GREENE PRAIRIE PRESS $8*867 – Vol. 150, No. 34 – &DUUROOWRQ ,OOLQRLV
INSIDE NEWS
Carrollton participates in National Night Out. See page A4 Public defender appointed for accused puppy killer. See page A4
SPORTS
Carrollton tops North Greene in JFL play last Wednesday. See page B3
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Roodhouse man facing sex abuse charges By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press A Roodhouse man is facing numerous sex abuse charges involving two minor children and is scheduled to have his first appearance in Greene County Circuit Court on Aug. 28. Jerry D. Poland, Jr., 38, has been charged with six counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a child, a Class X felony. According to court documents, these acts of sexual penetration by Poland were committed on two different individuals under the age of 13
years of age, from August of 2017 to December of 2017. Greene County States Attorney Caleb Briscoe said the sexual abuse charges actually stem from another investigation. “There was another investigation going on, not related to these charges, where a representative of the State ended up at their house and something just didn’t seem right,� Briscoe said. “There was a conversation with the mother of the children, and at that point, she claimed she didn’t know what was going on.� The mother later went to Roodhouse
Police Department and filed a complaint on Poland, which led to an investigation by Roodhouse Police Chief Kyle Robison and Officers Shane Carter and Mike McCartney. “We arrested him at the end of our investigation,� Chief Robison said. “Officers Carter and McCartney were both major assets during the investigation process.� The Department of Children and Family Services and the Child Advocacy Center were also involved in the investigation. “The people from the Child Advocacy Center did the interviews
with the children because they are specially trained to interview kids,� Briscoe said. “Based upon those interviews and the interview with Mr. Poland, we filed these charges.� Briscoe said that Poland is not related to the children he was alleged to have abused and was merely a family friend. A conviction of a Class X felony is punishable by a term of 6-60 years in prison, served at 85 percent of the sentence, followed by mandatory supervised release from three years to natural life. It is a non-probationable offense.
Hands-Only CPR a shortcut to saving a life By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press
A
new, simplified version of CPR was the topic of discussion at the Lunch and Learn program, sponsored by Boyd Hospital, at the KC Hall on Aug. 14. CPR stands for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and involves chest compressions to circulate the blood and some type of artificial ventilation, typically breathing into the mouth of the individual, to preserve brain function until help arrives to restore normal blood circulation and breaking in a person in cardiac arrest. Now, however, there is a simplified version gaining popularity that eschews the ventilation factor and relies solely on chest compressions. It is called Hands-Only CPR and the process was explained to around 20 people by registered nurse and Prairie Heart Institute STAT Heart coordinator Chelsey Jennings. “This CPR is geared more towards the general public,� Jennings said. “It is very simple and requires just a few steps. The reason why it is important for everyone to know is that anybody can arrest anywhere, anytime. It would be great if you were at the hospital when you arrested, but statistics show that is probably not going to happen.� According to the American Heart Association Statistics, 70 percent of cardiac arrests happen at the home, and
about 90 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die. If performed immediately, CPR can double or triple the victim’s chance of survival. However, only 46 percent of those who experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital receive the immediate help they need before professional help arrives. “When a person goes into cardiac arrest, every second counts,� Jennings said. “The important thing is to jump in right away and start but a lot of people get a little bit nervous, especially with the conventional CPR which involves artificial ventilation.� Hands-only CPR takes out the ventilation step and can be just as effective as conventional CPR. “Chest compressions push oxygen rich blood through your body so when someone arrests, you have enough oxygen in your blood to last you for up to 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your body mass,� Jennings said. “So, we don’t have to give the breaths right now – what we are worried about is just pumping the blood through the body – there is usually enough oxygen in the blood until the EMS arrives or until an AED is available.� The first step is to check the surroundings. Look at the area around the scene to look for any ongoing danger. Observe the scene and obtain as much information about what happened as possible. Also, identify other individuals in the area for help. (See, CPR, A2)
Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
Boyd Healthcare Services physician Dr. Renan Mapue shows how to correctly give CPR compressions as Jim Yoder looks on. Boyd Healthcare Services and Prairie Heart Institute of Springfield conducted a Hands Only CPR course in Carrollton last week. This technique is simplified from basic CPR in that it involves only giving chest compressions.
Carrollton School Board upset Ellis murder with proposed TIF district trial set By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press While Carrollton School Board members are behind the Carrollton Square Initiative (CSI), they are not happy with the inclusion of the of a proposed tax increment financing (TIF) district, which would support the initiative down the road. CSI Spokesman Pat Pinkston address the board at the Aug. 19 meeting by giving an overview of what the CSI is and what their goals are. “Carrollton, like many rural areas, has been dealing with a declining population for the last 40 to 50 years and at best a flat tax rate,� Pinkston said. “Businesses are not able to sustain themselves, so one of our goals is to find ways to help this community grow in a way to sustain these businesses and also attract new businesses.� The City of Carrollton, on behalf of the CSI, applied for and received a $30,500 grant, and more than $60,000 in private donations have been raised to help them achieve their goals, but Pinkston said while that is good for now, there needs to be a way to sustain the CSI in the future. “This is not a short-term project,� Pinkston said. “This will take 5, 10 or even 20 years to move where we want to go, and we need to think about how to make that happen. If the city can’t find a way to publicly fund this in the future then the whole thing is going to start to fold.� This is where the TIF district comes into play. “The least impactful way to fund this is to start talking about a TIF district,� Pinkston said. “It has been a goal, but knowing what I know about the city’s budget, everyone has already got plenty on their plate right now. They are trying to find a way to carve out some funding in the least impactful pay possible to drive up development and the tax base.� The premise of a TIF district is that it does not affect any other taxing bodies in regards to the portion of property tax received off that property unless there is new construction or
for Oct. 28
Submitted photo
This map shows the proposed tax increment financing (TIF) district within the city of Carrollton. The district encompasses all of the downtown commercial area plus the majority of the area running along Rts. 67 and 108. This is only a preliminary map. One of the criteria of a TIF district is that all of the property must be contingent, meaning the city can’t designate a certain two-block area and then go four blocks down the road and do another area. It all has to join together.
an improvement, which would cause the value of the property to increase. For example, a $10,000 dilapidated home sits on a piece of property in Carrollton located in the TIF district, and the owner of that property pays $500 each year in property taxes. That $500 is distributed to the vari-
ous taxing bodies, such as the school, fire district, and others at the stated rates. The owner of that property decides to build a $300,000 home on that piece of property and the property tax (See, CARROLLTON, A2)
By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press Greene County Circuit Court Judge James Day indicated he is getting tired of continued delays being requested by the defense in the murder trial of Jamia Ellis. Ellis is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of Concealing a Homicidal death in the death of Ellis’ five-month-old son in November of last year. Ellis’ attorney, Michele Berkel, asked the court for an additional 60-day continuance at a jury pre-trial on Aug. 16. A jury trial had originally been scheduled for Oct. 15. “I really do not want to put this off past the October jury setting,� Judge Day said. Berkel, who was hired by Ellis in May, said she had not had time to go through all of the witness testimony in the case. “We understand the court’s concern, but due to the number of witnesses’ testimony to go through on tape, there is just no way we can be ready,� Berkel said. “I would like to be able to make a complete and thorough examination of all of the evidence.� Judge Day granted a two-week reprieve setting a jury pre-trial for Oct. 11 with a jury trial scheduled for Oct. 28. Ellis and her boyfriend, Ryan Wheeler, were arrested on Nov. 28 after the body of Ellis’ son was found buried in the backyard of a home in rural Carrollton. Autopsy results show the child died of blunt force trauma several weeks earlier. First-degree murder carries a sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison. Ellis remains in Greene County Jail with a bond set at $1.5 million, 10 percent of which would have to be paid to be released. Wheeler, who is charged with concealment of a homicidal death in the death of the infant, has a preliminary