Secret Lives : A former FBI agent, Harley Davidson trainer and a basketball coach

Crime fighter extraordinaire

Harry Trombitas, system vice president of security operations, can tell you more true-crime stories than you’ll ever see on “America’s Most Wanted.”

That’s because before joining OhioHealth in 2012, Harry spent almost three decades working as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

During his career, Harry chased criminals in Omaha, St. Louis, New York and Columbus. He helped crack some of the nation’s most infamous cases — from serial murders to bank robberies, child kidnappings and terrorism.

Remember Ohio serial killer Thomas Lee Dillon who shot five outdoorsman between 1989 and 1992? Harry worked on that case. Or what about highway sniper Charles McCoy Jr. who terrorized drivers in the Columbus area in the early 2000s? Harry helped solve that case, too. Harry was also involved in the investigation and rescue of a young schoolgirl from Knox County triple murderer Matthew Hoffman, and investigated more than 1,000 bank robberies in and around Columbus until his retirement in 2012.

“The reward for being a law enforcement officer is off the scale,” says Harry. “We don’t make a lot of money, but the job satisfaction — holding people accountable for the bad things that they do, speaking for the victims and their families — is just so rewarding and fulfilling. It’s something that I’ll never, ever forget.”

Mad about motorcycles

On regular work days, Elaine Nutt, CPC, coder, can be found coordinating patient care and dealing with billing issues for OhioHealth Behavioral Health’s consultant service based at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.

But on weekends and evenings, Elaine is more likely to be found sporting a leather jacket and riding around on her Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe.

Elaine is more than just a motorcycle enthusiast, however. Since obtaining her motorcycle license in 2002, she’s become an instructor in motorcycle safety for the State of Ohio. Through the Motorcycle Ohio program run by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Elaine teaches motorcyclists how to ride safely, share the road with other vehicles and navigate emergency situations. She teaches people with a range of skills, from experienced motorcyclists to absolute beginners.

On the first day, they show up and they’re scared to death; they’re even afraid to sit on the bike. And then by the end of that first day, they are riding on the range and even shifting gears, she says.

“I love it,” Elaine says. “I like being able to take someone who says ‘wow, I can’t do this,’ and show them that they can. They get so excited.”

From surgery suite to the basketball court

It’s not like J. Jay Guth, MD, needs any additional responsibilities to working full-time as an orthopedic surgeon at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital and OhioHealth Shelby Hospital.

But thanks to a deep belief in the value of sports and a passion for helping youth, Dr. Guth spends much of his free time coaching varsity basketball at Lexington High School.

Dr. Guth joined the Lexington Minutemen team as assistant coach six years ago at the request of the head coach. He played basketball in high school and college, and coached various sports while his four children were growing up. Now that his children are grown and out of the house, Dr. Guth wanted to help other young people reap the benefits of organized sports.

“It’s a good thing. You feel like you’re doing something positive and making a difference,” he says. “We try really hard to build an atmosphere where teamwork and trying to be a part of something bigger than yourself is important. When kids figure that out — that’s good stuff.”

Dr. Guth says he couldn’t manage the extra workload without the support of his wife, Jill. Ultimately, it’s the youth that inspire him to keep coaching.

“I’m 55, and I tell people that they keep me young,” he says. “They’re so positive about the future and about life. They’re so excited about what’s to come.”