The City County Observer has learned that the City of Evansville has a $5 million dollar unfunded liability that wasn’t reported to City Council by the Office of the Mayor during recent budget hearings. Neither Mayor Winnecke, his Chief of Staff, nor City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr. reported this significant material information to the Evansville City Council before they voted on the 2014 budget. It has been reported that some members of the City Council would have considered further budget cuts had they known that the City of Evansville has a $5 million dollar unfunded liability for city employees comp time.
The Evansville Fire Department alone has an unfunded comp time liability is $1.5 million. The Evansville Police Department employees have about $1 million dollars in unfunded comp time owed to them. All of the other city run departments have a combined comp time liability of about $2.5 million dollars. The State Board Accounts didn’t meet the November 1, 2013 deadline to make the 2012 city audit public. Inside sources tell the CCO that the official 2013 city audit won’t be released by the State Board of Accounts sometime during January, 2014?
Pike County – Thursday evening, November 7, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Trooper John Davis and Deputy Dallas Killian responded to 1953 East Logtown Road near Winslow to serve an arrest warrant on Angel Bellamy, 36. She was wanted out of Pike County for a community corrections violation.
When officers entered the residence they discovered small amounts of meth and numerous items commonly used to manufacture meth. During the investigation officers also determined Bellamy had congested meth prior to their arrival. Bellamy’s husband, Aaron, was currently not at the residence. Angel Bellamy was taken to Daviess Community Hospital in Washington where she was checked by medical staff before being incarcerated in the Pike County Jail. When Aaron later arrived at the residence he was arrested and also taken to the Pike County Jail. They are both being held without bond. The Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Team removed all meth making materials from the residence.
ARRESTED AND CHARGES:
• Angel Bellamy, 36, 1953 East Logtown Road, Winslow, IN
• Aaron Bellamy, 42, 1953 East Logtown Road, Winslow, IN
1. Manufacturing Meth, Class B Felony
2. Possession of Meth, Class D Felony
3. Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Class D Felony
4. Possession of Paraphernalia, Class D Felony
Investigating Offices: Trooper John Davis, Indiana State Police
Deputy Dallas Killian, Pike County Sheriff’s Department
Assisting Agency: Pike County Sheriff’s Department
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RINGLE
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All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Contact Information:
Todd Ringle
Public Information Office
812-868-2153 tringle@isp.in.gov
SWILEA will be holding a graduation ceremony for the latest class of recruits this afternoon.
The ceremony will be held at 2:00pm in The Locust Room at The Centre.
The ceremony is open to the public.
Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, November 07, 2013
Monica Mora              Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug-Class D Felonies (Two Counts)
Possession of Marijuana-Class a Misdemeanor
Brandon Sprankle         Domestic Battery-Class D Felony
Invasion of Privacy-Class A Misdemeanor
George Sanders Jr          Operating a Motor Vehicle after Forfeiture of License for Life-Class C Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor
Failure to Stop after Accident Resulting in Damage in Non-Vehicle Damage-
Class B Misdemeanor
Scott Wilson               Strangulation-Class D Felony
Domestic Battery-Class A Misdemeanor
For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Kyle Phernetton at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at KPhernetton@vanderburghgov.org
Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
DATE: November 5, 2013
SUBJECT: Recognition Ceremony
RELEASE NUMBER: 2013-NR-074
CONTACT: Sheriff Eric Williams
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Eric Williams
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will host a ceremony on Tuesday, November 12, 2013, to recognize the accomplishments of several deputies and to swear-in three, new deputy sheriffs. The ceremony will be held in the Locust Room of The Centre, beginning at 9:00 A.M. Those deputies being recognized and sworn-in are:
Completion of Probationary Year:
Deputy Griffin Bush
Deputy Jeff Hatfield
Deputy Allison Lancaster
Deputy Jason Matlock
Deputy Zach Whicker
Recent Promotions:
Sergeant Matt Corn
Sergeant Ben Justice
Special Awards:
Deputy Brad Fein, Lifesaver Award
Deputy Scott Roberts, Lifesaver Award
Deputy Mike Hertweck Jr., Lifesaver Award
Sgt. Matt Hill, Sheriff’s Achievement
Det. Ethan Smith, Sheriff’s Achievement
Lt. Jim Martin, Sheriff’s Achievement
Deputy D. Harmon, Community Service
Chief Dave Wedding, Community Service
New Deputy Sheriffs:
Jason Cutrell
Homer Hale
Brandon Mattingly
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit a unique facility here in southern Indiana- the Branchville Correctional Facility. It was an experience that I don’t get to have very often, and wanted to share this eye opening process with you.
If you aren’t familiar with the Branchville Correctional Facility in Perry County, it is a male-only, medium-level security facility with about 1,400 offenders. Having been in operation for over 30 years, this facility does not house any “lifers,†meaning that once their time is served, they will eventually leave the facility and work towards integrating with society hopefully to never return to a facility like that again.
Knowing this, the facility offers numerous programs including Alcoholics Anonymous, GED instruction as well as a faith- and character-based community that encourages offenders to choose alternatives to criminal thinking and behavior by providing a focus on spiritual and character development, life-skills training community service and intentional preparation for living as a law-abiding citizen. They also teach computer skills and offer apprenticeships so that inmates can learn the skills required for specific occupations. Programs like this work to reduce recidivism rates and help with the transition back to a normal life.
Ron Bacon
One thing that particularly intrigued me though was their Inmate to Workmate Program. In the legislature, we have often debated the merits of punitive or rehabilitative approaches in the criminal justice system but this facility takes rehabilitation to a whole new level: everyone there works!
A great number of the men who enter those walls have never held a job. By having a job during their time in prison, they are able to learn very valuable lessons including interpersonal skills, the responsibility of having somewhere to be each morning, punctuality and how to manage their time to accomplish all of their duties.
Having a job is not something they are just thrown into though. The facility has individuals who teach them not only how to look for jobs but how to apply for those that they’re qualified for. While they are required to disclose their previous offenses, they are taught how to approach the subject without making it the main focus. As they turn their life around, they are taught to display their skills and what they have accomplished since their crime and since doing their time.
I recently saw a study from the RAND Corporation concerning this very topic. They are a nonprofit institution that conducts research and analysis in order to help improve policy and decision making. In August, they conducted a study on inmates who participated in correctional education programs and found that they were 43 percent less likely to become repeat offenders than those who did not participate in such programs.
The above and beyond work being done at this facility is something that is going to stay with many of these men for a long time. The things that they are learning are not designed to be temporary behavior but rather it is meant to create a pattern which will continue upon their release, allowing them to truly change their lives.
When it comes to my work at the Statehouse, corrections has not been an issue which I have focused on. Obviously not every prison in our state operates this way, and it may not work in every situation. However when I left this facility, I felt like I had a whole new perspective on the correctional system in Indiana. I was pleased to see so many working on a better future.
IS IT TRUE the Schoolhouse Mole tells the City County Observer that Vanderburgh County School Board member Sally Becker has sold her Condo in Evansville?…the Schoolhouse Mole also tells us that Ms. Becker has purchased a place to live in Chicago?…that reliable sources tell us that she is considering renting an apartment in Evansville so she can stay on the school board?…given the cost of gasoline and the time commitment to serve on the School Board we find it sort of amazing that a School Board member could rationalize any reason to commute from Chicago to Evansville?
IS IT TRUE the information that the CCO published yesterday regarding Bruce Ungenthiem’s potential run for the Vanderburgh County Commissioner’s seat currently held by Marsha Abell as a Democrat stirred up a can of worms?…one very reliable Mole let us know quickly that the Democrat nomination was slated for former Evansville Fire Chief Keith Jarboe who also served as the President of the Evansville City Council under Mayor Weinzapfel?…it was also disclosed that Mr. Jarboe has stated that he already has the campaign contributions lined up and that he has boasted that this will be an “easy†victory?…one thing for sure about a race between Commissioner Abell and Mr. Jarboe is that the Homestead Tax Credit fiasco will not come up BECAUSE THEY WERE BOTH IN ON IT?…what may make this upcoming race interesting would be a Libertarian Bruce Ungenthiem with the records of all three candidates plastered on every billboard in town?…between the Homestead Tax Credit Fiasco, the defeat of Consolidation, the blind support of several SNEGAL downtown projects, the proposed closing of Fire Stations, and associations with the mushrooming of the debt of Evansville as political weapons, Mr. Ungenthiem may just crash the two party system to become the first Libertarian Vanderburgh County Commissioner?
IS IT TRUE property taxes are due in Vanderburgh County with the checks needing to be in the mail within the next couple of days to avoid a penalty?…we would like to ask that each of our readers remember the CCO when you write that check and smile that you each still have a Homestead Tax Credit?…on November 10th the savings by the property owners of this county will bring the total savings from proposed trickery by local government and others that have been exposed and opposed by the City County Observer will reach $100 Million dollars?…it has been a fulfilling blast to have been a part of saving the people of Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville such a large sum of money that would have otherwise been consumed by government bureaucracy?
IS IT TRUE we were encouraged but underwhelmed by the distorted apology to the American people last night by President Obama for the chaos that the ObamaCare website and the over 4 Million cancelled insurance policies have caused?…the pseudo apology sounded more like commiseration for an unknown third parties act that a sincere apology for a direct failure?…this apology had the tone of expressing something along the lines of “gee neighbor, I am sorry to hear that some teenagers stole your Halloween pumpkin†that an admission of failure and a sincere apology for that failure?…this half-arse, sideways, and upside down apology is consistent with the dodging rhetoric coming from the White House for the last 6 weeks and will not fall on receptive ears?…promises and apologies should not have caveats?…the Presidents promises were clear and without caveats which makes his third party apology all the more insincere and insulting to people who are clearly injured by the Obama Administration’s actions?
IS IT TRUE as of last night on the official White House website, the very first subsection of a page devoted to the Affordable Care Act — under the heading, “Title I. Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans†— still read as follows: “If You Like the Insurance You Have, Keep It: Nothing in the proposal forces anyone to change the insurance they have. Period? it’s astonishing that, even as the president and his administration attempt to spin his stump-speech promise that if you liked your health care plan, you could keep it, the White House hasn’t yet scrubbed its official website of evidence of the statement?…one would think that a cast of characters that ran a strong campaign using email, twitter, and facebook would have the ability to erase one sentence that cements the President’s place in history as a purveyor of lies?…it is as if these people don’t even care?
IS IT TRUE THAT PART TWO IS BREAKING NEWS?
IS IT TRUE that our Civic Center Moles tells us that the City of Evansville has a $5 million dollar unfunded lability that wasn’t reported to City Council during recent budget hearing?  …that the Mayor , his Chief of Staff and City Controller didn’t report  to City Council that the City of Evansville has a $5 million dollar unfunded liability for city employees comp time?  …that the fire department unfunded comp time liability is $1.5 million?  …that the police department employees has about $1 million dollars in unfunded comp time owed to them?  …that all other city run departments have about $2.5 million dollars in unfunded comp time owed to them?  …could this issue be one of the reasons why the State Board  Accounts didn’t meet the November 1, 2013 deadline to make the 2012 city audit public?  …we now hear that the official 2013 city audit won’t be released by the State Board of Accounts sometime during January, 2014?
The public is invited to meet a number of authors and to hear them discuss their work at upcoming events at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library.
Central Library will host Alan McPherson, author of Temples of Knowledge: Andrew Carnegie’s Gift to Indiana on Sunday. McPherson will speak about the history of Carnegie libraries and how many of those buildings are being used today. McPherson’s talk will take place at 2:00 pm in the Browning Events Room.
On Saturday, November 16 at Central Library, ten local authors will talk about their work, answer questions, and autograph books at Local Voices: Conversations with Community Authors. The event begins at 9:30 am in the Browning Events Room. Books by the authors will be available for purchase. A list of the authors who will be present can be found in the events section at evpl.org.
Novelist Libby Fischer Hellmann will discuss three of her most recent novels at two EVPL locations on Thursday, November 21. Hellman will speak at Oaklyn Branch Library at 3:30 pm and North Park Branch Library at 6:30 pm. A book signing will take place after each presentation, with books available for purchase.
There is no admission fee for these author events. For more information, call 428-8200 or visit evpl.org.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Bicentennial Commission on Wednesday launched an effort to endorse local projects so they can be celebrated as part of the state’s 200th birthday celebration in 2016.
The Bicentennial Legacy Projects will be those in which communities partner with organizations on projects that are culturally inclusive, create a legacy for the future, are celebratory, and are engaging and inspiring to youth and young adults.
The commission’s co-chairs – former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton – and first lady Karen Pence issued a joint statement about the program.
“From the day we were tasked to lead this important project, we have encouraged communities and groups from across the state to think about ways they can contribute to our state’s bicentennial,†the statement said. “These projects will strive to leave a lasting legacy in honor of Indiana’s 2016 bicentennial.â€
By JessWilson TheStatehouseFile.com