Evansville Police responded to an armed robbery at 8:50pm on Saturday. The robbery happened at Sam’s Food Mart at 900 W. Columbia.
A black male wearing all black with his face covered brandished a handgun and demanded money. No injuries were reported.
Based on surveillance images and the proximity to an armed robbery at a nearby Subway store on Tuesday night, police believe the same person is responsible for both robberies.
Anyone with information on these robberies is asked to call WeTip or EPD
Advisory: EPD investigating Saturday night armed robbery
Stellar pitching leads Otters to win over Miners
Randy Wynne and Alex Phillips combined to strike out 15 Southern Illinois Miners hitters as the Evansville Otters defeated the Miners 4-1 on Tuesday night at Bosse Field in front of 1,018 fans.
A leadoff double from Joe Duncan and subsequent single from Kyle Davis pushed the Miners ahead in the top of the first inning.
Jeff Gardner tied the game in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to centerfield.
The Otters took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single from Taylor Hillson.
Hunter Cullen drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Gardner picked up his second RBI of the game with a bases loaded walk to make it 4-1 Evansville.
Those runs were more than enough for the Otters as Wynne and Phillips combined to limit the Miners to just one run to give Evansville the 4-1 victory.
Wynne gets his eighth win of the year after going eight innings, allowing just five hits, while tying a season high with 12 strike outs.
Kurt Heyer is hit with the loss for the Miners. Heyer went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits while striking out three.
Phillips secured his sixth save of the year by striking out the side in the ninth.
The series between the Otters and Miners continues tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. at Bosse Field with Spencer Medick on the mound for the Otters and Geno Encina for the Miners.
Coverage of the series with the Miners can be found on WUEV 91.5 FM and the Otters Digital Network presented by Kruckemeyer & Cohn with Sam Jellinek(play-by-play) and Bill McKeon(analyst) on the call.
The rest of the homestand for the Otters is marked with awesome promotions to finish off the home schedule this season. Thursday, August 23 will be College Night and another Thirsty Thursday presented by Working Distributors. The Otters want all college students to pack the stands at Bosse Field and make some noise for the Evansville Otters. Students can take a study break and enjoy an evening of baseball at Bosse Field. College alumni should also come representing and showing their school pride.
The Otters look to finish their regular season home schedule August 24-26 at Bosse Field with a bang against the River City Rascals.
“READERS FORUM” AUGUST 22, 2018
We hope that today’s “Readers Forumâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
 WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: Do you think the County should let a private developer build the new addition to the jail and then lease it back to the County?
Please take time and read our articles entitled “STATEHOUSE Files, CHANNEL 44 NEWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS†and “LOCAL SPORTSâ€.  You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.
If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us City-CountyObserver@live.com.
FOOTNOTE: City-County Observer Comment Policy. Â Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will not be tolerated and shall be removed from our site.
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated. Â The use of offensive language, insults against commenters will not be tolerated and will be removed from our site
Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Begin Full-Time USI Assignments
The University of Southern Indiana and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) have announced that five deputies have been chosen for assignment to the USI campus. Four of these deputies began serving the campus on Wednesday, August 15 after receiving training from both the VSCO and USI. The fifth deputy will join the team in October. The announcement marks the implementation of an agreement signed between the two parties earlier this year.
“The top priority for this collaboration is the safety and well-being of the USI community. We have a strong track record of safety on this campus, but having these sworn deputies on duty full-time provides an extra layer of security to make our campus a safer place for everyone,†said Steve Bequette, director of USI Public Safety. “We have been grateful for the opportunity to work with the Sheriff’s Office over the years utilizing armed off-duty deputies as a supplement to the great work done by our Public Safety officers, and we are excited to officially welcome this new partnership and these deputies to the University and to our campus community.â€
The USI Patrol Unit is a newly created unit within the Sheriff’s Office Operations Division. Deputies assigned to this unit will patrol the USI campus on a full-time basis. This is in addition to the comprehensive coverage provided by USI’s Public Safety officers.
“The University of Southern Indiana has students, faculty, and staff numbering nearly 10,000. The presence of Indiana Law Enforcement Academy trained law enforcement professionals on campus will dramatically reduce our response time to emergency incidents and allow us to better protect the thousands of students who attend the campus on a daily basis,†said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding. “With the support of USI President Ronald Rochon, this new and unique partnership is off to a great start. Dr. Rochon first approached my Office about enhancing the security of the campus when he was still USI provost. This set in motion a collaboration between the University and the Sheriff’s Office which culminated this past Wednesday when the new USI Patrol Unit deputies radioed ‘in service’ for the first time.”
As the primary law enforcement agency for USI, the VCSO is responsible for investigating all crimes, including infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies that occur on campus. USI Public Safety continues to serve as a central reporting point for the University community, and the on-campus deputies work in close coordination with Public Safety to ensure that information, requests, and complaints are shared in a timely manner. Bequette said a key benefit to the presentation will be faster response times when law enforcement is needed.
USI Public Safety officer duties include traffic control, security of physical assets, and safety of all employees, students, and guests of the campus. In addition, all security staff are trained in first aid and other emergency procedures.
The five sheriff’s deputies, including three USI alums, are Deputy Chad Gries, Deputy Gilbert Roberts ’99, Deputy Logan Osborne ’14, Deputy Clint Stanton and Deputy Toby Wolfe ’98 (starting October 01, 2018).
Deputy Chad Gries
Deputy Chad Gries was sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office in 1998 after serving as a correction’s officer in Warrick County for two years. For the past 20 years, he has been assigned to the motor patrol section of the Sheriff’s Office. Gries earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from John A. Logan College and is a graduate of Christ the King Elementary School and Reitz Memorial High School, both in Evansville.
Deputy Gilbert Roberts ‘99
Deputy Gilbert Roberts was sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy in 2004, after serving for four years as an emergency medical technician in the Vanderburgh County Jail. Roberts has spent the majority of his career assigned to the motor patrol section but also has worked in the court security section and prisoner transport unit. He earned an associate’s degree in communication from USI and is a graduate of Evansville Central High School.
Deputy Logan Osborne ‘14
Deputy Logan Osborne was sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy in February 2017. Born and raised in Evansville, Osborne earned a bachelor’s degree from USI in sociology with a minor in criminal justice and is a graduate of Evansville Central High School. He was a student-athlete while at USI, playing for three years with the Screaming Eagles Men’s Golf team. Osborne began his law enforcement career in 2014 at the Vanderburgh County Jail, where he worked as a confinement officer for over two years.
Deputy Clint Stanton
Deputy Clint Stanton was appointed as a Ball State University Police Department officer in 2013 and was sworn in as a Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office deputy in February of 2018. Stanton earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security from Vincennes University. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Ball State University.
Deputy Toby Wolfe ‘98
Deputy Toby Wolfe was sworn in as a Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office deputy in 2000 after serving as a confinement officer for two years. Deputy Wolfe graduated from Harrison High School in 1993 and attended Butler University on a baseball scholarship. Wolfe transferred to USI and continued to play baseball, graduating in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He spent 12 years as a field training deputy assigned to the motor patrol section. Deputy Wolfe served briefly on a DEA task force and has been trained as a crisis negotiator.  For the last two and a half years Wolfe has been assigned to the court security section.
More information about USI Public Safety, including tip line, crime reporting procedures, Rave Alert messaging and many other resources can be found on the USI website at USI.edu/security. More information about the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office can be found at www.vanderburghsheriff.com.
Commentary: Why Run for School Board
Why Run for School Board
by Ann Ennis, Candidate for EVSC Board of School Trustees, District 2
In May, I declared candidacy for EVSC Board of School Trustees (School Board) District 2. Since officially registering July 25, my team and I have been talking to residents of Vanderburgh County about our schools and the staff. There are hundreds of great traits and programs in our schools. There is also a lack of trust and transparency and missteps in communication at all levels.
The communication errors lead to more distrust, less transparency, and to parents and classroom staff feeling unheard. Over the years, I have experienced my questions to downtown EVSC administrators going unanswered. Being disregarded by public officials is why I ran for IN State Representative in District 64 during 2016. It is one reason I am running for School Board now.Â
Dialogue. Conversation. Civil discourse. These are the tools of a democracy, but also tools of a solid education. Before one new idea outshines all the other possible new ideas, an honest conversation, not a survey, must take place, perhaps dozens of times. And responding to questions promptly is essential.
We hear much media-bashing lately, along with teacher bashing. The fact is that the news media and the general public must have access to all parts of tax-supported decision-making. And they must use that access. Sunshine Laws assure taxpayers have access Access to study budgets, surveys, and accurate and complete meeting minutes deter corruption and cronyism. We need more open and less closed-door discussion about how teachers are supposed to supply their classrooms, or how a school corporation adds administrative staff. Â
Transparency. Open meetings. Accountability. These are the tools of an honest, team approach to running any large corporation whether for profit or for the community good. Can the meeting stand up to scrutiny? Then, be public about it.
Beginning in 2009, I saw how the General Assembly did not trust teachers. Politicians upstate don’t trust teachers to test, to grade tests, to choose textbooks, to even speak to students without a script. But recently, I am seeing and hearing sad but true stories about how local school officials do not trust their teachers. Let me add that I will emphatically stand up and say that local top-down directions that indicate distrust are likely due to the unrelenting pressure of state mandates, but nevertheless.Â
These excessive steps to control, monitor, label and pin-down local teachers into a narrow scope or a single-minded method are driving teachers out of the EVSC. It is creating a young more compliant, meek staff adhering to meticulous direction coming from non-classroom administrators.Â
Trust. Having-your-back. Confidence. To get a team to work, there has to be trusted. No great coaching staff is a micro-managing the tone of the quarterback’s voice. No tax accountant can succeed if she is being randomly observed by six persons while conferencing with a client. No one hires a preacher and then brings a preacher-coach in monthly to correct him or her during the service. I am running for School Board with the understanding that a licensed teacher is a professional, just as is my nurse, minister or accountant. We do not need to over-manage a professional, but we must still expect tangible results at the end of the day.
Trust. Transparency. Dialogue. We can do even better than we are now when our schools are using these as the models.Â
FOOTNOTE: The City-County Observer posted this article without editing, bias or opinion.
Mickey’s Kingdom Receives Big Donation From Evansville Rotary Club
Mickey’s Kingdom Receives Big Donation From Evansville Rotary Club
AUGUST 21ST, 2018 
TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
A big donation is helping build the future Mickey’s kingdom. The Rotary Club of Evansville celebrated 100 years of service in 2013.
In 2013, they donated $100,000 to the City of Evansville. With some help from Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, that money is now going towards Mickey’s Kingdom. Rotary Club members say they are excited to be able to contribute to this $2 million project.
Jeffery Burger, Rotary Club of Evansville, says, “It feels great, and what we are even more excited about is to be able to move our Civic Award Recognition wall from the museum, over to Mickey’s Kingdom because so many people are going to see all these great leaders over the past 100 years who have supported giving back to this community. Who has helped this community and they are all going to be recognized there so we are very excited about it.â€
The Rotary Club of Evansville is one of the top four donors of this project.
Mickey’s Kingdom is expected to open in October.
Folks can donate by buying a brick.
22 Democratic Women Chosen To Propel ‘Hoosier Women Forward’
New Nonprofit Announces Inaugural Class For An Initiative Aimed At Preparing Women For influential Roles In Public And Private Sectors
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 20, 2018 – Twenty-two (22) Democratic women from across Indiana – a diverse group with impressive and varied backgrounds – have been selected to become Hoosier Women Forward’s inaugural class.
Launched earlier this year, the Hoosier Women Forward leadership program is aimed at preparing and propelling Democratic women into influential roles in the public and private sectors. More than 100 women applied to be part of the first HWF class, and all applicants demonstrated an interest in public policy, political advocacy and advancing Indiana forward with progressive policies and ideas.
“Selecting this class was no easy task for our board of directors,†said HWF Board Chair Liane Hulka. We’re so grateful to everyone who applied and humbled by their desire to make a positive impact on Indiana’s communities.â€
Following are the twenty-two (22) women who will be participating in the HWF leadership program, which will get underway later this month:
Cara Berg-Raunick Indianapolis Nurse Practitioner
Nicole Bolden Bloomington City Clerk
Arielle Brandy Mishawaka Voter Registration Board Member
Michelle Chambers Fort Wayne Business Owner
Katherin Chi Indianapolis Communications Director
Allyson Claybourn Newburgh Attorney
Amber Collins-Gebrehiwet Indianapolis County Prosecutor
Stephanie Crandall Fort Wayne City Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Katie Culp Zionsville Site Selection Consultant
Molly Dodge Madison University Chancellor
Leigh Evans Indianapolis Neighborhood Development Corp. CEO
Heather Garay Hammond City Controller
Mackenzie Higgins Indianapolis City Policy Advisor
Emily Hodson Indianapolis High-ability Teacher
Cynthia Johnson Carmel Community Activist
LaMicra Martin New Albany Healthcare Systems Analyst
Thonja Nicholson Anderson Facilities and Administration Manager
Laura O’Sullivan South Bend Mayoral Chief of Staff
Courtney Roberts Indianapolis Country Director, Global Health
Kristen Schunk Moreland Indianapolis College Vice President
Shaunestte TerrellIndianapolisAttorney
Julie Thomas Bloomington County Commissioner
“This tremendous group of women will be learning about everything from how to launch effective advocacy campaigns to analyzing their own leadership styles,†Hulka said. “Once they’ve wrapped up the program, we’re certain the result will be the start of a powerful network of engaged Democratic women.â€
Although women represent more than 50% of the voting public in Indiana, only two of the state’s 11-member Congressional delegation are women. And neither are Democrats. Women make up just 20% of the 150 seats in the Indiana legislature.
A Section 527 nonprofit political organization, Hoosier Women Forward raises funds through private donations and fundraising events.Â
On September 28, HWF will honor its first class during a fundraising luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis. The featured speaker for this event will be Jennifer Palmieri, who served as both communications director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and White House communications director for President Barack Obama. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please go to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/hwf.Â
To learn more about HWF, you can go to www.hoosierwomenforward.org, or visit the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
FOOTNOTE:  Gail Riecken, former State Representative and CCO Editor of the Statehouse news, is a founding member with 12 other women of the new group, Hoosier Women Forward. The group’s purpose is to train women who have a demonstrated interest in public policy, advancing Indiana forward with progressive ideas, and increasing women’s influence in the political process. Riecken is a member of the Development and Program Committees.
Smartphone Privacy First Impression Case Splits COA
Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com
Law enforcement cannot force a Hamilton County woman to unlock her smartphone as part of criminal investigation because doing so would violate Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals held on an issue of first impression that combined constitutional law with technological advancements.
“A modern smartphone, with its central purpose of connecting its owner to the Internet and its ability to store and share incredible amounts of information in ‘the Cloud’ of online storage, is truly as close as modern technology allows us to come to a device that contains all of its owner’s conscious thoughts, and many of his or her unconscious thoughts, as well,†Judge Paul Mathias wrote in the 43-page majority opinion in Katelin Eunjoo Seo v. State of Indiana, 29A05-1710-CR-2466. “So, when the State seeks to compel a person to unlock a smartphone so that it may search the phone without limitations, the privacy implications are enormous and, arguably, unique.â€
The case began in July 2017 when Katelin Seo was charged with invasion of privacy, stalking, intimidation and other charges stemming from the alleged harassment of D.S. As part of the criminal investigation, the state obtained a warrant compelling Seo to unlock the iPhone and giving her the option to unlock the phone and remove the passcode feature, or to change the code to 1234.
When Seo refused to comply, the Hamilton Superior Court found her in contempt, but stayed the contempt finding pending the instant appeal. During oral argument May 1, Seo’s counsel argued that requiring her to disclose her password was the same as requiring her to disclose the “contents of her mind,†a violation of her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.
The state, however, maintained it was a “foregone conclusion†that Seo knew her passcode and that there were text messages to D.S. on the device, making the Fifth Amendment argument inapplicable.
The appellate panel consisting of judges Paul Mathias, Melissa May and Patricia Riley grappled with the fact that existing Fifth Amendment caselaw focuses on self-incrimination in the context of physical documents, not electronic data, making Seo’s case distinguishable. Mathias, for example, noted data stored on iPhone 7 models is encrypted, meaning that it is indecipherable. That fact proved to be an important part of the court’s analyses that led to the reversal of the order for Seo to unlock her phone.
“…(W)e consider Seo’s act of unlocking, and therefore decrypting the contents of her phone, to be testimonial not simply because the passcode is akin to the combination to a wall safe as discussed in Doe,†Mathias continued, referencing Doe v. United States, 487 U.S. 201 (1988). “We also consider it testimonial because her act of unlocking, and thereby decrypting, her phone effectively recreates the files sought by the State.â€
Further, the majority concluded the state is seeking more than the compulsion of Seo’s passcode, but the entire contents of her iPhone through the passcode.
“Thus, for the foregone conclusion doctrine to apply, the State must be able to describe with reasonable particularity the discrete contents on Seo’s phone – e.g., all texts to D.S. created on Seo’s iPhone – that it is compelling her to not only produce, but to re-create by entering her passcode and decrypting the contents of the phone,†Mathias wrote. “This is a burden the State has not met.â€
Similarly, the majority held the search warrant did not describe with reasonable particularity the digital information it covered, and in a footnote the court declined “to address whether the issuance of a search warrant is sufficient to meet the State’s burden under the foregone conclusion doctrine… .â€
Mathias concluded by noting the considerable differences between paper and electronic records and how those differences make it difficult to apply existing Fifth Amendment caselaw to Seo’s and similar cases. To that end, he created a structure “for resolving decryption requests from law enforcement authorities†and asked reviewing courts of last resort to consider following that structure:
• Requiring the decryption of data should be recognized as data recreation and, thus, strictly limited.
• Law enforcement will have legitimate need of encrypted data in some instances.
• Law enforcement requests that are identified as bona fide emergencies should be supported by “a warrant that describes the other imminent crime(s) suspected and the relevant information sought through a warrant.â€
• Law enforcement should be required to seek digital data through third parties in non-emergency situations.
• Fourth Amendment exceptions and state analogues should be inapplicable or strictly limited in “the search and seizure of digital data stored on devices owned or controlled by that defendant, or from ‘Cloud’ subscriptions that defendant owns or uses.â€
The majority remanded Seo’s case for further proceedings, noting in a footnote that the prosecution of Seo can still continue despite Tuesday’s ruling. Riley concurred in result, but May penned a 24-page dissent focusing on the fact that law enforcement had already reviewed Seo’s phone when investigating a complaint against D.S., and that review led to the charges against Seo.
“Thus, the police already have proof that the cell phone in question belongs to Seo and that Seo can open it,†May wrote. “Given that those facts are a foregone conclusion, Seo’s act of producing her unencrypted cell phone does not provide an inference of any ‘incriminating testimony’ and, therefore, under the specific facts before us, I would hold Seo’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination is not being violated by the order that she unlock the phone.â€
Noting the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the notion that the Fifth Amendment is intended to protect privacy interests, May said she disagreed with the majority’s emphases on the “trove of … almost always embarrassing, and potentially, incriminating†information kept on cellphones. She also disagreed with Mathias’ encryption argument, opining that “the law ought to treat files on a cell phone – like prior-produced documents sitting in a file cabinet, which do not enjoy Fifth Amendment protection.
“The State’s right to access such a file cabinet will undoubtedly require a Fourth Amendment showing of probable cause to believe the particular evidence sought will exist within that cabinet,†she wrote. “… But the validity under the Fourth Amendment of the order for Seo to open her phone is not before us, and the Fifth Amendment does not require the State to demonstrate in advance ‘the discrete contents’ of the evidence that will be found in a cabinet… .â€