THE JACKSON COUNTY BANNER, Monday, January 17, 2005 Salem man arrested for ond993 thefts, 18 selling those items on eBay Indiana State Police have arrested a Washington County man for allegedly selling stolen items over the internet. ISP officers, along with Salem City Police, at approximately 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, executed a search warrant at 410 E. Mulberry Street, Salem.
ISP Sgt. Jerry Goodin of the Sellersburg Post said in a press release that troopers were made aware of thefts that were taking place at a local Washington County factory and the items being placed on an internet web site for sale. He said an employee, Kenneth Colwell, was stealing industrial metal cutting tools and placing them for sale on eBay. A representative from the factory was made aware of the thefts by an outside source. A purchase of one of the stolen items was made from the web site.
This purchase and other evidence Grover Brewer Grover Brewer, 75, Seymour, died Wednesday, Jan. at Schneck Medical Center. He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War where lie served in the Navy and the Air Force. He had been employed with Schneck Medical Center in the maintenance department for 22 years He was a member of Seymour Masonic Lodge, VFW, and American Legion. He was a former member of Murat Shriners in Panama.
He was born April 25, 1929, in Washington County, a son of the late John Owens and Emma Baker Brewer. He married Amelia A. Jeunesse Aug. 10, 1953, at Rapid City, S.D., and she survives. Also surviving are children, William C.
Brewer, Seymour, and Wanda M. Spall, North Vernon; six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren; a brother, Harold Lloyd Brewer, Vallonia; and a sister, Beulah Mae Hamilton, Columbus. He was also preceded in death by a son, John Owens, a stepdaughter, Janeen Katz. Funeral services were conducted Saturday at Voss Chapel, Seymour, with Rev. Ed Meade officiating.
Burial will be at Riverview Cemetery with full military graveside rites conducted by the VFW Post 1925, American Legion Post 89, Disabled American Veterans 47, and Vietnam Veterans 7, all gained during the investigation led to the issuance of the search warrant. Upon completion of the search, officers seized several industrial type metal cutting tools, a digital camera, two computers, and articles used in the mailing of items. The suspect, Kenneth Colwell was at the scene at the time of the search and was arrested and incarcerated at Washington County police investigating Jackson County Police are investigating a break-in at a rural Crothersville home late Wednesday, Jan. 12. Investigating Officer Bob Lucas said in a press release that Joshua R.
Tilford, 22, reported arriving home at 3039 S. US 31, Crothersville just after 11 p.m. that night to find his front door had been forced open. He was driving to the end of his driveway to call police when Lucas, who OBITUARIES Memorials may be given to Donor's Choice. Martha Reynolds Martha Jane Peek Reynolds, 77, of Medora, died at 6:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 12, at her home following a long-term illness. She was a member of Medora United Methodist Church and was retired from Medora EMC Plastics. She was a homemaker, and she graduated from Salem High School in 1945. She was born April 4, 1927, in Washington County, a daughter of the late Alvin Everett Peek and Ida Childers Peek.
She had lived in Jackson County since 1951. She married James Junior Reynolds July 5, 1946, and he survives in Medora. Also surviving are children, Marvin W. (Connie) Reynolds and Linda. (Alex) Proffit both of Medora, James (Debbie) Reynolds of Seymour, and Wanda (Marcus) Garrett of Brownstown; a sister, Mary Kathleen (Ernest Leon) McMahon of Brownstown; and grandchildren, Michael (Ada) Reynolds, Mark (Dawn) Reynolds, Marty (Lori) Reynolds, Tim D.
(Suanne) Reynolds, James R. (Amy) Reynolds, Alisha (Sherman) McElfresh, Bradley Proffit, James A. (Crystal) Reynolds, Autumn Reynolds, Cory Reynolds, Leah Garrett, and Jerad Garrett; 18 great-grandchildren, and several nieces County Jail. Goodin said the investigation revealed that Colwell had been engaged in this crime since October of 2004.. It is estimated that more than $10,000 worth of stolen items were sold by the suspect on eBay.
Colwell was charged with 24 counts of theft, a Class felony. The investigation is continuing. C'ville break-in was driving to Crothersville, observed Tilford's flashers on his car. Officers entered the trailer and found it vacant. Tilford supplied a name of a possible suspect, Lucas said, and there did not appear to be anything missing.
The case is still under investigation. Assisting were Reserve Officers Steve Murphy and Terry Gray and Jackson County Officer Tom Hanner. Funeral Home, Vallonia, with John Thrasher officiating. Burial will be at Proctor Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the donor's choice.
Retta Smith Retta Smith, 93, of Hoosier Christian Village, Brownstown, died at 9:10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at HCV. She was a member of Free Pentecostal Church of God in Austin. She was a former employee of Morgan Foods in Austin and she also formerly worked at Julian's Restaurant in Scottsburg as well as other area restaurants.
She owned and operated the old Austin Cafe. She was born June 18, 1911, at Perry County, a daughter of the late Justus Barger and Mary (Ingram) Barger. She married Sam H. Smith and he died Oct. 30, 1990.
Survivors include a son, Ben Couch of Seymour; two daughters, Shelia Fraley and Dorothy Turner, both of Seymour; three brothers, Walker Barger of Lexington, Claude Barger of Saul, and Hiram Barger of Greencastle; a sister, Debbie Martin of Saul, eight grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-greatgrandchildren. She was also preceded in death by seven brothers and two sisters. Funeral services were conducted Saturday at Collins of Seymour. and nephews. Funeral Home at Scottsburg A Masonic service was con- Funeral services were con- with interment at Scottsburg ducted at 7 p.m.
Friday. ducted Sunday at Johnson Cemetery. Medical Center Admissions Discharges Admissions Jan. 12 Jan. 13 Jan.
14 Julia Bell, Seymour I Amos, Seymour Mary Bowling, Medora Maude Bingham, Seymour Campbell, Austin Helen Heather Brewer, Renee Grace, Crothersville Sarah Bryant, Freetown Michelle Medora. Crothersville William Gray, Seymour Chastain, Infant Alfred Brueggman, William Hundley, Seymour female, Doup, North Vernon Seymour Mary James, Seymour Jacoby Gillis, Seymour Virginia Knoke, Seymour I Noah Hoskins, Infant male, Thompson, Max Nicoson, Seymour Crothersville North Vernon I Rosalinda Perez-Salinas, Kathy Polly, Brownstown Ray Vasquez, Freetown Seymour Dallas Reed, Medora Dismissals a Christina Robison, Jan. 13 Scottsburg Brittani Amos, Seymour Jan. 14 I Barbara Taylor, Bedford Alfred Brueggman, Maude Bingham, Seymour Jennifer Whitmore, Seymour Alfred Brueggman, Brownstown Lynde Doup, North Vernon Seymour. Kathryn Whitmore, Kristina Eastin, Sara Denney, Seymour Brownstown Brownstown Kristina Eastin, Jan.
12 Renee Grace, Crothersville Brownstown Virginia Baker, Seymour William Hanco*ck, Seymour Willie Godsey, Seymour Earl Brewer, Brownstown Edith Hunsucker, Seymour Donald Mathis, Seymour Michael Gardner, Seymour Donald Mathis, Seymour Melissa Myers, Seymour Richard D. Isaacs, Norman Dallas Reed, Medora Dallas Reed, Medora Frank Roberts, Nancy Smith, Seymour Laura Spray, Brownstown Crothersville Sharon Smith, Brownstown Curtis Thompson, North Wanda Rose, Freetown Kellsye Warner, Seymour Vernon Joshua Wisner, Seymour Bassett A pretrial appeal by the state for the second trial of Robert Bassett Jr. has been denied by the Indiana Court of Appeals. The ruling allows a decision by Special Judge John Westhafer to stand declaring that certain information about Bassett's criminal record and conditions of parole, which had been presented at the first trial, will not be allowed in the second trial. Bassett has been accused of Prosecutor Jackson County Prosecutor Stephen S.
Pierson has issued the following yearly report: Circuit Court The Prosecutor's Office filed 651 new felony cases in 2004. including one murder charge, 65 Class A felonies, 95 Class felonies, 115 Class felonies, and 374 Class felonies. These numbers compare to 435 total felony cases for 2002, and 595 for 2003. In addition to filing felony charges, the office also handles a number of miscellaneous cases, such as those involving protected adults, hardship license petitions, -conviction relief petitions, and habeas corpus petitions. Pierson reported that early in 2004 the new case were on pace for 800 new cases.
During the year, however, the new cases decreased. Reasons for the decline include a new, higher bond schedule, and the fact that a number of methamphetamine "cooks" started serving sentences. Some of those incarcerated were repeat offenders, and the crime statistics showed a favorable decline when more of them remained in jail awaiting trial. In addition, a significant number of repeat offenders were sentenced to prison. One statistic was particularly telling: there was a decrease in the number of methamphetamine labs "busted" in 2004 compared to 2003.
Superior Court The Seymour branch office filed 1,502 new cases in the Jackson Superior Court, and disposed of 1,537 cases, resulting in a slight lowering of the overall caseload for the office. Deputy Prosecutor Susan Darlage administers the Pre-trial Diversion and Pre-trial Deferral Programs for misdemeanors and traffic offenses and infractions. These are programs designed to avoid formal prosecution for offenders without serious criminal histories or motor vehicle violations. The programs generate user fees for the Prosecutor's Office which are paid by the persons taking advantage of the programs. In 2004, the Pre-trial Diversion program generated $15,470 in user fees and the Pre-trial Deferral program generated $48,000, for a grand total of $63,470.
Pierson points out that without these programs, many more formal criminal and traffic cases would have been placed into the already over-burdened court system in the county with additional strain placed on county funds and the resources required to deal with them. Juvenile Court The Prosecutor's Office also handles juvenile cases which are formally filed as either Juvenile Delinquency petitions, or as Juvenile Status offenses. During 2004, there were 134 juvenile delinquency petitions filed and 15 status offenses filed, for a total of 149 cases. Juvenile pretrial appeal killing a Seymour woman and three children In 1998 and burying their bodies near East. Fork of White River near Waynesville between Seymour and Columbus.
He was found guilty of the four murders by a Bartholomew County jury in July 2001 and sentenced by Westhafer to life without parole. However, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in issues matters are heard by Circuit Court Juvenile Referee Jeffrey Nierman and trials are conducted by the Prosecutor's staff. Much of the administrative work on the file is done by the Jackson County Probation Department. Prosecutor's Investigator Richard Benton, Prosecutor's Investigator and Bad Check Program Coordinator, reports that the Bad Check Program for the year 2004 collected a total of $57,602.51 from bad check writers. In all, $8,972.50 in fees were collected from the persons who wrote the bad checks.
These were deposited into the county's general fund and can be used in any way the county council finds appropriate. "The success of this program stems from a joint effort between the prosecutor's office and the mer-. chants of Jackson County," said Benton. "It's a program we work continuously to improve because it is a good program for the merchants. It also puts money into the cash-strapped county general fund.
Every month we have new merchants signing up for the program," Benton said: The program is popular with local businesses because it is provided free of charge, and reduces administrative time to a bare minimum for business owners. During 2004, county commissioners approved a request to allow Benton to use a county vehicle for official duties. Since prosecutor's investigators are law enforcement officers under Indiana law, Benton cooperates with county law enforcement agencies to assist in emergencies. During the year, the vehicle was used for contacting or locating victims, witnesses, informants, and suspects; assisting in the execution of search and arrest warrants; transporting persons to the jail; picking up or delivering legal documents from various agencies; and interviewing witnesses as far away as the Westville Women's Prison and the men's prison in Branchville. During the recent snow emergency, Benton used the vehicle and its emergency lights to shut down US 50 following a an accident west of Brownstown, where the highway had to be shut down for a few hours.
The vehicle was also used to assist two motorists on St. Rd. 258 west of Cortland who were stranded in the snow. A total of 7,898 work-related miles were driven with the vehicle for the year. denied September of 2003 that hearsay evidence and testimony about his prior criminal acts should not have been presented and would not allowed in a second trial.
The decision to seek the appeal was made the day before Bassett's second trial was to begin on Oct. 25. Westhafer indicated he would talk with attorneys soon schedule dates for the new trial. annual report Victim Services Thanks to a grant administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, the prosecutor's office has been able to establish a Victim Services section, headed by Victim Assistance Coordinator Charlene Farrow. Grant moneys are paid out on a fiscal year basis, so the statistics quoted here are for the last six months of 2004, not the entire year.
During that period, 316 victims were identified, with another 300 secondary victims like parents and relatives of victims. Victims are notified of upcoming events such as hearings and trials, as well as proposed plea agreements and sentences. The Victim Assistance Coordinator also keeps statistics about the cases involving victims, and performs miscellaneous services such as assisting victims to make claims to the Indiana Victims of Violent Crime Compensation Fund. The grant covers all the expenses for the coordinator and a part-time assistant and costs the taxpayers of Jackson County no additional taxes. Child Support Division Statistics for child support offices are kept by the Indiana Family Social Services Administration (FSSA) and are only available through the third quarter of 2004.
As of Sept. 30, 2004, the Jackson County Child Support division of the prosecutor's office has collected $2,476,775.00, and is expected to collect more than $3,250,000.00 when the full year's statistics are reported. Headed by Don Frey, the office collects about $15 for every $1 of expense. That number is far ahead of the national average as well as the Indiana average collections to expense ratio. The child support division is eligible for, and receives, incentive money from the FSSA, plus the county is given a partial reimbursem*nt from the state for the expense of maintaining the office, which consists of one lawyer, two full-time administrative assistants and one part-time person.
Between the regular reimbursem*nts and the incentive money received each year by the county, the child support division pays for itself and costs the taxpayers of Jackson County nothing to operate. The Child Support Office is located on Main Street in Brownstown, across the street from the courthouse. THE JACKSON COUNTY BANNER (USPS 067-920) (ISSN 1055-775X) ESTABLISHED APRIL 1, 1869 THE JACKSON COUNTY BANNER is published twice weekly by JACKSON COUNTY BANNER, from its offices at 116 East Cross Street, Brownstown, Indiana 47220-0307. Periodical postage, is paid at the Brownstown, Indiana, Post. Office.
Send address. changes to THE JACKSON COUNTY BANNER P.O. Box Brownstown, IN 47220-0307. Subscription rates: $47 per year in Jackson, Bartholomew Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Scott and Washington counties; $52 per year elsewhere in Indiana; $58 per year outside Indiana within the U.S.A.; $84 per year outside U.S.A. Origin of post office for subscriber's address determines applicable subscription rate..
