Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office tomorrow.
Timothy Wayne Meriweather, Sr Operating a Motor Vehicle after Forfeiture of License for Life, Level 5 felony
Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Violator, Level 6 felony
John Jacob Inkenbrandt Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Violator. Level 6 felony
Kevin Eugene Hurt Residential Entry, Level 6 felony
William Leonard Egan Domestic Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury to a Person Less than 14 Years of Age, Level 5 felony
Domestic Battery, Level 6 felony
Trenton Arthur Cook Intimidation, Level 6 felony
Intimidation, Level 6 felony
Intimidation, Level 6 felony
Gerald Lamont Robinson Criminal Confinement, Level 3 felony
Intimidation, Level 5 felony
Theft of a Firearm, Level 6 felony
Jeffrey Michael Betz II Aggravated Battery, Level 3 felony
Domestic Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 felony
Tyrone Dante Murphy Resisting Law Enforcement, Level 6 felony
Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Class B misdemeanor
Reckless Driving, Class C misdemeanor
Jeffrey Paul Mackenzie Aiding, Inducing, or Causing Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Shannon Nicole Maxian Aiding, Inducing, or Causing Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Lisa Michelle Howard Aiding, Inducing, or Causing Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Brett Allen Basham Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Methamphetamine, level 2 felony
Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Dealing in Methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Lisa Samantha Rueckel Battery by Bodily Waste, Level 6 felony
Battery by Bodily Waste, Level 6 felony
Jerry Louis Lipson Domestic Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 felony
Domestic Battery, Level 6 felony
Christopher Lee Money Theft, Level 6 felony
Theft, Level 6 felony
Shavaz Shacville Kay Resisting Law Enforcement, Level 6 felony
Reckless Driving, Class B misdemeanor
Possession of Marijuana, Class B misdemeanor
Thomas Damion David Bevinger Domestic Battery, Level 6 felony
Kierstin Louann Young Possession of Methamphetamine, Level 6 felony
Unlawful Possession of Syringe, Level 6 felony
Possession of Marijuana, Class B misdemeanor
Operating a Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More, Class C misdemeanor
Possession of Marijuana, Class C misdemeanor
Emily Helen Dispennett Unlawful Possession of Syringe, Level 6 felony
Possession of a Controlled Substance, Class A misdemeanor
Samantha Kay Witt Domestic Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 felony
Jonathan Keith Herring Strangulation, Level 6 felony
Domestic Battery, Class A misdemeanor
The Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will host the Louisville Cardinals on Senior Day on Friday, Jan. 27 at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington, Ind. on Friday.
The dual meet will get underway on Friday at 2:00 p.m. ET, with diving events during the swimming breaks. The meet will be streamed live on BTN Plus, while live swimming results can be found at IUHoosiers.com. Diving results can be found at DiveMeets.com.
Senior Day festivities will begin at 1:40 p.m. ET on the pool deck.
Meet Info
The Hoosier men enter Friday’s meet ranked No. 4 in the nation in the CSCAA/TYR Top 25 with a 10-0 record in dual meets this season, while the Louisville men are ranked No. 7 in the country.
The IU women enter the meet ranked No. 14 in the nation with a dual-meet record of 7-3, while the Cardinal women’s squad is ranked No. 10 in the country.
Friday will be a standard, 32-event dual meet featuring the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.
Parking Info
– West side of Eigenmann Parking lot at 10th & Union will be free of charge.
– IU SRSC lot will be $10 (Note: Cars parking in the grass or not in a parking spot may be ticketed or towed).
– Jordan Garage will be $10 (must show meet flyer/program to receive event rate).
– Guests parking in the Sunrise lot on 10th St without proper university permit may be ticketed or towed.
Hoosiers Sweep Rival Purdue
The No. 4-ranked Indiana men’s team moved to 10-0 on the dual-meet season with a 182.5-117.5 win over Purdue. The No. 14 IU women’s team improved to 7-3 on the year in dual meets with a 155-139 victory. Both teams had great showings against the rival Boilermakers, as the men’s squad won 12 of 16 events, while the women’s team placed first in 10 of the 16 events.
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IU Men Take Down No. 13 Michigan
The Indiana men beat the No. 13 Wolverines, 167-133, on Jan. 13. The win marked the first for the Hoosiers over Michigan in a dual meet since the 2010-11 season.
Hoosiers in the CSCAA/TYR Top 25
In the fifth CSCAA/TYR Top 25 released on Jan. 18, the Indiana men were ranked No. 4 in the nation, while the IU women came in at No. 14.
In the first CSCAA/TYR Top 25 poll released on Oct. 26, the Indiana men’s swimming and diving team was ranked No. 1 in the nation after sweeping both Texas and Florida to start the season. The women’s team was ranked No. 12 in the country.
IU Racks up Medals at FINA Short Course World Championships
Lilly King led a group of five IU swimmers that won medals at the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships in Windsor, Ontario in December. Over the course of the six-day competition, current, former and postgrad Indiana swimmers combined for 12 medals – six gold, five silver and one bronze. King took home five medals, including four golds, while Blake Pieroni won two silver medals and one bronze. IU alum Cody Miller won a gold medal to go with a silver.
Also winning medals on the week were Kennedy Goss and IU postgrad Zane Grothe. Goss won gold with Team Canada in the 800 freestyle relay, while Zane Grothe won silver with Team USA in the 800 freestyle relay.
IU Sends 11 to Rio Olympics, Winning Seven Medals
The Indiana Swimming and Diving program sent 13 swimmers, divers and coaches to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics – James Connor, alumna Amy Cozad, Marwan Elkamash, Kennedy Goss, Michael Hixon, Ali Khalafalla, Lilly King, alum Cody Miller, Jessica Parratto, Blake Pieroni and Anze Tavcar. Drew Johansen served as the head coach of USA diving, while Ray Looze was an assistant coach for USA Swimming.
At the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the IU swimmers and divers won a total of seven medals – four golds, one silver and two bronze. Lilly King headlined the group with two gold medals, while Cody Miller won gold and bronze. Blake Pieroni earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA’s 4×100 freestyle relay team, junior Kennedy Goss earned a bronze medal as a member of Team Canada’s 4×200 freestyle relay team and junior diver Michael Hixon won silver in the men’s 3m synchronized springboard.
King Wins Two NCAA Titles in 2015
Indiana’s Lilly King dominated the breaststroke at the 2016 NCAA Championships, winning both the 100 and 200 breast with the fastest short-course yard times in history. The freshman broke every record in the event with her historic swim – the American, NCAA, NCAA Meet, U.S. Open, Indiana school, Big Ten and Georgia Tech Pool records – and owns all of the aforementioned records in both the 100 and 200 breast. In total, King recorded an impressive four All-America honors at her first NCAA Championships.
IU Swimming & Diving on Social Media
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
University of Southern Indiana Women’s Tennis is projected fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division for the 2017 season, according to a poll voted on by the conference’s head coaches. USI also received one first-place vote.
The University of Indianapolis was picked to win the East with nine first-place votes and 87 points. Lewis University was not far behind with 80 points and four first-place votes, while Bellarmine was third with 62 points. USI (56 points) is followed by McKendree University (42), the University of Illinois Springfield (34) and Saint Joseph’s College (24).
In the West, Drury University was selected to win the division for the third consecutive year, receiving 91 points and 13 first-place votes. Rockhurst University was second with 73 points and the University of Missouri-St. Louis was third with 72 points and the final first-place vote. Rounding out the West is Maryville University (53 points), William Jewell College (36), Quincy University (35) and Truman State University (25).
The Screaming Eagles are led by upper classmen, but also have freshman Lauren Hambrock (Terre Haute, Indiana), who played the fall portion of the schedule at number one singles, going 2-0 in dual matches.
Junior Kelsey Shipman (Olney, Illinois) was also 2-0 in the fall at number two singles, and went 4-4 overall. Seniors Brenna Wu (Evansville, Indiana) and Kymberly Brannon (Louisville, Kentucky) went 2-0 in dual matches as well, and also are the Eagles’ number one doubles team.
The Eagles (2-0) will look to stay unbeaten on the year when their spring schedule begins on February 3, when they host Indiana University Southeast at 1 p.m. at the Evansville Tennis Center.
| 2017 GLVC Women’s Tennis East Division Preseason Poll | |
| Team | Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Indianapolis | 87 (9) |
| 2. Lewis | 80 (4) |
| 3. Bellarmine | 62 |
| 4. Southern Indiana | 56 (1) |
| 5. McKendree | 42 |
| 6. Illinois Springfield | 34 |
| 7. Saint Joseph’s | 24 |
| 2017 GLVC Women’s Tennis West Division Preseason Poll | |
| Team | Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Drury | 91 (13) |
| 2. Rockhurst | 73 |
| 3. Missouri-St. Louis | 72 (1) |
| 4. Maryville | 53 |
| 5. William Jewell | 36 |
| 6. Quincy | 35 |
| 7. Truman State | 25 |
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University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball used fast starts to both the first and second quarters to roll past host Saint Joseph’s College, 85-66, in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest Thursday evening.
The Screaming Eagles (17-3, 9-1 GLVC) scored the first seven points in the opening period and the first nine of the second as they jumped out to a commanding 40-22 halftime advantage.
USI increased its lead to 24 on a pair of occasions early in the third quarter, but the Pumas cut the Eagles’ lead to 58-45 with two minutes to play in the period.
The Eagles, however, responded with a 9-0 run to end the third quarter with a commanding 67-45 lead; then scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to expand their lead 27 with nine minutes to play in the game. USI led by as much as 30 points before settling on the 19-point victory.
USI had four players finish in double-figures in the scoring column and seven with at least six points. Junior forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) led the Eagles with 16 points and five steals, while junior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) chipped in 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Junior guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) added 14 points, eight assists and four rebounds, while senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) chipped in 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Eagles, who moved into sole possession of first place in the GLVC East Division with their win and No. 11 Bellarmine University’s 80-65 loss to the University of Indianapolis, shot 47.8 percent (33-69) from the field and 42.9 percent (9-21) from three-point range. USI also held a 38-30 rebounding advantage and a 21-10 lead in second-chance points.
Saint Joseph’s (8-12, 4-6 GLVC), which shot 30-of-33 from the free throw line, was led by senior forward Kalea Parks, who had 32 points and 11 rebounds.
USI returns to action Saturday at noon (CST) when it visits Indianapolis in a key GLVC bout. The Greyhounds improved to 14-6 overall and 8-2 in GLVC play with their win over Bellarmine Thursday.
 Amy is a 7-month-old female mostly-white calico! She was part of a group of cats surrendered from southern Illinois. Allie is another cat available who lived with her. Amy’s adoption fee is $30 and includes her spay microchip, vaccines, and more! Contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.org for details!
Justices Grant Relief To Man Who Maintained Innocence
Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com
The justices of the Indiana Supreme Court have reversed the denial of post-conviction relief to a man convicted of attempted murder and attempted burglary, holding that because the man maintained his innocence even as he pleaded guilty, the trial court erroneously denied his relief.
In November 2010, 18-year-old Demajio Ellis and his 16-year-old cousin, Shawn Alexander, were charged with four Class A felonies on two counts of attempted murder and two counts of attempted robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. The charges stemmed from an incident in which the two teenagers choked and slashed the throats of two other young men and stole a pocket knife before fleeing the scene.
Ellis entered a plea agreement with the state that called for him to plead guilty to all four charges, and although he did so, Ellis also told the St. Joseph Superior Court “I didn’t do nothing, you know, sir. I was involved to the point that I did hit somebody, but I didn’t cut nobody. I did not rob nobody, sir.†Further, Ellis told the court that he advised his cousin not to assault the victims.
Ellis again pleaded guilty but maintained his innocence at a sentencing hearing in 2011, indicating that he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea. However, the 18-year-old eventually changed his mind and he was sentenced to an aggregate 40 years executed. Alexander slashed the two victims’ throats, according to the court record in his case, and he pleaded guilty to the two attempted murder counts and lesser charges. He was sentenced in 2011 to 116 years in prison with 32 years suspended to probation, and the Department of Correction shows his earliest possible release date is in March 2061.
Two years later, Ellis filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief, which was later amended by counsel, arguing that his guilty plea was not entered knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily, lacked a factual basis and was erroneously accepted in light of his maintained innocence. Both the post-conviction court and Indiana Court of Appeals decided that Ellis should be denied relief, but the justices of the Indiana Supreme Court disagreed Thursday, reversing the trial court’s opinion in a unanimous decision.
Ellis’ appeal to the Indiana Supreme Court focused only on the assertion that the trial court erroneously accepted his guilty plea when he repeatedly proclaimed his innocence. Although Ellis did not challenge the factual basis for his plea before the court, Justice Robert Rucker noted Thursday that the state presented no evidence establishing the elements of the crime, and Ellis was never asked to affirm the truth of the allegations against him. Thus, the evidence rests solely on the strength of Ellis’ testimony and his admission of guilt.
Additionally, Rucker wrote that although it was established that Alexander “took a substantial step toward the act of murder,†Ellis’ mere presence at the scene is not enough to prove that he aided the crime of attempted murder with “specific intent that the killing occur,†as required under Bethel v. State, 730 N.E.2d 1242, 1246 (Ind. 2000). Thus, the factual basis for Ellis’ plea was incomplete.
Further, relying on Ross v. State, 456 N.E.2d 420, 423 (Ind. 1983), Rucker noted that “a judge may not accept a plea of guilty when the defendant both pleads guilty and maintains his innocence at the same time.†Thus, because Ellis maintained his innocence both at his plea hearing and at sentencing, Rucker wrote that the St. Joseph Superior Court erroneously denied his petition for relief, and the case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings.
