The Press-Dispatch
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75¢ Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Volume 146 Number 28 Phone (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) Three sections 34 pages Three inserts Local ........A1-10 Obituaries ...... A3 With this ring . A4 Sports ........B1-9 Classifi eds B11-13 Church .....C1-10 Health .........C4-5 Opinion .......... C2 History ........... C9 WHAT'S INSIDE: CONNECT WITH US: NetEdition .... pressdispatch.net/edition Facebook .... facebook.com/pressdispatch E-Mail .......... news@pressdispatch.net Phone: .................812-354-8500 Fax: .....................812-354-2014 E-Mail . editor@pressdispatch.net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING Continued on page 2 By Andy Heuring Area police are seeking information about three men in a tan van, who pres- sured a homeowner to let them look through the homeowner's residence. Pike County Sheriff Jeremy Britton said last Wednesday morning, three men in a tan van told Judy Chamberlain they were members of the "Fugitive Task Force." He said the men had badges on a chain and one guy in the van was in handcuffs, so they seemed like they were legitimate. They showed her a flyer and a photo, and said they were looking for Richard Smith. They then asked her if they could look through her house. Sheriff Britton said while the group was going through her house, they started commenting on different items in the house. Then when they were leaving, they asked Chamberlain about a neighbor's house that had a "For Sale" sign in the yard and if the owner was at home. Britton said Chamberlain thought it seemed weird because it didn't have any- thing to do with Richard Smith. Judy talked to her daughter-in-law, Lo- rice Chamberlain, who called the Sheriff's Department. Britton said area police looked all over the area but didn't find a tan van. "They had about a 40 -minute head start. We went out and looked around for them. I feel like they were passing through the area and got off the interstate, and then just got back on it and left the area. I'm pretty sure we would have seen them by now if they were still in the area," said Britton. He said they could have been "bounty hunters," but they probably were not feder- al agents. "A lot of times the bounty hunt- ers themselves are felons. They are peo- ple who hunt down criminals for a living." He said police have one report that the tan van with a Tennessee license plate may have been seen at Shopko about the same time Wednesday morning, but no other up- dates. Anyone who may have seen this van and men or had contact with them are asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 812-354- 6024. Info sought concerning home invasion A Jasper man was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure after an incident in Winslow last Friday. Travis Lawyer, 39, of 940 S. Meridian Rd., Jasper, was arrested at 7:19 p.m. by Win- slow Town Marshal Steve English. English said he got a phone call from a resident claiming while he was outside with his five-year-old son, Lawyer had yelled at them and exposed himself to them. Eng- lish said both the father and son told the same story. English then confronted Lawyer, who was sitting outside at a friend's house on Union St. English said that Lawyer denied the incident. English stated there has been a neigh- bors' dispute between the two parties and he has been called to the residences before. Lawyer was taken into custody on pre- liminary charges of indecent exposure. Man arrested for indecent exposure By Ed Cahill Textbook rental fees for the 2014-15 school year were set for kindergarten through fifth grade at Otwell, Petersburg and Winslow elementary schools during a special called meeting of the Pike County School Corporation's Board of Trustees on Tuesday, May 27. According to documents presented by Pike County School Superintendent Su- zanne Blake to the school board, the text- book rental fees are: Otwell Elementary School • Kindergarten: Consumable $47.17; Fee $ 8; Rental $42.16. Total— $ 97.33. • First Grade: Consumable $38.41; Fee $ 8; Rental $40.68. Total— $ 87.09. • Second Grade: Consumable $38.30; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 32.68. Total— $78.98. • Third Grade: Consumable $3.60; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 64.36. Total— $75.96. • Fourth Grade: Consumable $3.60; Fee $ 8; Rental $58.79. Total— $70.39. • Fifth Grade: Consumable $3.60; Fee $ 8; Rental $58.79. Total— $70.39. Petersburg Elementary School • Kindergarten: Consumable $47.91; Fee $ 8; Rental $42.56. Total— $ 98.47. • First Grade: Consumable $38.74; Fee $ 8; Rental $43.14. Total— $ 89.88. • Second Grade: Consumable $38.63; Fee $ 8; Rental $34.12. Total— $ 80.75. • Third Grade: Consumable $3.93; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 64.36. Total— $76.29. • Fourth Grade: Consumable $3.93; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 58.79. Total— $70.72. • Fifth Grade: Consumable $3.93; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 58.79. Total— $70.72. Winslow Elementary School • Kindergarten: Consumable $47.24; Fee $ 8; Rental $40.64. Total— $ 95.88. • First Grade: Consumable $36.74; Fee $ 8; Rental $43.14. Total— $ 87.88. • Second Grade: Consumable $36.74; Fee $ 8; Rental $34.12. Total— $78.86. • Third Grade: Consumable $3.79; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 64.36. Total— $76.15. • Fourth Grade: Consumable $3.79; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 58.79. Total— $70.58. • Fifth Grade: Consumable $3.79; Fee $ 8; Rental $ 58.79. Total— $70.58. Blake informed the school board that the textbook rental fees for Pike Central High School and Pike Central Middle School would be presented at its next meeting on Monday, June 9. In other business: n The school board accepted the resig- nation of Dana Hughes as librarian at Win- slow Elementary School, effective Thurs- day, May 22. n The school board approved the hiring of Jason Roach as head boys' basketball coach at Pike Central High School. n The school board approved the trans- fer of Mindy Keeker from her current po- sition as assistant principal at Pike Central Middle School to the Otwell Elementary School administrative position for the 2014- 15 school year. "The responsibilities of the position will include administrative tasks and PE in- struction," Blake said. n The school board approved a fund- raiser request from the Pike Central High School JAGS students, who plan to host a car wash at Casey's General Store in Pe- tersburg on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds from the car wash will be used to purchase professional clothing for JAG students who may need business attire for a job interview. The school board also approved a fund- raiser request from the Pike Central High School boys' soccer program for a "soccer day bash" on Thursday, Aug. 7, or Friday, Aug. 8, depending on the weather, to raise money for equipment and a sound system. The event will feature introductions of the middle school and high school teams, fol- lowed by a short scrimmage. n The school board approved a request from Blake, school corporation treasurer Krista Halbrader and school board member Dave Waltz to attend the IAPSS/IASBO/ '14-'15 book rentals set for county grade schoolers EMS bids nearly twice as much as expected By Andy Heuring "Flabbergasted," "disappointed" were words Pike County Commissioners used after they listened to sealed bids on build- ing a new EMS Building come in at rough- ly double the engineer's estimate during their Monday morning meeting. "I'm flabbergasted," said Commissioner Ryan Coleman. Commissioner Jeff Nelson said he was disappointed. "Especially when we sat down with DLZ and gave them a dollar amount. We cut things out of the design until we got to that number, and when we got there they said 'that is it,'" said Nelson. "I'm still digesting it," said Commission- er President Brian Davis as he and the oth- er town commissioners' expressions could not hide their disappointment. They had been hoping to hear numbers between $ 350,000 and $400,000 for a base bid on the proposed EMS Building. Instead the usable bids ranged from $ 699,000 to $ $741,000, which were base bids that did not include six alternatives for items like a paved parking lot, floor coverings, a flag- pole, a front porch and a canopy above the front door. These items would ad roughly $70,000 to $ 80,000 to the price tag. At a previous county council meeting, DLZ representative Scott Carnegie told the county he had put a line on the bid pack- ages to include a price using a prevail- ing wage and a line not using prevailing wage. He told the county any project cost- ing more than $ 350,000 is required by law to use prevailing wages. But projects less than $ 350,000 do not have to use prevail- ing wage rates. Carnegie said he thought the price was going to be right on that line and some might be able to do it for less than $ 350,000 if they didn't have to use the prevailing wage rates. The county actually received a bid of $ 636,360, but it was not using prevailing wage rates so it is not a practical bid. Carne- gie read the five bids submitted to the coun- ty after Commissioner Assistant Melissa Continued on page 2 Moving the tassel Pike Central Class of 2014 President Nick Baker leads the seniors in the moving of their tassels as Pike County School Corporation Superintendent Suzanne Blake pronounce them as graduates at Friday night's ceremony. See more photos plus class speeches on page A-6. Spring clean-up A J Shafer moves a large TV by rolling it from side to side on Saturday of the Pike County Spring Clean-up. It was one of many dropped off during the clean up days. Officials said vehicles were lined up to the highway Saturday morning. Numbers on the amount of trash, electronics, appliances and tires collected were not available yet.