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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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nick herman

Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, September 18, 2013.

 

Alonzo Hogan Jr               Resisting Law Enforcement-Class D Felony

Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor

 

Zachary Rice                       Burglary-Class C Felony

Theft-Class D Felony

 

Nathaniel Ruffert            Strangulation-Class D Felony

Domestic Battery-Class A Misdemeanor

(Enhanced to D Felony Due to Prior Convictions)

Criminal Mischief-Class A Misdemeanor

 

Darius Staten                     Theft-Class D Felony

Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor

 

Michael Wisdom             Receiving Stolen Property-Class D Felony

 

Robert Case                       Domestic Battery-Class A Misdemeanor

(Enhanced to D Felony Due to Prior Convictions)

Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor

Disorderly Conduct-Class B Misdemeanor

 

James Claspell                  Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated-Class C Misdemeanor

(Enhanced to D  Felony Due to Prior Convictions)

 

Aisha Cook                         Maintaining a Common Nuisance-Class D Felony

Dealing in Marijuana-Class A Misdemeanor

 

Joshua Coomer                 Domestic Battery-Class D Felony

Strangulation-Class D Felony

Intimidation-Class D Felony

 

Latonya Davis                    Dealing in a Schedule II Controlled Substance-Class B Felony

Maintaining a Common Nuisance-Class D Felony

Possession of Cocaine-Class D Felony

Dealing in Marijuana-Class A Misdemeanor

 

Misty Jackson                    Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance-Class D Felony

Possession of a Schedule III Controlled Substance-Class D Felonies

(Two Counts)

 

Thomas Shelton               Burglary-Class C Felony

Theft-Class D Felony

 

Michael Summers           Causing Serious Bodily Injury when Operating a Motor Vehicle with an

ACE of .08 or More-Class D Felony

Causing Serious Bodily Injury when Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated-Class D Felony

Operating a Vehicle when an ACE of .15 or More-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.

 

Dr. Bucshon on House Passed Nutrition Reform

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220px-Larry_Bucshon,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress

(Washington, DC) – On Thursday, the House passed the Nutrition and Work Opportunity Act, H.R. 3102, a bill that reforms and strengthens our nation’s nutrition programs while saving taxpayers $40 billion.

 

Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-8) released the following statement regarding the passage of H.R. 3102:

 

“Today the House voted to reform our nation’s vital nutrition programs to protect the Americans who rely on and qualify for assistance,” said Bucshon. “This bill ensures that anyone who meets the qualifications for nutrition assistance receives their benefits, while eliminating costly waste, fraud, and abuse to protect the integrity of the program.  We protect the modest work requirements for able-bodied adults without children and help to equip them with new job skills and experience. These common sense reforms save the American people $40 billion and passage of this bill is the next necessary step to pass a farm bill to provide certainty for our nation’s families.”

 

Highlights of the bill courtesy of the office of Speaker John Boehner (Speaker’s Blog; 9/19/13):

 

  • Preventing states from waiving work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents who receive SNAP benefits, and requires these adults to work at least 20 hours per week to be eligible for benefits (saves $19 billion);

 

  • Eliminating auto-enrollment into SNAP under so-called “categorical eligibility,” ensuring that only those who are eligible for benefits receive them (saves $11.5 billion);

 

  • Encouraging state governments to help recipients find work, which helps them gain new skills and experience – and therefore better wages and less of a need for taxpayer-funded benefits;

 

  • Closing loopholes used to artificially inflate welfare rolls, and eliminating waste and fraud by requiring states to delete old, unused balances on benefit cards and permitting them to investigate retailer fraud (saves more than $8.69 billion);

 

  • Denying benefits to anyone convicted of murder, rape, or child molestation, and permitting states to conduct drug tests on applicants as a condition of eligibility;

 

  • Ensuring the safety net for our nation’s poor has a sustainable path forward, without precluding individuals from applying for other benefits or services that they may need.

 

 

Mary Southerland, Kayaker for Veterans, Arrives in Evansville September 22

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Mary Southerland is kayaking the length of the Ohio River, 981 miles from Pittsburgh, PA, to Cairo, IL, to raise awareness of the mental health needs of veterans and contractors. She will arrive in Evansville Sunday, Sept. 22.

Southerland served as a contactor in Iraq. When she returned from her most recent employment in January, she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, caused by her experiences in the war.

“After over seven months of fighting for benefits, I can no longer permit the disorder and the struggle for help to allow me to be ashamed, humiliated and trapped,” Southerland says. “To get well (or a new ‘well’), I am going to stand up for myself and others enduring this process and break the stigma of a psychiatric injury.”

According to a report released by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, an estimated 22 veterans committed suicide each day in 2010. The psychiatric care of contractors, who reportedly comprise up to 50 percent of war personnel, has not been adequately tracked. According to Southerland, we don’t know how many U.S. contractors and other nationalities supporting our soldiers have lost their personal war. Southerland hopes her river journey will draw attention to the needs of homecoming veterans, their families and perhaps even other contractors like herself.

“For now, I will help with our known problem: the system is failing our veterans, and as a co-worker, I will stand and fight for better care,” Southerland says. She is encouraging people to sign on to a petition by Purple Star Veterans and Families, asking the President to support services and treatment for veterans before they are released from active duty service.

Southerland is traveling in a Hobie Island Adventure with her service dog Henry, accompanied by a two-person support team with camping gear. She and her team will be in Evansville September 22 and 23.

She is scheduled to speak at the following venues:

  • Sunday, September 22, 9:00 a.m. St. Lucas United Church of Christ, 33 West Virginia Street.
  • Sunday, September 22, 2:30 p.m. Central Library, Browning Room A.  Special slide presentation and open discussion.

All events are free and open to the public.

Southern will be kayaking from Evansville west to Mt. Vernon, IN on Tuesday, September 24.

Pet Of The Week

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ChutneyChutney (pictured) is a BEAUTIFUL 4-year-old calico cat. She and her six kittens (the “condiment” litter!) came to the VHS as strays with nowhere to go. But now that her babies are well on their way to finding good homes, she is ready for hers! Chutney’s favorite hobby is playing with toy mousies, drowning them in her water bowl, then dipping her paw in the water to lick it off and drink that way. Come get to know her charismatic personality 12-6, Tuesdays through Saturdays! Her adoption fee is $30, which includes her spay, vaccinations, microchip, a bag of food… and there’s no extra charge for cute antics.

www.vhslifesaver.org

Amanda Bienhaus

Public Relations, Media, and Special Events

Vanderburgh Humane Society

(812) 426-2563 ext. 211

a.bienhaus@vhslifesaver.org

Bucshon to Hold U.S. Service Academy Day

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220px-Larry_Bucshon,_official_portrait,_112th_CongressRepresentative Larry Bucshon (IN-8) will be holding a U.S. Service Academy Day on Saturday, September 21st, 2013.

Who:    Representative Larry Bucshon (IN-08)
What: U.S. Service Academy Day
When:  Saturday, September 21st, 2013 – 9:00am to 11:00am CDT (Registration begins at 8:30am CDT)
Where: VU Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics – 8100 South U.S. Highway 41 Fort Branch, Indiana 47648

The Academy Day will offer high school students the opportunity to learn more about the United States Service Academies, the application process, congressional nominations, and the everyday life of a Service Academy Cadet.

Representatives have been invited from:

-          The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO

-          The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT

-          The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY

-          The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY

-          The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD

For more information, students can visit - http://bucshon.house.gov/serving-you/military-academy-nominationsor contact Congressman Bucshon’s District Office in Evansville at 812-465-6484.

This will be the Congressman’s second Academy Day this year.

Indiana State Police to Participate in Six State Trooper Project

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ISP

 

The Indiana State Police will be joining forces with five other state police agencies in the Six State Trooper Project. The Six State Trooper Project is a multi-state enforcement campaign designed to coordinate and combine patrol efforts focused on marijuana interdiction, eradication, and criminal patrol. The Six State Trooper Project fosters partnerships between state police agencies while providing the public additional services in a high-visibility, criminal patrol and enforcement effort. The Indiana State Police will be participating in this effort statewide. Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter commented, “The Indiana State Police welcome the opportunity to partner with neighboring state police and highway patrol agencies as part of our continued commitment to highway safety and criminal interdiction efforts.”

The four day, multi-state operation is scheduled for September 26-29 and the focus of the enforcement efforts will be on criminal patrol and highway interdiction targeting the movement of marijuana and other illegal substances throughout Indiana and the five other participating states. Other agencies involved in this partnership include Michigan State Police, Ohio Highway Patrol, Kentucky State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, and West Virginia State Police.

Should The Centre and Land be Included in a Hotel Deal? by: Brad Linzy

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Press Release

Should The Centre and Land be Included in a Hotel Deal?

Evansville, September 19, 2013: Our Group has been watching the latest developments in the downtown hotel saga with riveted interest. We are pleased that as of this writing we have SIX declared “no” votes on the hotel as currently proposed. We wish to thank and congratulate these six council members for their wisdom and good stewardship of taxpayer interests!

However, it has come to our attention that HCW is attempting to change the details of the deal at this, the 11th hour, in an attempt to get a deal of some sort passed. While we admire HCW’s persistence, we feel they are still missing the mark with a 225 room hotel and a $30 million subsidy. We are certain the six declared no’s will agree.

In a related development, County Commissioner Marsha Abell has said in an email to Councilwoman Robinson that the County might mothball the Centre in a reaction to any failure to pass a hotel deal. We feel Commissioner Abell has a point here! The Centre has been absorbing losses as a direct result of the City’s past failure to renovate the Executive Inn as promised. This is why we are increasingly interested in hearing proposals that include giving away both the empty lot and The Centre as an incentive to a qualified prospective developer.

The Centre represents a red albatross on the County rolls. It is time for the City and County to come together on a practical solution that will both mitigate these Centre losses and give the downtown a great chance to attract outside dollars without jeopardizing the City’s ability to leverage other proposed developments like the IU med school. That’s why we support the Council voting down the current deal with HCW and going back to the drawing board with an RFP for a 150 room hotel that includes a gift of the Centre and the adjacent land for a hotel development, but NO SUBSIDY.

https://www.facebook.com/EvansvilleSaysNo

Hunden Invoices to City of Evansville total over $236,000

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The billing records of the City of Evansville show that the firm has billed the City for $230,264.57 during the last 2 years. $28,206 was billed for previous efforts to qualify a hotel operator with the balance of just over $200,000 coming as a result of the current effort. $63,657 of the billing came as a result of a purchase order issued separately from and after the Hunden Study was submitted to the City of Evansville.

Hunden_Invoices (1)

Commissioner Marsha Abell Threatens to Close the Centre if a Hotel is not Built

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Marsha Abell

In a letter to City Council President Connie Robinson regarding the impending refusal of the Council to approve the $37.5 Million bond issue to provide an incentive to HCW of Branson, MO to build a convention hotel adjacent to the Centre, Commission Marsha Abell explicitly states that “no company public or private can continue to operate a facility at losses the size of the ones we have been experiencing at the Centre”.

Abell also commented on how the County is considering shuttering the Old Courthouse and The Coliseum due to operating losses and advised Robinson that the Centre may be mothballed without a convention hotel that is asserted to be able to brink the Centre’s operation into the black. She also expresses her displeasure with the City’s previous actions of demolishing the Executive Inn and the walkway in violation of a legally binding agreement between the City and County to keep the Executive Inn open.

Link to Abell’s Letter to President Robinson

Abell Hotel/Centre Memo 9.19.13

HCW’s Rick Huffman Suggests Cutting Rooms Back to 225, Eliminating Retail

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Connie, hope all is well. I have talked to the Mayor a couple of days ago and he indicated the vote will be on next Monday. He said he thought it would be a split vote. We have received several letters from area business leaders and many private citizens in support of the project.

The Mayor indicated there may be concern over the bond size. I suggested to him that the City could wait on the retail piece and storage and we could reduce the hotel to 225 rooms and eliminate some other space which would take 2 ml out of the hotel and 5 ml out of the retail which could reduce the bond size down to 30 ml.

I would really encourage the council to not drop this project as we really believe the Business leaders want this and it will finally get the conference center busy again with new people coming to town.

The City of Dallas just went thru this and they are very happy they made the decision to fund their new conference center next to the private hotel. Also the City of Manhattan is very pleased with their business and I would invite you to call Jason HILGERS (city manager) and get his comments.

The RFP issued over a year ago approved by the City, indicated there would be public finance for the project. This is the third RFP on this project and I believe this bond issue must have been expected. We have had a great relationship with labor and have the last draft of the PLA back from labor and would like to complete it and get them back to work. I would like to encourage you to visit with the Mayor about how this project can move forward and become a great asset of the City of Evansville.

Thank you for your time and leadership.

Rick (Huffman, the H in HCW)

PS. I am at the lodging conference in Phoenix this week and after listening to many speakers, I am more encouraged about this project than ever. Lots of talk about downtown projects by City’s.

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