VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.
Brian Lekeith Butler Strangulation, Level 6 felony
Domestic battery, Level 6 felony
Heath Martin Blaze Weatherholt Possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony
Unlawful possession of a syringe, Level 6 felony
Dennis Ray Hall Jr. Dealing in methamphetamine, Level 2 felony
Dealing in a Schedule I controlled substance, Level 4 felony
Ronald Dewayne Griffith Theft, Level 6 felony
Blake Stephen Koch Pointing a firearm, Level 6 felony
Carrying a handgun without a license, Class A misdemeanor
Marc Ashleymaris Beswick Burglary, Level 5 felony
Theft, Level 6 felony
Attempted theft, Class A misdemeanor
Leonel Bartolon Velazquez Resisting law enforcement, Level 6 felony
Thomas Wayne Heil Jr. Operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more, Level 6 felony
David Jeron Simpson Operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, Level 6 felonyÂ
Ronald Lee McClain Operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more, Level 6 felony
Matthew Aaron Knight Battery by means of a deadly weapon, Level 5 felony
Intimidation, Level 5 felony
Shane Michael Elenbaas Intimidation, Level 5 felony
Battery, Class B misdemeanor
Public intoxication, Class B misdemeanor
Meghan Lea Browning Operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life, Level 5 felony
Christopher Barris Stone Theft, Level 6 felony
Taran Markel Johnson Theft of a firearm, Level 6 felony
Theft, Class A misdemeanor
Ronnie Edward Simpson Domestic battery, Level 6 felony
Mykel Antwain Grissett Possession of a narcotic drug, Level 6 felony
Theft, Level 6 felony
False informing, Class B misdemeanor
Gary Williams Jr. Burglary, Level 2 felony
Alana Marie Copeland Legend Drug deception, Level 6 felony
Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug look-alike substance, Class A misdemeanor
Shayna Elaine Meece Counterfeiting, Level 6 felony
Criminal trespass, Class A misdemeanor
Brent Demario Sanders Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person with a passenger less than 18 years of age, Level 6 felony
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Level 6 felony
Fernando Lon Wilson Jr. Domestic battery, Level 6 felony
Battery, Class B misdemeanor
Michael Lamar Duckworth Theft of a firearm, Level 6 felony
Carrying a handgun without a license, Class A misdemeanor
Darrell Lee Cohoon Resisting law enforcement, Level 6 felony
Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug look-alike substance, Class A misdemeanor
Possession of paraphernalia, Class C misdemeanor
Egidijus Mockevicius Earns Lou Henson Award Honor
Senior is nation’s leading rebounder
BOSTON – Evansville’s Egidijus Mockevicius is the recipient of the Lou Henson award mid-season honors.
The 6-foot-10 senior leads the nation in rebounding (14.5 rpg) and is averaging 17.9 points per game for the Purple Aces.
Mockevicius has posted double-digit rebound totals in all but one game this season. He grabbed 21 rebounds against both Missouri State and Santa Clara. He had 26 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Belmont.
The native of Lithuania has helped Evansville to its best-ever ranking in the Mid-Major Top 25.
The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major player in division I college basketball.
The award is named in honor of Lou Henson who coached 41 years. When he left the game in 2005 he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. He is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.
The recipient of the 2016 award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Award Presentation on April 1 in Houston, site of the men’s division I national championship.
VCSO Delivers Canned Goods to Food Pantry
Members of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office delivered over 2,500 canned food items to the St. Vincent de Paul Society Food Pantry.
Sheriff Dave Wedding explained, “As members of law enforcement we know first hand that need has no season. This past December I spoke to the staff of the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry who explained that after Christmas is a critical time for them. Most people are finished with their donations for the season, but the need continues into the new year.â€
Sheriff Wedding organized a canned food drive at the Sheriff’s Office in order to benefit the food pantry. Sheriff Wedding explained, “Every area of our office was involved, from the jail division to our patrol section. The confinement officers at the jail even had a contest to see which shift could bring in the most cans.†Sheriff Wedding added, “I am very proud of our staff for stepping up to help those in need.â€
The Sheriff’s Office filled two pick-up trucks with canned goods and delivered them to St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry at 809 N Lafayette Avenue. News 14 was on-scene and spoke to Sheriff Wedding. A video of that interview is posted here.
Pictured above: Confinement Officers prepare to load canned goods at the jail.
Aces battle to the end at Wichita State
UE falls just short by a final of 67-64
Â
WICHITA, Kan. – Junior Jaylon Brown put forth one of the best efforts of his career, scoring 18 points, but a pair of late triples saw Wichita State hang on for a 67-64 victory over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on Wednesday evening.
“When we made that run in the second half, it is as competitive as we have been since the end of the break,†head coach Marty Simmons said. “This is a confidence booster for us, it’s a great environment to play in. We can take away a bunch of positives from this game going forward.â€
Brown led the way for the Purple Aces (13-3, 2-1 MVC) with 18 points on a 7/12 shooting night. D.J. Balentine finished the night with 14 while Adam Wing had 12 points. Egidijus Mockevicius led everyone with 16 rebounds. The Shockers (9-5, 3-0 MVC) were led by Anton Grady, who had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Evansville had a solid shooting night, finishing at 48%, but the Shockers difference came in bench points as they notched 28.
“We played really hard and showed that we can play against anyone,†Mislav Brzoja said. “I am proud of our guys for the way that we competed as a team.â€
A defensive battle in the first half led to a 32-27 score at the break. The Shockers scored the first four points of the night on their way to a 6-2 lead. Adam Wing shot the Aces right back in it with a triple just over four minutes in and a Balentine jumper gave UE its first lead at 7-6 on the next possession.
Wichita rallied back as a 9-0 run gave them their largest lead to that point – 17-9 – nine minutes in. Evansville clawed its way back as a pair of Jaylon Brown buckets and a Mislav Brzoja 3-pointer got the Aces back within one at 22-21 inside of the 8-minute mark. WSU utilized an and-one by Markis McDuffie to take a 32-24 lead before another Brzoja triple made it a 32-27 game at the half.
Adam Wing’s second trey of the night marked the first points of the second half and got UE within a pair at 32-30, but Wichita came back as a Conner Frankamp triple seven minutes into the period gave them their largest lead of the day at 44-35. Still down by nine at 50-41, the Aces made a 7-0 run over the course of just a minute. Brzoja registered the first five points of the run before Jaylon Brown capped it off with a jumper to make it a 50-48 score inside of seven minutes remaining.
A 4-0 run put the Shockers back up at 54-48, but an old-fashioned 3-point play by Egidijus Mockevicius got UE within a possession at 54-51. Back-to-back buckets by Brown inside the 4-minute mark tied the score up at 57-57, but a triple from Evan Wessel put the Shockers back on top at 60-57. Another triple in the final minutes by the Shockers put the finishing touches on the win.
Saturday will mark the first in a stretch of three home contests in four dates as the Purple Aces welcome Bradley to the Ford Center. The game is set for 3 p.m.
North Alum Presents Interactive Science Program at Highland
Thursday, Jan. 7. — Â 8:30-9:30 AM; Â 12:00-1:00 PM; and 1:25-2:25 PM
Highland Elementary
Background: Megan Wade, a North High School grad and a junior at Anderson University (a science education major who wants to come back to Evansville to teach) is presenting an interactive and highly visual science program to several classes of students.  Megan will be doing a series of experiments set to music for the kids; explaining the experiments after and then working with the kids on two, hands-on experiments.  This is an event she has created through her experiences at Anderson University.
Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
IS IT TRUE JANUARY 7, 2016
IS IT TRUE we hope that City Council attorney Josh Clayborne will acknowledged that the CCO was correct in stating that one of the qualifications for being a member of the Evansville Police Merit Commission is that the appointee must be a resident voters of the County?
IS IT TRUEÂ we were also correct when we pointed out that City Council appointee Brandon Scott to the Evansville Police Merit Commission wasn’t a resident voters of the County at the time he was elected to that position?
IS IT TRUE because Brandon Scott wasn’t a resident voters of Vanderburgh County when he was elected to this position we wonder if this disqualifies him from serving on the Evansville Police Merit Commission?
IS IT TRUE we expect that City Council attorney Josh Clayborne will contend that Brandon Scott can register to vote just before he gets sworn in as Police Merit Commissioner and by doing so this will make him a legal member of this board?
IS IT TRUE if you look at the Police Merit Commission code on the city site, it does not mention “registered voterâ€?  …It says “resident voter” of the countyâ€? …we guess it hinges on the legal definition of “resident voterâ€Â verses “registered voter”?
IS IT TRUE Democratic party Chairman Rob Faulkner recently held a meeting of office holders to discuss future political strategy? Â …he’s about a year late holding a political strategy meeting?
IS IT TRUE that long term Pigeon Township Trustee Mary Hart has abruptly resigned her Vice Chairmanship position with the Vanderburgh Democratic party?
IS IT TRUE we are hearing that many citizens of the 4th Ward are extremely upset about the way Missy Mosby,  Jonathan Weavers and Anne Hargis  offended Rev Brooks and his supporters at Mondays City Council meeting?  …we were told that Missy Mosby and Jonathan Weaver better forget selling or listing any houses in the 4th ward?  …we were  told that Anne Hargis should expect very little support with her not-for -profit organization from some of the citizens of the 4th Ward?
IS IT TRUE  that ERC President is tamping down expectations about Evansville’s ability to retain the Evansville Icemen? …that neither the Icemen owner Ron Geary nor the Mayor’s office are expressing optimism on reaching an agreement?  …we predict both sides will give in a little and the Icemen will stay in Evansville?  …we also predict that Ron Geary will teach Mayor Lloyd Winnecke’s  and his Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer a thing or two about the art of negotations?
NA3HL announces Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton Hockey
Honors this week go to Quinn Fuchs (North Iowa), Jarrett Scheibel (Helena), Â
Mike Kelley (Evansville) and Ryan Dunner (Texas)
Â
FRISCO, TEXAS – The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton Hockey for the week ending January 3, 2016. The divisional stars of the week is an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in each of the six divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Quinn Fuchs, forward, North Iowa Bulls
The North Iowa Bulls line-up has gotten deeper with the addition of forward Quinn Fuchs, 20, and that was evident again this weekend as the Bulls ran their winning streak to 25 straight games with a weekend home-and-home sweep of the Rochester Ice Hawks. The native of Minot, ND, who began the season with the Minotauros in the NAHL, scored three goals in the series to help the Bulls keep their winning streak going. On New Year’s Eve, Fuchs (5’7/160) scored twice, including the game-winning goal, in a 6-1 road win. On Saturday night, Fuchs scored again in a 7-2 home win. He was also a +4 on the weekend. In 12 games with the Bulls this season, Fuchs has 10 points. “Quinn has been really good for us lately and his goal production is something we hope he continues to deliver,†said North Iowa head coach Todd Sanden.
2nd Star: Matt Wolter, D, La Crosse Freeze
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jerame Schuetzle, F, La Crosse Freeze – Jeff Solow, D, North Iowa Bulls
Â
East Division Star of the Week: No Games
Â
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Jarrett Scheibel, forward, Helena Bighorns
The Helena Bighorns picked up two more wins this weekend and forward Jarrett Scheibel played a big role in the victories. The native of New Ulm, MN, racked up eight points and was a +6 in the two wins. On Friday, Scheibel (6’3/205) had two goals and three assists in a 9-1 home win over the Glacier Nationals. The next night, he had a goal and two assists in a 7-6 overtime win in Billings against the Bulls. In seven games played this season, Scheibel has nine points, eight of which came this weekend. “Jarrett had an outstanding couple of games this weekend. He unfortunately spend the first half of the season out of the line-up and spent that time refining his game and that showed this weekend. In his time playing for me he has never had so much patience with the puck. Jarrett will be a huge part of our race to make playoffs within our division,†said Helena head coach Jon Jonasson.
2nd Star: Reed Kelly, F, Yellowstone Quake
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ryan Daugherty, F, Helena Bighorns - Tristan Henrichs, F, Billings Bulls – Chris Nicolai, F, Billings Bulls
Â
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Mike Kelley, forward, Evansville Thunderbolts
It was a memorable weekend for the Evansville Thunderbolts, who not only racked up 11 goals in two games against the Point Mallard Ducks, but also picked up their first NA3HL win with a 7-4 win on Sunday. Forward Mike Kelley was one of those Thunderbolt players who stood out and contributed as the native of Fort Wayne, IN, recorded five points in the two-game series. Kelley (5’9/160) had a goal and an assist in a 7-4 loss on Saturday, but then turned it around and recorded a goal and two assists in a 7-4 win on Sunday as Evansville finally broke through with their first win of the season. Kelly, 17, was a +3 on the weekend and ranks 3rd on the team in scoring with 24 points in 22 games played. “I’m very excited for Mike to receive this award. He had a great weekend and gave us that offensive spark we needed for our first win. Mike along with the whole team have improved all year and looking forward for more to come,†said Evansville head coach Scott Fankhouser.
2nd Star: Dakota Wilson, F, Nashville Jr. Predators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Andrej Buchko, F, Peoria Mustangs – Jon Grimm, F, Evansville Thunderbolts – Ross Lipic, G, Peoria Msutangs – Nicholas Ottenbacher, G, Nashville Jr. Predators
Â
South Division Star of the Week: Ryan Dunner, forward, Texas Jr. Brahmas
The Texas Jr. Brahmas widened their lead in the South Division with a three-game home sweep of the Louisiana Drillers. Forward Ryan Dunner, 19, was at the forefront again with another strong performance, totaling eight points and a +9 rating in the three wins. On Friday, the native of Glassboro, NJ, had the game-winning goal in a 5-1 win. On Saturday, Dunner (5’10/180) had two goals, including another game-winner, and added two assists in a 5-0 win. On Sunday, Dunner had another goal and added two assists in a 6-0 win. For the season, Dunner leads the NA3HL in scoring with 55 points in 29 games played. “Ryan once again proved to be a game changer for us this weekend. He is having an absolutely outstanding season for us to this point and I am hoping it translates to new opportunities at the next level for him, be that in the NAHL this season or college next season. He is working really hard, is a great teammate and deserves all the accolades and opportunities that come his way,†said Texas head coach Al Rooney.
2nd Star: Brandon Perrone, G, Texas Jr. Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical):Â None
West Division Star of the Week: No Nominations
Last Year’s ISTEP Pass Rates Released Today
ISTEP pass rates were officially released throughout the state this morning and despite the drops predicted by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in letters written to the governor and legislators last February – EVSC pass rates decreased fewer percentage points than other school districts that are similar in size and demographics.
These scores announced today, are coming to schools throughout the state almost a full year after taking the test. Normally results of ISTEP are returned in late spring or early summer, giving educators time to study the data and look at specific student results to develop plans to help students improve.
“The lack of timely data from the 2015 ISTEP test is a huge disservice to our students, families, teachers, schools, and communities. At this point, there is little actionable use for the data,†said Superintendent David Smith. “No patient would tolerate their physician making an action plan based upon year-old data.†But, Smith added, the EVSC has continued to utilize other metrics and strategies to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed.
What EVSC is seeing is that its strategies are working, and student growth is evident in many areas, Smith said. Some of the strategies include specific, targeted extra help or interventions for students; as well as remediation in known areas of need. Additionally, Professional Learning Communities are established in every school – where teachers pore over student data and work together to plan and strategize how best to teach subjects; and how to help struggling students or how to further encourage high achievers.
Catherine Minihan, EVSC associate superintendent for strategy and accountability, also noted that in looking at the success and growth in students in the third grade last school year, “when you set a high bar for students, they can get there – but you need to set the goal and stick with it, and then we need to give students time to accomplish it. She said last year’s third grade students would have been kindergarten students when the state and EVSC first began teaching a more rigorous college and career readiness curriculum, and a different, more technology-rich type of preparation, so their performance is an indication that our students are quite capable of reaching this higher bar. The 2014-15 ISTEP was a new test, measuring new, more rigorous college and career standards, with multi-dimensional testing types – including tech-enhanced questions.
While the EVSC was pleased with the growth many students have shown; and the positive comparison to other similar schools in the state, Minihan pointed out that the EVSC still has many unresolved cases that were submitted to the testing company CTB.
“We still have 500 test results that came back as ‘undetermined’ which is a much higher number than in previous years, and we have received minimal information regarding these scores. Additionally we have students whose scores from Part 1 and Part 2 have not been matched; computer generated responses that were not scored, and a student who took the test in Braille whose results never came back,†Minihan said. Correspondence with CTB has been taking place since the first iteration of scores was released to schools in November and most of these have not been resolved by CTB.
Smith thanked teachers and families for the hard work and the patience in waiting for results. “We have already moved on,†he said, and “are continuing to use the strategies we know are working.â€
The first round of this year’s ISTEP tests begin the end of February.