The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1331323
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 PIKE PUBLISHING VOLuMe 151, nuMBer 3 NEWS TIPS Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Email ����� editor@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local ��������������� A1-C5 Obituaries ��������������� A7 Sports �����������������B1-5 With This Ring ����� B6 Church �������������� C1-3 Classifieds �����������C6-7 Legal Notices ���������� C7 East Gibson���������D1-2 History �������������������D3 Opinion �������������D4-5 Home Life ����������D8-10 USPS 604-34012 $1.00 32 PaGes FOur seCTIOns Three InserTs PeTersBurG, In 47567-0068 155 lbs. of marijuana left in car abandoned by the suspects By Andy Heuring A routine speeding stop on I-64 in Spencer County on Thursday afternoon led to a high speed chase, helicopter aided search and the confiscation of 155 pounds of marijuana in Pike County. According to a probable cause affidavit, State Trooper George Wooten attempted to stop a red Lincoln for driving 85 mph in a 70 zone on I-64 in Spencer County at about 4:45 p.m. When he got behind the vehicle, it slowed down and pulled in- to a rest stop at the 59 -mile marker. But instead of stopping, it continued through the rest stop and then accelerated at a high speed. It continued driving west on I-64 until it got to Highway 161. It then turned north on 161 and drove towards Holland at speeds near 100 mph. Trooper Wooten, in the affidavit, said when they got to Kentucky St. and 161 in Holland, the Lincoln passed one vehicle, nearly hitting anoth- er oncoming vehicle. Wooten then terminated the pursuit. During the chase, Wooten had gotten the license plate number. At about 5:15 p.m., Pike County Central Dis- patch received a call from a resident at 9706 E. SR 64, Velpen, which is near Cool Springs on High- way 64, near the Pike-Dubois County line. That resident said a red vehicle drove into her drive- way, and two men dressed in black clothing got out of the vehicle and ran into the woods. Trooper Wooten said he drove straight to that residence and located the vehicle about 150 yards from the resident's house. He said it was the same color and type of vehicle, and had the same li- cense plate as the vehicle he was chasing. Wooten said it had dark, tinted rear door win- dows, so he opened the door to be able to see if anyone else was in it. He was "immediately struck by the odor of raw marijuana." He said there were a large number of "mari- juana bricks" and numerous large Ziploc® bags of marijuana. He obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. Two men still at large after wild chase See CHASE on page 2 By Andy Heuring If you get The Press-Dispatch in the mail, last week's edition was proba- bly at least a day late. The snafu was caused by a printing press break- down . It is believed to be the first time in Pike Publishing's 122 year histo- ry we missed the mail with an issue. That streak spanned two world wars, two global pandemics, the 1978 bliz- zard, the 1990 F4 tornado and more than a century of other mishaps. The Press-Dispatch is printed in Owensboro, K Y. Their printing press broke down Friday and was not re- paired until Wednesday. This caused The Press-Dispatch and other papers that are printed in Owensboro to be farmed out to Pa- ducah, Kentucky, which also prints a large number of publications. The Press-Dispatch was finally printed at about 6 a.m. Wednesday. It was then transported back to Owens- boro, where Pike Publishing crews picked it up and began distributing it roughly 10 hours later than normal. Consequently, our crews were un- able to catch most postal route driv- ers before they left on their regular routes. It also meant our over-count- er sales at local merchants weren't available for those who pick it up on their way to work in the morning. TWO CVS ADS THIS WEEK During the shuffle between print- ing plants, last week's CVS ad failed to be inserted. It appears this week along with the scheduled insert, and is still effective through Saturday. "We understand it has been a frus- trating time for subscribers. This, combined with the US Postal Ser- vice's backed-up mail in sectional centers has just extended the frus- tration. We apologize for the inconve- nience and assure you no one wants you to get your paper on time any more than we do. We hope now that the press is fixed and the Postal Ser- vice is mostly caught up, things will be back to normal and you will be getting your newspaper consistent- ly on time," said John Heuring, Ad- vertising Manager. Breakdown causes delay of Jan. 13 edition By Andy Heuring A Petersburg native was seriously injured in a freak accident on High- way 64 Thursday evening. Elizabeth Rudolph, 74, of Jasper, suffered head and low leg injuries when she collided with another ve- hicle near Muren Road (CR 50 E.). Pike County Deputy Sheriff Jar- ed Simmons said Patrick Taylor Gerber, 30, of 304 S. Mariah St., Winslow, was driving a 2009 Dodge Dakota pickup west on Highway 64 when he hit two deer in the high- way and lost control. His pickup truck crossed the centerline and hit the front passenger side of Ru- dolph's 2007 Volvo S70, which spun and came to rest on the north side of Highway 64. Berger's truck went into a ditch, overturned and came to rest on its wheels. Rudolph was unconscious at the scene, according to Deputy Sim- mons. She was taken by ambulance to St. Vincent's in Evansville. Berger was also injured, com- plaining of head pain, and was also taken to the hospital by ambulance. Both vehicles were a total loss. It was one of several accidents over the last week. Monday morning, a Petersburg teen suffered a head injury in an ac- cident on Meridian Road, about a mile south of Petersburg. Ella Grace Toman, 17, of Peters- burg, was driving a 2007 Honda Ac- cord south on Meridian when she met another vehicle as she crested the hill. Pike County Deputy Sheriff Brad Jenkins said Toman said the other vehicle might have been over the center. Toman reacted and turned the wheel to the right. Her right wheels dropped off the road. Deputy Jenkins said she overcorrected and went to the left, spinning sideways, hitting a ditch and embankment. To- man's car then went airborne and hit a utility pole, snapping it in two, and eventually came to rest in a field. Jenkins said she hit her head on the steering wheel and was com- plaining of head pain. She was tak- en to the hospital. Spurgeon and Patoka firemen spray water on flames of a house in Spurgeon on Friday night. Fire destroyed the house being bought and lived in by Da- vid Hume. It caught fire sometime late Friday and was report- ed to Spurgeon Town Marshal Ray Brooks at 9:50 p.m. He called 911. The house was located behind City Hall in Spur- geon. Flames were coming out the front side of the house. Spur- geon Fire Chief Donnie Pancake said Hume was not at home at the time of the fire. Pancake said the house was a total loss and two or three pets died in the fire. Pancake said the fire was out in about an hour, but it took until about 2 a.m. to get all of the hotspots cooled off to prevent reigniting. Lockhart and Patoka Township assisted fighting the fire. Three injured in separate accidents By Andy Heuring Pike County Commissioners made several appointments to vari- ous boards for 2021 and approved an agreement with INDOT to provide 25 percent match of the total paving costs of more than $280,000 as their match for a road paving grant during their Tuesday morning meeting. The meeting was moved to Tues- day because of the Monday holiday. The commissioners voted 2-0 to: • reappoint Kyle Adams to the Park and Recreation Board; • reappoint Brian Maxwell to Wabash Valley Community Correc- tions; • reappoint Jon Craig to Indiana Region 15; • reappoint Eddie Joe Boyd to Re- volving Loan Fund Board; • reappoint Scott Fulcher to Jef- ferson Township Fire District; • reappoint Tom Willis to Peters- burg Plan Commission; • reappoint Ed Schuessler and appoint Ralph Bertram to the Pa- toka Township Fire District Board; • reappoint Charlie Barr to Tri- Cap Board; • reappoint Kristi Dischinger to Redevelopment Commission; • reappoint Jim Shoultz and Dischinger to the P TABOA (board of review). Commissioner Ryan Coleman was not at the meeting. The commissioners also voted to commit to providing a 25 per- cent match of $73,725 to the Indi- ana Department of Transportation. INDOT's portion of the paving is $221,164.90. Commissioner president Mark Flint said the grant to Pike Coun- ty had already been approved. This was just a commitment to provide the match. It was granted last summer as part of the second Community Crossroad grants in 2020. The roads to be paved in Pike County with the grant include: • CR 125 W., from CR 50 W. to I- 69 dead end, 4,639 feet of hot mix in Washington Twp. • CR 850 W., from SR 65 to road, 2,040 feet of chip and seal in Clay Twp. • CR 375 W., from CR 200 S to CR 125 S., 3,706 ft of chip and seal in Logan Twp. • CR 325 W., from CR 200 N. to rock, 1,388 feet of chip and seal in Madison Twp. • CR 75 S., from CR 325 W. (west side) to rock, 2,284 ft. of chip and seal in Logan Twp. • CR 75 S., from CR 325 W. (east side) to rock, 1,048 ft. of hot mix in Logan Twp. • CR 300 E., from CR 200 S. to black top, 1,678 ft. chip and seal in Logan Twp. In other business, the commis- sioners also approved finalizing a grant that provides Pike County with up to $18,000 to reimburse the county for their Emergency Man- agement Agency Director Ryan Benner's salary. The next commissioners' meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 1 in the auditorium. Commissioners make more appointments, sign paving grant Fire destroys Hume home in Spurgeon Ella Grace Toman, 17, of Petersburg, complained of head pain after a wild ride Monday morning destroyed her car. Toman crashed into a ditch and embankment, and hit a utility pole on her way to school.