The Civic Center will be closed Monday, September 2, 2013, for Labor Day.  The Civic Center will resume regular business hours Tuesday, September 3, 2013.
McDowell Found Guilty of Murder
After just over two hours of jury deliberation, Racxon Cruze McDowell (03/14/1981) was found Guilty of Murder in Vanderburgh Superior Court.
Judge Robert J. Pigman will determine the sentence for McDowell on Wednesday, September 25 at 1:00 P.M. His sentence will range between 45-65 years.
On June 03, 2012, McDowell murdered Rachel M. Lomax in their Evansville apartment. Lomax was found with 21 separate injuries from a beating she took from McDowell the night of her death. Emergency personnel spent a half hour trying to revive Lomax. McDowell originally told investigators someone else had beaten Lomax up before confessing to the murder court.
“In almost all domestic violence disputes that lead to a death, there are no witnesses besides the victim and the party on trial,†said Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nicholas Hermann. “We were proud to represent the voice for Rachel Lomax, who because of Racxon McDowell’s actions was not able to give her side of the story in court this week. On behalf of the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office and Deputy Prosecutors Malcolm Gwinn and Justin Brandt, who both did an outstanding job on this trial, we hope the verdict can help Rachel’s family to heal. We would also like to thank the investigators in this case and the Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury for their time and commitment.â€
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
 Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, August 27, 2013.
William Basham Intimidation-Class C Felony
Domestic Battery-Class A Misdemeanor
Cassandra Felton Burglary-Class B Felony
Theft-Class D Felony
Jason Galloway Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon-Class C Felony
Heather Halterman Domestic Battery-Class D Felony
Austen Henson Theft-Class D Felony
Stephen Langley Jr Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator-Class D Felony
Salvador Lopez Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator-Class D Felony
Dana Perkins Operating a Motor Vehicle After Forfeiture of License for Life-Class C Felony
Jacob Sisco Dealing in a Schedule II Controlled Substance-Class B Felony
Possession of a Schedule III Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
SUPERIOR
Rachel Benningfield Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated-class C Misdemeanor Enhanced to D Felony
Battery-Class A Misdemeanor
Intimidation-Class A Misdemeanor
Melissa Best Battery by Body Waste-Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor
Criminal Mischief-Class B Misdemeanor
Battery-Class B Misdemeanor
Steven Carlton Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person with a Passenger less than 18 Years of Age-Class D Felony
Operating a Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More-Class C Misdemeanor
Possession of Paraphernalia-Class A Misdemeanor
Richard Deberry Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury-Class D Felony
Johnny Phillips Dealing in a Substance Represented to be a Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Terry Powers II Theft-Class D Felony
Public Intoxication-Class B Misdemeanor
Michael Stokes Unlawful Possession of Syringe-Class D Felony
Corey York Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Possession of Marijuana-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.
Evansville Man Arrested after Search Warrant Nets over 1,500 Cultivated Marijuana Plants
Vanderburgh County – Earlier today Indiana State Police received an anonymous tip that marijuana was being cultivated at a residence located at 3500 Schmitt Lane in Evansville. When troopers drove by the residence they spotted marijuana plants that were over 6 feet tall in the backyard. At approximately
2:00 p.m., Indiana State Police, Indiana National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Division and Warrick County Sheriff drug units arrived at the residence to execute a search warrant. When officers searched the property they found over 1,500 cultivated marijuana plants inside the residence and in the backyard. Officers also found over 300 grams of marijuana that was packaged and ready for delivery. “The marijuana plants had a street value of approximately
$1, 500,000,†said Senior Trooper Scott Qualls. The homeowner, Mark Alan Hunt, 50, was arrested and taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.
Arrested and Charges:
• Mark Alan Hunt, 50, 3500 Schmitt Lane, Evansville, IN
1. Cultivating Marijuana, Class D Felony
2. Dealing Marijuana, Class D Felony
3. Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Class D Felony
4. Possession of Marijuana, Class D Felony
Anyone with information regarding illegal drug activity is encouraged to contact the Indiana State Police at 1-800-852-3970. Anyone with information can remain anonymous.
Indiana State Police Report Accurate Context of David Camm’s Employment
Many of you that follow local and state wide news stories have likely heard about the third trial of David Camm, presently in progress in Boone County in the city of Lebanon, IN. David Camm had been a trooper with the Indiana State Police and resigned in early May of 2000, some four months before the murder of his wife and children in late September of 2000.
Regrettably, a majority of media outlets reporting on the Camm trial frequently introduce the news story as “Former Indiana State Trooper David Camm…….†before continuing on with the latest update to the ongoing trial.
While it is accurate David Camm was formerly employed by the Indiana State Police, the context of this statement has led countless people to believe the reason he is a former trooper is because of his arrest for allegedly murdering his wife and children.
Since the vast majority of media reporting this story consistently fail to present the accurate context of David Camm’s past state police employment, in relation to the murder of his family, the Indiana State Police is sharing this information with the more than 40,000 Nixle subscribers.
It is the position of the Indiana State Police that the heinous murder of David Camm’s wife and children and the devastation to the families and friends of the victims is the story and should be the focus. Where David Camm worked four months prior to the murders has no bearing on the crimes for which he stands accused and should not be used to distract from the focus of these heinous crimes.
The Indiana State Police supports and defends the freedom of the press but will not stand by idly when the context of presented information leads the media consumer to inaccurate assumptions.
Hotel Issue Deeply Dividing Republicans
Posted without opinion, bias, or editing.
by Brad Linzy
Not long after Republican Precinct Committeeman Phillip Schultz decided to create the Facebook page “Citizens of Evansville Against a Taxpayer Funded Hotelâ€, another page cropped up on Facebook borrowing heavily from the opposition formula calling itself “Citizens of Evansville For Progress on a Convention Hotelâ€. The pro-hotel page even went so far as to swipe the opposition’s artwork, replacing only the name, which itself reveals something interesting.
Rather than simply replacing opposing terms in the name – i.e. rather than calling themselves “Citizens of Evansville For a Taxpayer Funded Hotel†– this page’s creator dropped all reference to taxpayers, opting for the more palatable (and telling) term “progressâ€.
In the succeeding days since their respective creations, each page has garnered a sizable following and some interesting demographic data has come to light. As the CCO previously reported, according to Facebook statistics, the pro-hotel page sees its largest group of supporters in the 35-54 age range, while the opposition page sees its largest support group in the 25-34 age range.
This is backward from what one might usually expect, which makes it interesting. The prevailing theory seems to be that young people are skeptical of such a large subsidy for a hotel because they realize that they will be the ones ultimately bearing the brunt of the expense over their working lives. Whatever the reason for this subtle demographic difference, one similarity between the pages is even more striking – both pages were created by Republican Party Precinct Committeemen.
In a revelatory exchange in the CCO comment section, Phyllip Davis, a PC in German Township Precinct 6, has revealed he is the progenitor of the pro-hotel page. This revelation further underscores the divisive nature this hotel subject is having on the local Republican Party. With its top two most visible representatives – the Mayor and the Chairman – being in favor of taxpayer subsidies for a private business, a stance more typically held by liberal Democrats and “Progressivesâ€, many Republican party members, including Schultz, have seen this issue as a fight for the heart and soul of the Party.
The 2012 Indiana State Republican Party Platform states that the Party advocates fiscal responsibility: “We are committed to…Fiscal Responsibility by living within our means. This means keeping taxes low and government spending under control.â€
In the section of the platform entitled “Limited Governmentâ€, the Party advocates facing obstacles in a “in a sober and meaningful way†while being “more judicious†in the way services are provided, and “ridding our system of fraud, waste and abuse.â€
“Living within our means is more than a phrase.” the platform continues. “It’s the way we approach every fiscal decision made.”
On the subject of jobs and economic growth, the platform is clear: “The proper role of government…is to get out of the way and let Hoosier entrepreneurs and job creators build, grow and expand their private enterprises…”
In the section devoted to the taxpayer, the platform is unmistakable: “…promoting policies that encourage growth and investment in our state’s economy and keeps taxes low is among our highest priorities.†This section goes on to say, “…government should only request of its citizens the dollars it needs to provide necessary services. No more.â€
Clearly this philosophy of providing only “necessary services†excludes a luxury convention hotel half-funded by taxpayer promises to pay at a future date, and the proponents of this hotel within the Republican Party – Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Chairman Wayne Parke, Precinct Committeeman Phyllip Davis, Precinct Committeeman E. Lon Walters, County Commissioner Marsha Abell and others I might have forgotten – are at odds with the Indiana State Republican Party Platform in a very fundamental way. The platform contains no less than 27 references to “taxes†and “taxpayersâ€, and in none of these references is the progressive/liberal stance taken that taxpayers should be in the business of funding private companies for the “betterment of the collectiveâ€.
This issue has created a deep schism within the Vanderburgh County Republican Party. I have personally had occasion to have been harassed and harangued on the merits of this taxpayer-funded hotel by not only Progressive Democrats, but by the top representatives of our Republican Party. The loudest proponents continue to come from within my own Party – a Party that clearly professes to advocate against this sort of thing in its own platform.
My fear is this issue and others like it will continue to divide Republicans until some leader steps forward who can clearly articulate true, paleo-conservative Republican positions and focus all these disparate, flailing, neo-liberal viewpoints into a coherent, overarching philosophy to move us forward. Without this, the Republican Party can look forward to another 20 years of local irrelevance.
2012 Indiana State Republican Party Platform:Â http://www.indgop.org/ContentFiles/476/2012%20Platform.pdf