The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1273658
A-2 Wednesday, July 29, 2020 The Press-Dispatch COVID-19 Continued from page 1 OTWELL Continued from page 1 ARREST Continued from page 1 Dr. Clint Shoultz 715 S. 9th St., Petersburg • 812-354-9400 Locally Owned and Operated LIVE YOUR SUMMER Hours: Monday 8-7, Tuesday, 8-noon, Wednesday 10-7, Thursday & Friday 8-5 Are you tired of walking around in a fog while wearing a face mask? Our new product, Fog Free, does a great job of getting your lenses clean and will not harm them. It leaves an invisible protective shield that lasts for up to five days.* 2 oz. Bottle *Not effective on anti-reflective lenses FOG FREE $ 3 Pregnant... or think you are? Call:1-877-257-1084 or Locally Call: 1-812-354-2814 • Free pregnancy testing • Free counseling and info. on pregnancy options. • Confi dential counseling for women & men who are suff ering from post-abortion syndrome. • Residential Care • Health and assistance referrals. • Training and education. • Assistance in getting baby and maternity clothes washpcc@sbcglobal.net www.washingtonpregnancycenter.com PRIVATE MEDICAID ROOMS AVAILABLE SOON Call for information 812-354-8833 Enhancing Lives Through Innovative Healthcare From recovery care and wellness to management of long-term health conditions, Golden LivingCenter - Petersburg offers a full spectrum of innovative programs and services, provided by compassionate, dedicated staff. These include 24-hour skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation, private rehab to "Home Suites" and provides both inpatient and outpatient therapy services. For a tour or more information, ™ 309 W. Pike Ave., Petersburg Lane restrictions on SR 257 The Indiana Department of Transportation announced lane restrictions for State Road 257, near Otwell, for a pipe project. Beginning on or around Monday, Aug. 3, contractors will begin restricting lanes during the day on SR 257, just north of the intersection of SR 356, as crews perform a pipe lining project. Work is expected to last for about five days, depend- ing upon weather conditions. INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert near crews. provised from household items such as scarfs, bandanas and T-shirts. The mouth and nose should be covered. The executive order will re- quire face coverings for anyone eight years old or older in the following places: • Public indoor spaces and commercial entities • While using public trans- portation or other vehicle ser- vices, such as a taxi or ride share • Outdoor public spaces when it's not possible to social- ly distance from people not in the same household. Additionally, face coverings will be required in schools for students in the third grade and above, faculty, staff, volunteers and anyone else in schools. Masks are also required for co-curricular and extracurric- ular activities, with exceptions for strenuous physical activity. The order will have excep- tions for medical purposes, dis- abilities, exercising, and eating and drinking. Originally, the order was to carry penalties, but that has since been retracted. Statewide, the number of positives has increased. On Ju- ly 23, they peaked at 999 new cases. That is up from just 300 new cases on July 6. It also cor- responds with increased test- ing, as between 10,000 and 12,500 people a day have been tested in recent weeks. The death rate has remained fair- ly steady since mid-June. On June 23, there were five deaths reported. Since then, the daily rate has been between five and 14. There were eight reported on July 26. The hospitalization rate has also increased. On July 27, there were 905 people in the hospital with COVID-19. That has increased from the low of 595 people on June 26. A peak of 1,799 people was reported on April 14. Gladish said close contact is defined as "you have to be with- in six feet of an individual for 15 minutes or longer during their infectious period, 48 hours pri- or to their onset of symptoms or 48 hours prior to their pos- itive test." She said anyone falling into this category should self-iso- late for 14 days and get tested. She urged people to continue to avoid crowded places. "If you are out and about, wear a mask, continue proper hand washing and stay at home if you are ill." She also said anyone with any symptoms of COVID should be tested. "We are hearing a lot of people testing positive who say they thought they just had aller- gies or a head cold." Robling sentenced to 45 years for murder By Andy Heuring A Petersburg woman was sentenced to 45 years on Wednesday for the 2018 mur- der of a Buckskin man. Ashley Robling, 30, of 200 W. Pike Ave., Apt. 207, Pe- tersburg, pleaded guilty to the murder of Samuel Bethe in March 2018. Bethe's body was found on March 16, 2018, when firemen responded to the report of a fire at his trail- er near Buckskin. Court records said female inmates at the Gibson County Jail told police, in recorded in- terviews, that Robling said she and her boyfriend, Jacob Wil- son, had murdered Bethe exe- cution style. The inmates said Robling told them Bethe was a bad guy and he had raped her. The inmates also said Robling had lived with Bethe at one point. According to the a proba- ble cause affidavit, Robling and Wilson stole Bethe's truck and $ 35 after murdering him. An affidavit claims they then drove to Paducah, Ky., to a convenience store, where they ditched Bethe's truck and stole an SUV. According to the affidavit, inmates said Robling told them she and Wilson were going to rob a local bank after stealing the truck. In the affidavit, police said video from the Paducah con- venience store shows a woman get out of a pickup truck that drove onto the convenience store lot. She then got into an SUV and drive away. Robling had pleaded guilty to the murder charge on June 24. Last Wednesday, in Gibson Superior Court, Judge Rob- ert Krieg issued his sentenc- ing order. It was for 50 years. Robling is to serve 45 years in the Department of Correc- tions, with the last five years to be suspended to probation. Robling was given credit for 859 days served while await- ing trial and sentencing. She agreed to waive her right to appeal the conviction and the sentence. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the request for a life sentence without parole. Mosquito Fest meal set for August 8 This year's annual Zoar Mosquito Fest will be a drive- through meal only on Saturday, August 8, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. All meals are prepackaged and consist of smoked pork chops, German potato salad, baked beans and coffee cake. The meals will be sold until sold out. Ten flavors of home- made ice cream will also be for sale by drive-through only. "2. Virtual options for those students who are not able to return to school in person. "If you would like to discuss our virtual options, please con- tact the office for information and application material." Originally they were going to leave the use of masks up to students. However, Padgett said Governor Eric Holcomb's executive mask order requires students in grades 3 to 5 at OMA to wear a mask. The letter to OMA fami- lies states, "Parents will en- sure the student's mask is clean and sanitized each day. Any mask worn must meet school dress code require- ments. OMA will be taking extra steps to ensure the safe- ty of students, staff and com- munity." However, Padgett said this may change depending on In- diana Governor Holcomb's or- der that begins on Monday. OMA will provide a mask to each student and staff mem- ber. However, maintaining the mask is up to the parents. It added, any staff and stu- dents with medical conditions that make the wearing of face coverings dangerous to their health are encouraged to pro- vide physician documentation to the school to properly doc- ument their health concerns. "We are still going to serve hot meals, and do breakfast and lunch. It may look a little different. We will try to spread the kids out so they aren't standing in lines or groups aren't crossing each other in an effort to keep interactions to a minimum." Padgett said this is the plan for school opening. But add- ed, the situation in Indiana has continually changed and it could change again next week or next month. edge of the scene, that Edward Fox has been untruthful in the prior interview." It claims the first interview was prompted by Edward call- ing central dispatch and ask- ing to speak with Det. Odom because he wanted to know "what was going on" with his estranged wife's death. Det. Odom said in the first inter- view, Edward denied "any first-hand knowledge of the circumstances of Sharon's death." The affidavit states in the second interview, Edward admitted to police he "had viewed the body from the back door." In the third interview, Ed- ward admitted he had "en- tered the house by forcing the back door open with the knife." The affidavit states, "Fox admitted such facts after be- ing confronted with the re- ality that cell tower location data could place him at Sha- ron's residence." It further states, "Fox, at that point, de- nied going into the house." He claimed he saw her lifeless body while looking through the back door window. It said he was able to describe the po- sition of her body, which had not been released. But after investigators talk- ed with Deputy Simmons, who found Sharon's body, they learned he could only see a very small part of her body and not what Edward was claiming to have seen from the window. Police again interviewed Edward on July 23 and con- fronted him with the informa- tion from Deputy Simmons. The affidavit states Edward then admitted "he had not been truthful when he denied entering the house on that Fri- day night. It also states "Fox admitted that if checked, his DNA would be found on Sharon's feet and arm, because he checked to see if she was deceased upon entering the house." Police said, in the affidavit, Edward said he used a knife to open the door. Edward also admitted he had an insurance policy on Sharon for about $110,000. On Monday, July 28, po- lice sought a search warrant for Edward's camper located in Washington. The search warrant reads Det. Odom had probable cause "to believe ev- idence of the crimes of mur- der, reckless homicide and or burglary is located upon a cer- tain white pull-behind Dutch- man camper. It states the investigation of Sharon's death "has been frustrated in substantial part by multiple conflicting state- ments from the estranged hus- band (Edward Fox)." Those include that Edward knew Sharon was dead two days before he called central dispatch requesting police do a welfare check on her. At the time, Edward claimed his son, Robert, had called him saying he had called his mother several times and was unable to make contact with her. But according to police, Robert denied he had made this request to Edward. The July 28 affidavit states when police asked Edward about purchasing a lock pick- ing kit, he admitted "he had broken one of the picks off it the deadbolt" lock on the door. The search warrant request al- so states Edward admitted: 1) the majority of his possessions were retained by Sharon at the residence while the divorce had been pending for nearly a year; 2) That he expected ultimately to receive $50,000 from the couple's pending di- vorce, but that the proceed- ings were delayed in part by the coronavirus; 3) That the marital home from which he was restrained from by the protective order was worth $180,000, and that he had put $100,000 work of his own labor and material into an addition that the couple had put on the home; 4) That he held a life insurance policy on Sharon in the amount of $110,000, which cost over $200 per moth, even though he was estranged from Sharon, with a fixed income of about $ 3,000 per month. The affidavit also claims po- lice found a handwritten note in Edward's truck that had a list of items he was wanting from the residence, includ- ing credit cards, checkbooks, checks and an envelope with $1,800 in it hidden in an un- derwear drawer. The affidavit also states Ed- ward's son denied ever see- ing the note, but said his fa- ther had asked him to re- trieve some of the items on the list. He told police his moth- er agreed to release some of them, but refused to release others, including the cash. The obstruction of justice and resisting charges stem from an interview with Edward on Monday, July 20. Police asked him for his cellphone. According to police, Edward told them he was at his son's house during the weekend and had his cell phone. When In- diana State Police Det. Tobias Odom told Edward his phone would be retained as evidence and a search warrant would be requested, Edward would not provide any passwords and re- fused to voluntarily release his phone to police. The probable cause affi- davit said Edward refused "any cooperation and tried to leave with his cellphone in his pocket. Det. Odom initially attempted to place Fox under arrest." But Edward wouldn't comply and "would not stop resisting until securely hand- cuffed." Edward was then arrested on charges of obstructing jus- tice and resisting arrest. Bridge scheduled to open Wednesday Crews take measurements on a bridge under construction on Highway 356 at Lakeview Drive in Petersburg. Project Manager Keith Maasberg said on Monday they planned to have the bridge done and reopened to traf- fic on Wednesday. It has been closed for two weeks. He said they would then move to a culvert project near Al- giers on Friday and close 356 at that location for Friday only. Maasberg added that predicted storms in the ar- ea for this week could alter that schedule.