Wednesday
COMING Memorial Day celebrations
Commitment To Community WEATHER: Cloudy, chance of rain. High 74, low 50. Page 3.
INSIDE: Mullen: Please, invade my privacy. Page 4.
INSIDE: Athletes advance at district track. Page 8.
M O N DAY, M AY 2 7 , 2 0 1 3
VOLUME 130, NUMBER 105
w w w. d a i l y c a l l . c o m
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an award-winning Civitas Media newspaper
Will kidnapper face death penalty? Prosecutor weighs options in Cleveland case
cutor faces numerous obstacles as he weighs whether to bring death penalty charges against a man accused of kidnapping three women and forcing one of them into miscarriages through starvation and beatings, capital punishment experts say. Most agree that such charges BY ANDREW are possible against Ariel Castro, though not without legal WELSH-HUGGINS fights starting with constituAssociated Press tional questions over the definiCOLUMBUS (AP) — A prose- tion of a murder victim for the
Scout achieves highest honor
purposes of a death penalty case. Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said at a news conference on May 9, days after the women were rescued from Castro’s run-down home, that capital punishment “must be reserved for those crimes that are truly the worst examples of human conduct.” “The law of Ohio calls for the death penalty for those most depraved criminals, who commit
C OV I N G T O N
aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping,” he added. Ohio previously changed its laws to include the unlawful termination of a pregnancy among possible aggravated murder charges, said Doug Berman, an Ohio State University law professor and death penalty expert. “Ergo, Castro, at least as the facts have been described and developed, would seem to be the
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ISAAC HALE/STAFF PHOTO
Newly graduated Covington High School students throw their caps in the air at Hobart Arena in Troy on Sunday after turning their tassels. BY ALYSSA RECK For the Daily Call pdceditorial@civitasmedia.com
COVINGTON — Two days before Covington High School’s graduation, the co-valedictorians put the finishing touches on their speeches, while all the graduating seniors ar-
rived for walking practice. Covington High School’s principal, Ken Miller, watched as the seniors congregated into groups in the high school gym. “These kids have kept me grounded and taught me that it was okay to have fun, while doing this
See Kidnapper/Page 2
G R A D UAT I O N
BY ALYSSA RECK For the Daily Call HOUSTON — An honor for a Boy Scout is becoming an Eagle Scout upon completion of an Eagle Scout Project. Kyle Patterson, a senior at Houston High School, recently completed his project and will be having his Court of Honor in the near future. After the ceremony, he will be given the title of an Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts, but achieving this rank is not an easy task. It requires a Boy Scout to complete each scout level, earn 21 merit badges, serve six months in a leadership position, and take part in a scoutmaster conference. The scout must also plan and complete a project for a religious organization, community, or school, and successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review. Patterson revolved his project around the Houston Community Center, where he and volunteers re-stained the shelter building, painted handicap spots, mulched and more. He chose this location for his project because he has volunteered there previously. “The project was a challenge, but it was a wonderful goal to meet,” Patterson said. “My advice for other scouts is to stick with it, because the rank of Eagle Scout is a wonderful achievement.” Patterson will be attending Shawnee State University in the fall.
poster child for the worst of the worst unlawful pregnancy terminator,” Berman said. Adding other crimes, such as kidnapping or rape, to aggravated murder is how death penalty charges are brought in Ohio. Castro, 52, is accused of kidnapping the three women when they were in their teens or early 20s and holding them in his
job,” Miller said. Though this is his first year as Covington High School principal, Miller enjoyed getting to know the students. Just a couple days later at 2 p.m. May 26, 2013, the 85 members of the 2013 graduating class walked into Hobart Arena
in red and black, caps and gowns. Family, friends, and educators gathered in the chairs and stands showing their support. The C.H.S. Symphonic Band, led by director Luke R. Brinkman, played the prelude and processional to the ceremony. Miller then introduced Board of Education members and other honored guests, before calling senior class president, Trent Tobias to lead the invocation. Covington Exempted Village Schools superintendent, David Larson welcomed the crowd. “It is the hard work and determination of the graduates we celebrate today,” Larson said. Covington co-valedictorian Bryant Hicks, made two points during his speech. The first spoke about intelligence and how it is not necessarily measured by grades, but is determined by the amount of effort one puts into what they do. The second point involved stress. “I learned to not sweat
State flags to fly at half-staff
COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. John Kasich has ordered all flags be flown at h a l f staff on Memorial Day in honor of those w h o g a v e their lives in service to the United States. The governor's Memorial Day resolution says the flags shall be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds in Ohio from sunrise until noon today. The resolution encourages all Ohioans to mark the day appropriately to remember the sacrifice of the men and women who have served their country. It also urges Ohioans to show gratitude to all those who wear the uniform of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and See Covington/Page 3 Coast Guard.
Williams ‘couldn’t have asked for better life’ MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTO
BY LAURA WILLIS For the Daily Call pdceditorial@civitasmedia.com
Miami East High School Principal Tim Williams, right, monitors class change at the high school last week. Williams will be retiring at the end of this school year.
CASSTOWN — After 31 years of being an educator, Tim Williams, principal at Miami East High School is retiring. “I couldn’t have asked for a better life,” said Williams, as he reflected on his three decades of being an educator. As Williams described his years of working in education, his main topic was the relationships he experienced with staff, students and community members. See Williams/Page 3
Project Purple to sponsor 5K fundraiser race BY ALYSSA RECK For the Daily Call pdceditorial@civitasmedia.com PIQUA — Piqua Junior High School’s Character Education committee will be hosting “Run for Project Purple 5K” to raise money to bring former NBA player and motivational speaker, Chris Herren, to Piqua Junior High School. The 5K run will take place at 7:30 p.m., June 13, at Alexander Stadium, adjacent to Piqua High School. “The Character Education committee chose Chris Herren because he had everything we
were looking for,” said Brandi Clark, a member of the Character Education committee and educator at Piqua Junior High School. Project Purple, a branch of The Herren Project, is an anti-substance abuse program developed to raise awareness of substance abuse and provides knowledge on addiction treatment options. “The committee was looking for something that would take our program one step further,” Clark said. Through bringing Herren to Piqua Junior High, the committee hopes to start a “Project Purple” team. “It is important that these kids
have something that makes them proud of who they are,” Clark said. The 5K race course will begin at Alexander Stadium, wind towards Edison and then return to Alexander Stadium. The course is fast and flat. Strollers and dogs on leashes are welcome. The race will be timed by Speedy Feet Racing, beginning with the start gun to chip finish. During the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the race, awards will be given to the top three male and female participants in each age category. There will be door prizes and post-race snacks. To register for the “Run for
For home delivery, call 773-2725
Project Purple 5K” go to Speedyfeet.com or mail a form to Brandi Clark, 1 Tomahawk Trail, Piqua, OH 45356. Participants who preregister by June 3 will get a tshirt. Cost of pre-registration is $20. Those wanting to participate, but unable to pre-register can come the day of the race. The cost will be $22. Any further questions can be directed to Clark via phone at (937) 216-8723, or email clarkb@piqua.org, or Jeff Coudron, (937) 361-6825. Further information regarding The Herren Project can be found at: www.theherrenproject.org.
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