BCP 9-26

Page 1

www.browncountypress.com

CMYK

CMYK

THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS Serving Brown County, Ohio since 1973

Vol. 38 No. 7

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Hart free, to stay away from officials BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press Michael Hart is out of jail. Hart was arrested on July 21 after confronting Brown Commissioner County Ralph Jennings in the parking lot. Hart was indicted on third degree felony intimidation and third degree misdemeanor unlawful restraint charges. Hart is accused of arguing with Jennings while standing between Jennings and his car door, preventing Jennings from shutting the car door

and leaving. He was ordered held in July by Judge Alan Corbin pending a mental evaluation. At his competency hearing on Sept. 21, Corbin stated that Hart had met with mental health professionals on August 17, and that Dr. Gail Hellmann of Court Clinic Forensic Services had stated that Hart was mentally competent to stand trial. Corbin agreed, and ruled that Hart was competent to stand trial and assist in his defense. Corbin then set bail for Hart at 25 thousand dollars.

Corbin added that he had “concerns based on the findings” of the report on Hart and set certain conditions that Hart is to follow pending his trial. Among them, Hart is not to have any contact with Brown County Prosecutor Jessica Little, her staff or anyone who is entering or leaving her office. Corbin also extended that condition to Jennings and the other two Brown County Bill Commissioners, Geschwind and Margery Paeltz. Hart was also instructed to

Higginsport stripper facing murder charges

use his attorney, George Montgomery, to contact individuals involved in any legal matters he is currently involved with. During the setting of the conditions, Corbin made it clear to Hart that he was innocent until proven guilty. As the conditions were set, Hart responded “I understand and will abide by that”. Corbin also sealed the mental evaluation of Hart from the public. Hart is scheduled to go to trail on the charges on January 12, 2011.

The Brown County Press/WAYNE GATES

Michael Hart (right) listens during his competency hearing along with his attorney, George Montgomery.

- FAYETTEVILLE -

County Sales tax increases on Oct. 1st

Honoring the fallen

BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press

BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press

The Brown County Press/ SUBMITTED PHOTO

Kristina Hensley

homicide was cause in the commission of aggravated robbery, the other alleges the homicide was cause as a result of a felonious assault with the use of her vehicle.” Prosecutor Piper stated, Monroe Police “The Department and Butler County Sheriff’s Office did an extraordinary job in their investigation, unearthing the details which will eventually allow us to reveal at trial exactly what happened. It is an event that never should have occurred and Ms. Hensley is responsible for the death of Jae Cho.” Hensley told police she went to Cho’s home for a private performance and fled when he touched her inappropriately. Hensley remains in the Butler County Jail. The case has made national and international headlines, with reports of the incident coming from as far away as London, England.

The Brown County Press/WAYNE BOBLITT

Fayetteville Police Chief Randy Carson, right, lowers the U.S. Flag and Ohio State Flag to half-staff while Fayetteville Assistant Fire Chief Mark Rosselot observes at the Annual Ice Cream Social held Sept. 11, 2010, in downtown Fayetteville next to the Fayetteville Municipal Building. The Social, which was last held in 2008, began in 2002 as a tribute to airplane terrorist attack victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. The Fayetteville Village Council and Beautification Committee sponsored the Social, which featured a variety of cake and homemade ice cream available for donations.

Unemployment in county falls again BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press For the third month in a row, the unemployment rate in Brown County has dropped. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reports that the jobless rate in the county for August was 10.9 percent. That is down .6 percent from the July rate of 11.5. Except for a slight uptick in

CMYK

Index Classifieds..........Page 20 Court News......Page 17 Death Notices.........Page 7 Education...............Page 8 Opinion ..............Page 4 Social..................Page 8 Sports ........Pages 14-16

Where to find us www.browncountypress.com Phone (937) 444-3441 Fax (937) 444-2652 219 South High St. Mt. Orab, OH 45154 bcpress@frognet.net

Sun Group NEWSPAPERS

June of 2010, the unemployment rate in Brown County has been falling steadily since January of this year. The current rate is the lowest seen in the county since December of 2008. According to the numbers, 100 more Brown County residents found work in August. The downward trend continued in the surrounding area and the state as a whole as well. Adams County saw the jobless rate fall to 13.1 percent from 13.9, Clermont County’s rate dropped to 9.6 percent from 10.0. The last time the rate was lower than 9.6 percent in Clermont County was in May of 2009. Clinton and Highland counties both saw improvement as well, even though those two counties still rank numbers one and two respectively in the state for the highest jobless rate. Clinton County improved to a 15.6 jobless rate from 16.7 percent in July and Highland County improved to 15.0 percent from 15.7 percent. The rate for Clinton County is the best it has been since July of 2009. The Cincinnati CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

The sales tax in Brown County is going up...from 6.75 percent to seven percent. The 1/4 cent increase takes effect October 1 and is expected to add approximately fifty thousand dollars a month to the county coffers. Since the state of Ohio is typically two months behind on tax payments, the increase is expected to bring one payment to the county before the end of 2010. “It (the money) will help our carryover fund”, said County Commission President Margery Paeltz. “Right now, that fund is at about 400 thousand dollars and we need it to be closer to a million to get through the first three months of the year.” Paeltz added that the additional revenue will help make up for lower interest rates the county is receiving from investments. The carryover fund is necessary because the next large cash infusion for the county will be from the February property tax collection. Those funds are usually not dispersed until March, making it necessary for the county to carry over enough money from 2010 to operate for nearly three months. If the state continues to be CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

O D D

Annual Brown County Fair begins Monday in Georgetown BY Wayne Boblitt The Brown County Press

The Brown County Press/ SUBMITTED PHOTO

Angela Reese

Woman arrested in fatal hit and run STAFF REPORT The Brown County Press A Brown County resident with no driver's license has been charged in connection with the fatal hit and run crash in Bethel Monday. Angela Reese, 27, of Colthar Road east of Bethel was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving under suspension and placed in the Clermont County Jail Tuesday, Sept. 21. She is CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

The 159th Annual Brown County Fair, “The Little State Fair”, kicks off this Monday, Sept. 27, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Brown County Fairgrounds in Georgetown. This year's fair whose theme is “The Brown County Fair - A Tradition Like No Other” will feature many of its past popular events including demolition derbies, truck and tractor pulls, horse shows, and Junior Fair exhibits and activities, Brown County Senior Fair Board President Orville Whalen reported. What's new this year, according to Whalen, are some physical improvements at the fairgrounds. Handicapped parking is now available in the Main Parking Lot in a gravel area next to the Admission Gate. A new Life Squad Building was under construction this past week for use by area life squads and is expected to be ready by the start of the Fair in case emergency medical technicians and paramedics need to attend to fair goers requiring medical attention. Whalen estimated in an interview following the 2009 Brown County Fair about 60,000 people attended that six-day festival. Depending on such factors as the weather, perhaps that many or more visitors will attend this year's celebration to take in its many sights, sounds and tastes. The fair will run 8 a.m.-11 p.m. each day. Parade Slated Monday The Fair's main event on Monday is also its kickoff event and the only major event that takes place partly outside of the fairgrounds – the Opening Parade, which lasted about one CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

CMYK

Kristina Hensley of Higginsport is facing two counts of murder. Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper announced that Hensley also faces charges of Aggravated Robbery, Failure to Stop After an Accident and Theft. Hensley reportedly worked for a company called “Naughty Bodies” which provides private “adult shows” from strippers. A press release from Piper’s office said “In the early morning hours of August 7, 2010, Hensley, a 35-year old woman from Higginsport, Ohio, was the driver of a vehicle which struck Monroe resident Jae Cho in front of his home. Cho was trapped under the vehicle and dragged for over a mile until Hensley came to a stop at a gas station. Cho suffered severe trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. Hensley faces 15 to life on the Murder charges, 10 years for Aggravated Robbery, 5 years for Failure to Stop After Accident and 12 months on the Theft offense. The Theft offense pertains to a second victim, involving a different incident, which was uncovered during the police department’s investigation. The two counts of murder involve the same victim, Jae Cho, however, they are “felony murder” charges, each being premised on a different felony - one alleges the

B R O A D S H E E T

The Brown County Press/ SUBMITTED PHOTO

Brown County Fairgrounds groundskeeper Nancy Connor of Hamersville, shown with her husband James Robert Connor, will serve as grand marshal of the 2010 Brown County Fair Opening Parade this Monday, Sept. 27, in Georgetown. James Robert Connor, who died earlier this year, will be honored posthumously as a grand marshal of this year's Fair Parade.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.