the prolonged execution of a Preble County man a year ago, replacing it with a single drug used in past executions in the state.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Gary Mohr announced the change this afternoon, eliminating midazolam and hydromorphone from the state execution protocol.

Instead, the state will rely on pentobarbital or thiopental sodium for future lethal injections. The latter was last used in an Ohio execution in 2011, when officials shifted to the former due to difficulties finding supplies.

The change likely means further delays in executions scheduled next month and beyond as prison officials search for sources of the two lethal-injection drugs.

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