The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/859321
A-2 Front Wednesday, August 9, 2017 The Press-Dispatch See LEASE on page 7 Your pain is real, and so is help. If you are having thoughts of suicide, please know that help is just a phone call away. Suicide Prevention Coalition National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-TALK Local Mental Health Helpline: (812) 827-6222 ACADEMY Continued from page 1 FESTIVALS Continued from page 1 Middle School registration Jamie Luff (center) smiles as her son, Wyatt (left), chats with Pike Central Middle School secretary Dawn Biesterveld (right) while registering for school on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Wyatt, who previously at- tended Ireland Elementary School, will be a sixth grader when classes begin on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Ed Cahill photo PATOKA TOWNSHIP ANNUAL Open House BETTER THAN ALL THAT? WE HAVE FIRE TRUCKS! FREE EVENT August 12 • 5pm-9pm 1554 E. State Road 64, Winslow Safety Demonstrations, Gun Raffle, Inflatables, Food and much more. In partnership with Pike County EMA, we are proud to present a kids' safe day! Pike County Sheriff 's Department, DNR and Pike County EMS will be on site! 8–7 . Mon. 8–noon . Tues. 10–7 . Wed. 8–5 . Thur. 8–5 . Fri. DON'T FORGET YOUR BACK TO SCHOOL EYE EXAMS Now Locally Owned and Operated Dr. Clint Shoultz 715 S. 9th St., Petersburg 812-354-9400 up for, and I don't have an- swers." "I think we've told them all to watch for Facebook and the website and stuff like that," Houtsch said. "But as soon as we know. We might know later tonight. But as soon as we know." School Director Rick Fears reported that a school nurse and a music/art teach- er still need to be hired, and that he would interview ap- plicants for those positions on Tuesday, Aug. 8, and Fri- day, Aug. 11. "So we do have potential candidates," Fears said. Fears added that he would be meeting with the school's teachers and staff on Tues- day, Aug. 8, to discuss var- ious topics regarding the school operations – includ- ing rules and policies, and curriculum. Fears also reported that the school's enrollment con- tinues to increase as the first day of school approaches. "On the way here tonight, I got a phone call from a parent that wanted to add a fourth grader, so it appears our enrollment's going up, you know, all the time," Fears said. "We've got most of the resources we need or- dered. They may not all be here the first week, but at least they're ordered for the teachers and students." The school board's other parent representative, Lou Fort, asked Fears if he had an updated student count. "It was around 70 to 80," Fears replied. "Depending on whether we're going with the final enrolled or still on paper, counting that fourth grader, if the fourth grader is not a new person to that list, we're at 109," school board legal counsel Elisabeth Luff said. "If that fourth grader is not one who was pre-registered, then we're at 110." "The actual paper enroll- ments, those that we have papers signed, which is what counts, would be 70," Luff continued. "There's a big gap between the two. We're preparing for 100, re- alizing that we're budgeting for the 70." Luff was subsequently asked if parents had been given a deadline to official- ly enroll their children, or if they could just show up on the first day to do so. "That's what we're afraid of," Luff said. "But, histori- cally, in this county, that is something that the school has historically put up with and had to deal with." "As far as showing up at the door, I hope that's what they do," Houtsch interject- ed. "Because we don't have busing aligned for people that are not registered." Fears said that he ex- pected parents to show up at school on the first day to enroll their children. "That's not uncommon in any of the schools," Fears said. "My thinking would be we would have forms for them. It's not the ideal situ- ation, because it's going to be hectic as can be anyway, and it'll delay maybe getting them into the classroom. But it's something that can be done. We'll just have to work through it. But we'll have forms and they can certainly register them that morning." The school board also ap- proved the following con- tracts, as recommended by the personnel subcommit- tee: • Rick Fears, Director • Tracy Hopf, Assistant to the Director • Valerie Schoppenhorst, 5th grade teacher • Kim Elliott, 4th grade teacher • Nicole Sutton, 3rd grade teacher • Erin Hartke, 2nd grade teacher • Ashlyn Hoffman, 1st grade teacher • Heather McCandless, kindergarten teacher • Leigh Ann Tusing, Spe- cial Education teacher • Nicki Troutman, gym teacher (under oversight by Rick Fears) and IT. • Misty Sullivan, north bus driver • Tracy Evans, south shuttle bus driver. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, The Press-Dispatch sent an e- mail to Luff, requesting the names of the members of each of the Otwell Mill- er Academy school board's four subcommittees, and asking when and where each of the subcommittees meet "since discussions of issues and decisions regarding rec- ommendations to the school board are apparently being made during these commit- tee meetings." Luff responded by e-mail Tuesday afternoon: "As for the subcom- mittees, no meetings are planned but should a meet- ing be planned which con- sists of a majority of the Board in which decisions or plans for a decision is car- ried out, Open Door Law will be triggered and the public and the paper notified." Daycare services will be available on school days from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The rate for daycare is $45 per week, with a 10 percent discount for Otwell Miller Academy and Lil HOOsier Preschool students or their siblings. Lunch will not be provid- ed by the school until Oct. 1. All students are being asked to bring a sack lunch in the interim. "Food service will begin Oct. 1, but we are planning on 'sample days' between the start of school and Oct. 1 so the students can try out the food program." The line-up of musical performances for Friday night will include: Kyilindi Pipes and Drums Band, Pike Central Jazz Band and Co- chren and Company. Saturday activities will start with the Farmers' Mar- ket opening at 9 a.m. More re-enactments will begin at 10 a.m., as will the FFA Ped- al Tractor pull. Tony Rothrock, Jerry Wil- lis and Albert Swain will per- form on the bicentennial stage beginning at 10 a.m. There will be Little Miss Petersburg, Junior Miss Pe- tersburg and Miss Peters- burg pageants beginning at 11 a.m. Stacy's Studios of Dance will perform at 1:30 p.m. The free carnival rides will open at 1 p.m. and run through 10 :30 p.m. Tony Rothrock will return to the stage at 2 p.m., this time with Shelby Lynn, Hen- ry Norton and Albert Swain. The Main Street Bed Rac- es will fire up at 3 p.m. Brick Briscoe will per- form at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Pike Central Swing Choir and a Rodney Watts Concert from 6 to 8 p.m. Pike County native Jason Sturgeon will perform from 8:30 to 10 p.m. A fireworks show wraps up at 10 p.m. By Andy Heuring Three people were ar- rested last week for domes- tic battery. All three said the arguments began after they started drinking. Early Sunday morning, an Otwell man was arrest- ed after police were called by a woman who had locked herself into her van and said her boyfriend was sitting on a lawnmower next to it. Christopher Kopp, 32, of 7159 SR 257, Otwell, was ar- rested on a charge of domes- tic battery. Pike County Deputy Sher- iff Jason McKinney said he and Petersburg Police Cpl. Scott Wright arrived at the residence and found Che- rie Dedrick locked in her van and said Kopp was out- side, but when he saw po- lice drive up, he went into the residence. They took Dedrick into a patrol car and then went to the front door. They said Kopp came out of the resi- dence with his hands up. Dedrick told police she and Kopp had been drink- ing through the night and got into an argument. She said they "always argue when they drink." She said she spilled choc- olate on the rug and he got upset with her, tackled her, choked her from behind and rubbed her face in the car- pet to clean up the chocolate she spilled. When she got up, she claimed she ran into the bathroom so she could text her mother, but Kopp got to her and smashed her phone. She said Kopp then went to the bedroom to passout. Kopp told police a differ- ent story. Kopp said they had both been drinking. He denied he had hit or choked Dedrick. He said they started arguing when she spilled chocolate on the carpet they had just bought. He said he tackled her because she would not be spilling chocolate on the new carpet, but he did not choke her. He also said she broke her phone during the night when she had dropped it. Both Kopp and Dedrick tested 0.16 percent for blood alcohol content, according to McKinney. The legal lim- it in Indiana is 0.08 percent for driving. A check of record found Kopp was wanted on a war- rant from Lawrence County. He was taken into custo- dy on the warrant and a pre- liminary charge of domestic battery. Saturday morning, a Pe- tersburg man was arrested on charges of criminal con- finement, domestic battery and interference with re- porting a crime after police received a call from Britta- ny Mullen asking police to remove Kolby Jenkins from her residence. Jenkins, 29, of 805 S. Eighth St., Petersburg, was arrested after police said while talking to Mullen on the phone, they noticed her demeanor change and she started talking in a low- er voice and one word an- swers. She then told police Jenkins was nearby. Police then heard a brief scuffle and the phone was discon- nected. Pike County Deputy Mi- chael Willis and Petersburg Police Cpl. Scott Wright ar- rived at Mullen's residence and saw her jump backwards near the front door and wit- nessed Jenkins "rapidly ex- it in an aggressive manner." However, when he saw po- lice, he immediately turned around an tried to re-enter his residence. Jenkins was placed in handcuffs. Cpl. Wright said Mullen repeatedly asked them not to arrest Jenkins, saying he was under the influence of something and "just need- ed help." She told police Jenkins was intoxicated and they got into a verbal argument. As it escalated, she began to fear for the her safety and that of her two children. She claimed Jenkins took her vehicle keys and debit card to prevent her and her chil- dren from leaving. She said she then called 911 and when Jenkins found out she had called, he took her phone. She got outside the house, but because her children didn't get out, she stayed at the front of the residence. Police said when they talked with Jenkins, he "ac- knowledged a verbal argu- ment," but didn't elaborate on how it started. According to Cpl. Wright's report, Jenkins al- so admitted he took her deb- it card and key, and put them in the basement. It also stat- ed Jenkins admitted taking her phone, but he thought she was talking to his boss. Jenkins was taken into custody. On Thursday, August 3 at about 10 :25 p.m., police were called to the Guest House Motel by a third par- ty caller claiming her moth- er had been in an altercation with her new boyfriend. Jeffery Frakes, 45, of 1276 E. CR 250 N., Washington, was arrested on preliminary charges of strangulation and domestic battery. Petersburg Cpl. Jared Simmons said he went to the motel and located Michelle Hesson sitting outside her room crying. She told police she and Frakes had been drinking, got into an argument about work and he attacked her, strangling her with a shoe- string, causing her to nearly lose conscious. Cpl. Wright said she had a red mark on her neck. She said Frakes had left the motel before they arrived. EMS checked Hesson's neck. Police began searching for Frakes but could not lo- cated him. At about 9:30 a.m. Friday, police were called and told Frakes had returned to the motel. They arrived and took Frakes in- to custody on a warrant from Sullivan County, and on pre- liminary charges of strangu- lation and domestic battery. Three arrested for domestic battery in separate events By Ed Cahill Jefferson Township Community Center, Inc., officials are refusing to sign a proposed lease agreement that would allow it to continue to operate the Otwell Community Center. The proposed lease agreement, which was submitted by Jefferson Township Trustee Cindy Ridao to the Jefferson Township Community Cen- ter, Inc., Board of Directors on Thurs- day, Aug. 3, amends the previous lease agreement – which expired on Aug. 9, 2012 – to prohibit the use of the Otwell Community Center for more than five consecutive days, or for more than 20 days by any one person or entity with- in a calendar year, without prior writ- ten consent of the trustee. "Lessee shall not assign this lease nor sublet all or any portion of the leased premises without the prior written consent of Lessor," the pro- posed lease agreement states. "Pro- vided, however, this clause shall not be construed to prohibit use of the prem- ises by other individuals, entities, or organizations for periods of short du- ration in accordance with the use of Community Center officials take issue with proposed lease