The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1467872
South Gibson Star-Times Local Tuesday, May 17, 2022 A-5 ARRESTS AND COURT ACTIVITY Council: Commish will need to fund defense from EDIT By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Gibson County Commissioners will need to find the money in the EDIT bud- get, they control, to pay a lawyer defend- ing them from developers suing commis- sioners for the decision to deny Southern Hills subdivision. The county council last week decided not to act to pay the legal bill involved. Back in April, in a 2-1 split vote, com- missioners reaffirmed the denial of Southern Hills Subdivision in Haubstadt, after a letter from SPM Development's at- torney requested reconsideration of their March 15 denial. SPM has a suit against the county for what they considered an arbitrary deni- al that did not match reasons for denial allowed under the county's subdivision ordinance. The commissioner against denial was Mary Key; a position she also took March 15 as she said the developers had fulfilled the requirements. Joe Calderon, an attorney represent- ing Gibson County in the lawsuit SPM is bringing against the commissioners, told commissioners he recommended a motion to deny because the company is not proposing or considering changing their plans. "You do not have to do that. It's entire- ly up to you," Calderon said. "If they're not willing to change any- thing, then I'm not willing to change my answer," said Commissioner Kenneth Montgomery. He and Commissioner Warren Fleet- wood asked the development to consid- er a more common sewage system than proposed, road improvements, and flood- ing plans. While County Attorney Jason Spindler said insurance may cover the attorney, the county council wanted a more defi- nite answer. "What budget is that in," asked Coun- cilman Derek McGraw. "Doesn't insurance usually pick out the attorney," asked Councilman Jeff Clark. "There's coverage, and if there's not coverage they may provide council," said County Attorney Jason Spindler. "They're aware this is how it's being handled." "I think it needs to be a transfer. I'm not excited about doing an additional on it," said Overton. "I won't vote on an additional," said Mc- Graw "This is not the council." Overton asked if there was EDIT mon- ey in consulting or legal fees. "There's going to be more coming," Clark said. "I think they need to find a line in ED- IT to take it out of, to transfer from," said Overton. The council agreed. "If there's money in the budget you don't have to ask us to spend it...they're going to have to sacrifice something in the EDIT bud- get to continue to pay those." "It's going to be an ongoing thing is what it sounds like," Clark said. "An ongoing EDIT thing," stressed Mc- Graw. Handcuffed man manages to escape, steal hat, and break into semi trucks The Gibson County Sheriff's Office arrest- ed DeWayne Williams on charges of resisting by fleeing, resisting by fight- ing and theft, May 1. At 12:45 a.m., deputies reported to the Baymont Inn on a call that a man was causing a disturbance. Williams said he was in a verbal altercation with his girlfriend about her dating someone else. Williams said he worked at the Bay- mont in maintenance and lived in room 218. The owner said Williams never worked at the Bay- mont and had not rented a room there. Police discovered a felo- ny warrant for Williams out of Vigo County, and an ac- tive warrant out of Minne- sota. Police handcuffed him and searched him for weapons, finding instead five phone chargers, three pairs of mechanics gloves, and a headlamp flashlight. Williams told police he had been going through unlocked vehicles looking for items to steal or pawn. While police interviewed a witness, Williams began to run. Police pursued him—searching the Loves Parking Lot, Blue Beacon and the Baymont. Dispatch began con- tinuously receiving calls that Williams was break- ing into semi-trucks in the Loves parking lot, waking drivers, and damaging ve- hicles. Williams was picked up walking southbound on US -41 wearing a $16 hat he stole from a Loves gas station. He fought jail person- nel and refused to answer questions. Man charged with abusing his father Jeremiah Webster was charged with domestic battery with moderate in- jury for allegedly attacking his father on Brumfield Av- enue, in Princeton, May 1. His father, Kelvin Web- ster, had, according to po- lice, a large cut across the left side of his face which the father said was from the use of his nails. The son described a cha- otic argument, and when asked about the cut on his father's face, said it must have happened during the argument, though he could not explain it. He said his father had not made con- tact with him. Born with it? Maybe it's methamphetamine A desire to look good ended in drug charges for one Princeton woman. Officers were called May 4 to the North Main Street Dollar General in Prince- ton, and ended up charging Marjorie Williams, 54, with dealing in methamphet- amine, possession of meth- amphetamine, theft under $750 and possession of par- aphernalia. Employees told police Williams had been in the store for more than two hours and had put make up into her purse. When police arrived Williams was in the bathroom. Police waited outside and heard the sound of something hitting either the floor or a trash can. Officers found makeup items in the trash can, two candles, and new makeup items in Williams' purse, in a makeup pouch, alongside three bags of methamphet- amine and two pipes. Racey arrested on domestic battery charges Princeton Police Offi- cers arrested Jordan Rac- ey on charges of domes- tic battery, in the presence of a child, at Fosters Way Apartments, in Princeton after receiving a call from his wife, Jennifer Racey, whom they found hiding in the closet with their 7-year- old, May 9. According to police, the couple said were in an ar- gument about their son consistently running and yelling in the house, and that Jennifer Racey swung first and missed, before her husband grabbed her in such a way they rolled off the bed and on the floor. He proceeded to slap her with an open palm accord- ing to the probable cause affidavit. Jennifer Racey had scratches on her wrist and a red mark on her face. Police also called child protective services. Two arrested on drug charges Fort Branch Police ar- rested Allie Mudgett and Austin Raider May 9 at an abandoned residence, 202 W. Williams St., Fort Branch, where, according to an affidavit signed by Marshal Darrell Parker, they had been told people may be living in a vehicle on the property. Parker, along with Gib- son County Deputies Bruce Vanoven and Jen Loesch, were looking for a suspect in a residential en- try case that had just oc- curred on Walnut Street, in Fort Branch. When they arrived an ex- tension cord was stretched from the truck into the house, the windows of the truck were blacked out. The truck moved, indicat- ing someone may be inside. Raider and Mudgett were sleeping in the vehi- cle—Mudgett had a war- rant for her arrest under the alias Allie Boyle. Vanoven approached the vehicle to find out if Raid- er was the sex offender with that name, since this wasn't the address said sex offender had registered at. Raider is a different person with the same name. Raider signed a consent form to search the vehicle, after officers saw needles in the floor of the truck, where other drug use mate- rials were found. He told of- ficers they would find con- traband; they added he was cooperative. They found digital scales with swastikas drawn on them and a racial slur writ- ten on the scale contain- er. In a black wallet with Raider's name was a bag that tested field positive for meth. In a purse containing Mudgett's ID police found a Clonazepam and what field tested as marijuana and rolling papers, plus more needles with a sub - stance that field tested pos- itive as methamphetamine. They also found a Yoda smoking device figurine that had a burnt substance that field tested positive as marijuana. Clean up day Above: Brian Prat- er loads the town Clean Up Day dump- sters; Clerk Treasur- er Vanessa Riggs said they couldn't have had the day without help like Prater's. Right: "The one and only" Randy Boyle unloads a pop up tent that's lost its stakes Saturday at the Town-wide Clean Up Day. Town Water Su- pervisor, Billy Ross, shoots the breeze with a Town-wide Cleanup Day partic- ipant who loaded an entire couch on his ATV (see front page.)