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“LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”

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“LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”

“Right Jab And Left Jab” was created because we have two commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE” or “Readers Forum” columns concerning National or International issues.
Joe Biden and Ronald Reagan’s comments are mostly about issues of national interest.  The majority of our “IS IT TRUE” columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give Mr. Biden and Mr. Reagan exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and RIGHT JAB”  column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB” AND “RIGHT JAB” several times a week.  Oh, “Left Jab” is a liberal view and the “Right Jab is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments of the two gentlemen is free to do so.

What Has Happened to Indiana Local Income Tax Rates in 2019?

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Indiana reformed its local income taxes during the 2015 legislative session, and the new set-up took effect in 2017.  The old income tax acronyms, CAGIT, COIT, EDIT, and LOIT, were no more. Now we have LIT, for local income tax, with a single rate and a collection of revenue buckets for various uses.Three years into the new system, however, you still hear the old acronyms. The legacy of our local income tax history remains.

It matters which counties had CAGIT, the county adjusted gross income tax. School districts receive some income tax revenue in counties that had CAGIT. Schools don’t receive LIT revenue in other counties. It matters which counties had COIT, the county option income tax. A local income tax council makes tax decisions for those counties. In other counties, the county council is the decision-maker.

The expenditure bucket under LIT that goes for public safety often is still called the public safety tax. The bucket for economic development often is still called EDIT, for economic development income tax.  The official term for the general spending bucket remains “certified shares” even though the term “general expenditures” would be more descriptive.

We may use the same terms. But under the new system, counties are changing their tax rates and how they use their revenue.

Under the old system, the public safety tax had a maximum rate of 0.25 percent. Now that rate is included under an overall expenditure rate limit of 2.5 percent. (In Marion, the limit was 0.5 percent and the new maximum is 2.75 percent.) This year, 15 counties will see their public safety rates above the old maximum.

Under the old system, counties wanting to adopt a public safety tax had to adopt an income tax rate for property tax relief, too. The income tax revenue is used to give some property owners a credit against their property tax bills. The new system dropped the tax relief requirement. Two counties have eliminated LIT rates for property tax relief since 2017, and five more have reduced LIT relief rates. In each case, the lower LIT rate for property tax relief was matched with a higher rate for other LIT revenues, mostly for public safety. The share of LIT revenue used for relief has decreased.

Last year, the General Assembly passed a new LIT option. Counties can now adopt an added rate of up to two-tenths of 1 percent to be used for correctional facilities. All the revenue from this rate goes to the county government. Ten counties have adopted this new option.

In 2018, the second full year under the new system, 18 counties increased their LIT rates. The average rate rose 5 percent. The median rate – the middle value among all counties – increased from 1.5 percent in 2017 to 1.73 percent in 2018.

Maybe this larger-than-usual increase was a one-time adjustment to the new system.  Maybe, though, the new system encourages counties to increase local income taxes more rapidly every year. Would 2019 show another big increase in rates and revenues, or would the rise be more modest?

The answer: Modest. The average rate rose only 2 percent; the median rate barely budged from 1.73 percent to 1.75 percent. Half of this increase was due to the 10 counties that adopted the new correctional facilities rate.

Twelve counties increased their overall LIT rates in 2019. Six increased their public safety rates, but two reduced their public safety rates while adopting the new correctional facilities rate. Three decreased their property tax relief rates and raised an expenditure rate by an equal amount. Four counties increased their general-purpose “certified share” rate. Two increased their economic development rate, but two others decreased that rate. The General Assembly authorized special-purpose rates for three more counties.

In total, though, local income tax rates increased by a relatively modest amount, and half of that increase was due to the new tax option. Perhaps the new system will not result in more rapid increases in local income taxes.

What happened in your county?  Since local income taxes are paid along with state income taxes, you’ll be checking your county rate by April 15.

Indiana’s Absentee Voter Verification System Unconstitutional

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Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com

Common Cause Indiana and a group of registered voters in St. Joseph County are challenging the process Indiana uses to validate absentee ballots, calling it constitutionally flawed and asking a federal court to prohibit the state from rejecting absentee ballots based solely on perceived signature mismatches.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, highlights the method Indiana uses to review and authenticate ballots mailed in by absentee voters. Common Cause argues voters are being deprived of their due process and equal protection rights under the 14th Amendment because their ballots are being rejected without their knowledge and they are not being given an opportunity to challenge the decision.

“Thousands of Indiana voters have had their ballots rejected by elections officials and those voters were never even notified that their votes were not counted,” said Julia Vaughn, policy director of Common Cause Indiana. “Some voters may well have had their ballots rejected for years under this faulty system, and state and county officials have never even bothered to tell those voters that they have been disenfranchised through this unfair and undemocratic system.”

Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s office declined to comment on pending litigation. The St. Joseph County Election Board did not return a call requesting comment.

The lawsuit pointed to St. Joseph County election officials who rejected 15 absentee ballots cast in the May 2018 Democratic Party primary for sheriff. A court-appointed recount commission concluded the ballots were improperly rejected and ordered them counted.

In the Hoosier state, according to the lawsuit, absentee ballots must be verified by comparing the signature on the envelope containing the ballot with the signature on the application for the absentee ballot or “any other admittedly genuine signature of the voter.”

If election officials determine the signatures do not match, the ballot will not be counted in the final election tally. Voters are not required to be notified of the rejection and are not given any opportunity to contest the finding.

Moreover, Common Cause asserts the process of authenticating the signatures is “fraught with error and inconsistent application.” Indiana law does not contain any standards or criteria for determining whether a signature is genuine, and the state does not offer any training in handwriting analysis
The lawsuit argues Indiana’s “unilateral and unreviewable rejection of mail-in absentee ballots” violates the plaintiffs’ due process rights by depriving them and other similarly situated voters of their right to vote without due process of law.

 

In addition, the lawsuit claims the state’s statutes regarding signature matching are being interpreted and applied “arbitrarily and inconsistently.” It noted about 45 absentee ballots were invalidated in Hamilton County because of signature mismatches while 13 were rejected in Madison County and none were discarded in either Boone or Porter counties.

Indiana, the lawsuit argues, is violating the equal protection clause because voters are being disenfranchised by the haphazard application of the statutes.

“Our votes are our voice in our government, yet this system has stripped far too many citizens of their right to choose their elected representatives,” Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn said. “This system is deeply flawed and we trust the court will side with the voters who were wrongly and unknowingly disenfranchised and end this unconstitutional and undemocratic system once and for all.”

The case is Mary J. Frederick; John Justin Collier; William L. Marks, Jr.; Minnie Lee Clark; and Common Cause Indiana v. Connie Lawson, in her official capacity as Secretary of State; St. Joseph County Election Board; and M. Catherine Finello, Rita L. Glenn, and Murray Winn, each in their official and individual capacities as member of the St. Joseph County Election Board, 1:19-cv-1959.

Plaintiffs are represented by William R. Groth and David T. Vlink of Fillenwarth Dennerline Groth & Towe, LLC, and Mark Sniderman of Findling Park Conyers Woody & Sniderman, PC.

HATFIELD HIGHLIGHTS VICTORIES AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE 2019 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

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State Rep. Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) today highlighted the victories and missed opportunities from the 2019 legislative session of the Indiana General Assembly.  Hatfield authored three bills that have now been signed by the Governor and will become law by July 1, 2019.

Teacher Pay and Education Funding

“There is no doubt that the Legislature missed opportunities to increase teacher pay and invest more dollars in our traditional public schools,” Hatfield said.

Hatfield introduced a bill that would have set the base salary for teachers in Indiana at $50,000, but the bill never received a hearing. The average starting salary for an Indiana teacher was $35,241 for the 2016-2017 school year, according to the National Education Association.

“However, I am proud that a number of my bipartisan proposals that will benefit the people of Southwest Indiana are now law,” Hatfield said.

Bullying and Harassment Protections

“Governor Holcomb signed into law my bill that will allow victims of bullying or harassment to file a protective order against the violator,” Hatfield said.

Under current law, protective orders are available only victims of domestic, family violence, stalking or a sex offense. Hatfield’s bill will add harassment to that list.

“The goal is to help students who are being bullied in school, after school, and on various social media platforms,” he continued. “Teen depression and suicides are on the rise because of the constant and continuous access bullies have to their victims. Social media platforms and other technological advances have given bullies a more public platform to harass and bully their victims.

“This law will help protect young Hoosiers who are being bullied, and hopefully discourage bullying and curb the rate of teen suicide.”

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, more than one out of every five students report being bullied. The Center for Disease Control reports that among high school students, 15.5% are cyberbullied and 20.2% are bullied on school property, and students who experience bullying are at increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression.

University of Evansville Health and Wellness Center

Legislation authored by Hatfield that removes restrictions on selling land previously traded with the state was also signed into law. The university can now sell over 40 acres of land to help finance a new wellness and recreation facility on campus for staff and students.

“This new law empowers the University of Evansville to build a new health and wellness center, which will help transform the campus with a 70,000 sq. ft. the multi-purpose recreation center,” Hatfield said.

Animal Cruelty Crackdown

“My bill to protect animals from harm will broaden the definition of animal cruelty and ensure animal shelters use humane euthanasia,” Hatfield said. “HEA 1615 provides prosecutors better tools to prosecute animal cruelty. It will also prevent shelters from using gas chambers or freezing animals, which unfortunately are practices we’ve seen happen frequently in the Evansville-area.”

The bill also calls on the Legislature to study increasing animal cruelty penalties. Governor Holcomb signed Hatfield’s bill into law and it goes into effect July 1.

Gaming 

Hatfield led the fight to protect Evansville in a bill that expands gaming in Indiana. The bill authorizes sports wagering both online and inside a gaming facility, allows the Gary riverboat to move inland to Gary and to expand to Vigo County, and requires supplemental payments to be made to East Chicago, Hammond, Michigan City, and Evansville.  This payment to Evansville for losses incurred with the expansion to Vigo County was the key for Hatfield’s support. Hatfield was the lone Evansville-area lawmaker that withheld his support until Evansville was fully protected.

“I am pleased that we were able to negotiate hold harmless language that will protect Evansville’s interest,” Hatfield said  “This language will result in about four million dollars for the city of Evansville. This is a huge win for Evansville residents. While it was a fight to the end, my support was contingent upon this provision and I’m proud to have worked with my caucus and Senate Republicans to negotiate a better deal for Evansville.”

Renewable Energy and Predatory Lending

Other victories from the 2019 legislative session included defeating two separate measures that would have had a disastrous effect on the quality of life for Hoosiers in Southwest Indiana and across the state.

Hatfield played a key role in eliminating language that would have halted the construction of new, more efficient power generating plants in Indiana. The moratorium placed a ban on investment in natural gas and renewable energy as a means to protect coal interests, a move led by former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) director, turned coal lobbyist, Scott Pruitt. The language was removed after successful efforts on the House floor by Rep. Hatfield and Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington).

“This moratorium was a big government in the most extreme way imaginable. Essentially, it would have handcuffed our entire utility regulatory body, freezing Indiana with fuel choices and plant designs made decades ago, and halting utility planning needed to meet future power needs for ratepayers. This measure also would have stunted the growth of an industry that is developing new and efficient ways for Hoosiers to receive energy while lowering utility costs,” Hatfield said. “Removal of the moratorium was imperative to keep Indiana progressing toward the use of green and efficient energy. The final version of the bill calls for the creation of an energy task force that will examine these issues, which is a sensible and responsible step forward for Hoosier ratepayers.”

Hatfield also led the fight to defeat legislation that would have increased interest rates on unsecured loans — often used by seniors, veterans, and low-income Hoosiers – to more than 167 percent. The measure was defeated on the House floor after Hatfield prosecuted the bill in a speech where he described the measure as “loan-sharking.”

“If we allowed this bill to become law, it would have skyrocketed interest rates on unsecured loans well above Indiana’s felony loan sharking threshold of 72 percent,” Hatfield said. “This bill would have only benefited out-of-state lenders, who would have made their money off the backs of some of our most vulnerable Hoosiers – including veterans, seniors, and low-income families. More than 60 consumer advocacy groups spoke out against this bill, and I was proud to stand with them to help prevent loan sharking in our state.”

 

 

EVSC Foundation Receives Generous Donation from “100 Guys Who Care”

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Thanks to a significant donation from 100 Guys Who Care, the EVSC Foundation, through its clothing resource, Hangers, now has the ability to help even more students. Hangers recently received a $10,450 donation from 100 Guys Who Care which will be used to help purchase clothing, shoes, hygiene items and other necessary articles students may need.

“We are so thankful 100 Guys Who Care selected Hangers as the organization to support this quarter,” said Maureen Barton, executive director, EVSC Foundation. “Each year, Hangers sees thousands of students. Funding helps ease burdens faced by EVSC schools, the child, their family and ultimately our community. Stories are the real gift. The words of younger children are so appreciative and the older kids, middle school aged, they see and understand someone is behind the scenes funding their clothing and supporting them. They get it and that is a game-changer for how they will raise their family in our community.”

100 Guys Who Care consists of local gentlemen joining forces with a common goal to raise $10,000 or more for a local non-profit organization four times each year. Each member contributes a $100 check after listening to three non-profit organizations share their mission. Non-profit organizations are given 10 minutes with a microphone only- no props or technology to share their causes.

“To date, we’ve provided over $75,000 to great organizations working hard in our community, stated the 100 Guys Who Care committee. “As a group, we enjoy getting to know more about our community and seeing how dollars make an impact.  Our group is growing and we welcome new members.”

Hangers is located at the Academy of Innovative Studies (former North High School) on Diamond Avenue. During the summer new and gently used clothing donations are accepted on Monday’s from 8 a.m. to Noon. Monetary donations can be made at https://evscfoundation.org/give-today/ or call 812-435-0913 to sponsor a student for the 2019-20 school year.

 

Mesker Park Zoo to Host Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Mesker Park Zoo to Host Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Today

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Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new animal habitat, the Budgie Walkabout.

The Budgie Walkabout is an outdoor walk-through aviary, home to nearly 300 brightly colored Australian birds. Entry into the aviary is free with regular Zoo admission, and guests may purchase feed sticks to enhance their experience.

The ribbon cutting is set for May 17th at 10 a.m.

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Nurse Sentenced On Battery Convictions

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A Jefferson County nurse this month received a six-year executed sentence for committing battery in 2014 and 2015 against four elderly patients under her care. The sentence followed an investigation by Attorney General Curtis Hill’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). The Office of the Attorney General also prosecuted the case.

Sharon Back, now 67, was working at Madison State Hospital at the time she committed the felony acts against the four mental-health patients. All of her victims were over 65; two were 79.

“Professionals who care for sick, elderly and infirm Hoosiers have special roles and responsibilities that we all expect them to fulfill,” Attorney General Hill said. “When these individuals decide to bring harm instead of help, they betray us all. Our office will continue to hold accountable those who abuse their positions of trust in this manner.”

Back pleaded guilty to her crimes on April 17; she was sentenced on May 13.

At sentencing, Back was ordered to serve 100 days in the Jefferson County Jail, starting on May 20. She will serve the remainder of her sentence through Jefferson County Community Corrections.

Back was terminated from Madison State Hospital on Sept. 5, 2015, following an internal investigation into allegations by her coworkers that she was abusing patients in the facility’s “Healing Heights” unit, which functions as the hospital wing for patients who suffer from physical infirmities.

Back voluntarily agreed to the revocation of her nursing license on March 29, 2016. The Office of the Attorney General filed criminal charges in October 2016, following a referral back from the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office.

COA considers case of $77K seized during a traffic stop

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Katie Stancombe for www.theindianalawyer.com

The Indiana Court of Appeals grappled with a case Tuesday dealing with a cash seizure and turnover after a traffic stop, getting stuck on whether the state’s arguments of standing were presented on appeal for the first time.

While conducting a traffic stop, a police officer searched Alvin Lewis’ car for narcotics and found a hidden compartment behind the rear seat. It contained $77,060 in cash and two functioning digital scales.

Lewis repeatedly said that the contents of the compartment were not his. He told the officer that he had purchased the vehicle from a friend, who had gotten it from someone else. He had no bill of sale for the vehicle, but he did have the paperwork. When asked if he had narcotics in the car, Lewis said no, but hesitated before answering.

Federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents took possession of the money, and in March 2018, the state filed a motion for a turnover order to transfer the cash to the federal government.

Lewis filed an objection to the turnover order and a demand for return of the money, but a trial court granted the state’s motion instead and issued the turnover order.

On appeal, Lewis argued that the search of his vehicle was unlawful and alternatively, that the seizure and request to turn the cash over to the federal government were unlawful in Alvin L. Lewis v. Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, 18A-MI-1869.

But state attorney Justin Roebel presented to the appellate panel consisting of Judges John G. Baker, Margret G. Robb and Edward W. Najam Jr. that Lewis had no standing to challenge the seizure and turnover of the cash because he explicitly disclaimed any ownership or possessory interest upon its discovery.

If he had no possessory or ownership interest in the money, the state argued, then Lewis’ rights weren’t violated even if the state did illegally seize the money and improperly turn it over to the federal government.

The state further contended that the officer had a reasonable suspicion of criminal wrongdoing to prolong the stop to conduct a dog sniff. Roebel maintained that the massive amount of cash in the compartment was suspicious, and that Lewis’ strange and unmatching answers gave rise to a reasonable suspicion.

“But why does the federal government get to keep it?” Baker asked.

There was cause to believe that the money was a part of a crime, Roebel said, drawing protest from the bench.

“Why is having money when there’s no evidence of a dog sniff of any kind of drugs or drug paraphernalia in the car, probable cause?” Robb asked.

“This amount of money alone was suspicious,” Roebel replied, drawing a retort from Robb. “Are people not allowed to have cash?” Robb also noted both parties stipulated the scales were not drug paraphernalia.

Attorney David M. Seiter, representing Lewis, said that the state’s arguments on Lewis’ standing to claim the cash were presented for the first time on appeal and were therefore waived. If not considered waived, however, Sieter asserted that the officer’s hunches did not rise to the level of reasonable suspicion and that Lewis was recognized by the state as the sole interested party in the cash.

To defend that point, Seiter looked to Rodriguez v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 1609, 1616 (2015). He contended the trial court erred in not recognizing the Supreme Court’s holding in that case. Whether the traffic stop was extended by five minutes or five seconds, Sieter said, it was a violation of Lewis’ right to not have his traffic stop lengthened beyond the time needed to complete the mission of the stop.

He further rejected the state’s argument that Lewis explicitly disclaimed any ownership of the seized cash and noted that even if the issues weren’t waived, the officer’s suspicion of Lewis did not equate to having reasonable suspicion.

“While officer Simmons may have been suspicious of Mr. Lewis’s answers, he had no knowledge as to their veracity,” Seiter stated in an appellant reply brief. “Therefore, his suspicion of Mr. Lewis was based on his hunches not ‘facts known to the officer at the time.’”

There was no evidence of a crime in the case at all, Sieter said, because no drugs or contraband were found in the car, and because the two scales were never tested for drug residue.

Sieter also asserted that Lewis was the only named party because he was the only one with standing over the property, and that the state had conceded that point by not raising the issue of standing at trial, either in its argument or pleading.

Since Lewis was the last person in possession of the cash, the money should still be returned to him, even if it’s not his, Sieter said. “I think you have to take his denial with a grain of salt.”

When asked if the state raised standing at the trial court level, Robel eventually answered “no.”

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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 Evansville, IN – Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.

Chad A. Fletcher: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor)

Stephen James Gregory: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)

Laquanta Pierre Baker: Carrying a handgun without a license (Level 5 Felony), Carrying a handgun without a license (Level 5 Felony)

Caitlin Abigail Willem: Assisting a criminal (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)

Joshua David Mooney: Attempt Fraud on a financial institution (Level 5 Felony), Forgery (Level 6 Felony)

Christine Marie Welborn: Battery by bodily waste (Level 6 Felony)

Brennen Artrell Whitlock: Attempt escape (Level 4 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)

Brandon Michael White: Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Conspiracy Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Conspiracy Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotics drug (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotics drug (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotics drug (Level 3 Felony), Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felony (Level 4 Felony)

Stephanie A. Marshall: Residential entry (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)

Timothy Tempton Lewis: Theft (Level 6 Felony)

Bryan A. Moseley: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Class A misdemeanor)

Amber Marie Moore: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)

Kristopher Dewayne Conner: Child exploitation (Level 5 Felony), Possession of child pornography (Level 6 Felony)

Jacinta Philana Black: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)

Darrel Lee Cohoon: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Class C misdemeanor)

Garrett Andrew Plumlee: Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Conspiracy Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Conspiracy Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotics drug (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotics drug (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotics drug (Level 3 Felony), Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felony (Level 4 Felony)

Timothy Barnes: Criminal trespass (Level 6 Felony)

Stephanie Marie Bayer: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)

Anthony Matthew Greene: Criminal confinement (Level 5 Felony), Attempt Strangulation (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Class A misdemeanor), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)

Felix R. Lewis: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Criminal trespass (Class A misdemeanor)

Anthony K. Hamilton: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)

Johnny Wendel Detalente Jr.: Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Level 6 Felony)

Billy J. Kennedy: Assisting a criminal (Level 6 Felony)

Lacey Michelle Turner: Assisting a criminal (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)

George Thomas Clark: Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony), Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony)

Hamiles Escott Hawkins: Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Level 6 Felony)

Yancey Lee Henderson: Operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator (Level 6 Felony)

Ryan Keith Carnahan: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony), Driving while suspended (A infraction), Operating with expired plates (C infraction)

Mindy Sue Rasche: Burglary (Level 5 Felony), Attempt Burglary (Level 5 Felony), Theft (Class A misdemeanor)

Kacy McElfresh: Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Residential entry (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)

Melissa Lynn Carter: Battery by means of a deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony)

Gerald Clay Adams: Child molesting (A felony), Child molesting (A felony), Child molesting (C felony), Child molesting (C felony)

EVSC High Schools to Host Commencement Ceremonies Monday, May 20 – Wednesday, May 22

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Nearly 1,500 students from the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will take the next step in their lives as they officially graduate from high school next week. As of Thursday, May 16, the Class of 2019 reported to the schools approximately $30 million in scholarship offers.

All graduate information is considered preliminary until Fall 2019, when final numbers of students are reported to the state.

Commencement ceremonies are spread over three days and staggered in the event individuals wish to attend multiple graduations. The commencement schedule is as follows:

Monday, May 20

North: 6 p.m., Bundrant Stadium

Central: 8 p.m., Central Stadium

Tuesday, May 21

New Tech Institute: 5:30 p.m., Academy for Innovative Studies, Diamond Performing Arts Center

AIS Diamond: 7 p.m., AIS Diamond Performing Arts Center

Harwood Career Preparatory High School School: 8:15 p.m., AIS Diamond Performing Arts Center

Wednesday, May 22

Reitz: 5 p.m., Reitz Bowl

Bosse: 6:30 p.m., Enlow Field

Harrison: 8:15 p.m., Romain Stadium