IDS 6 Tuesday, March 29, 2016
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Suspect admits to rape of child By Samantha Schmidt schmisam@umail.iu.edu | @schmidtsam7
IU Coach Tom Crean announced Monday sophomore guard Robert Johnson, junior forward Collin Hartman and freshman forward Juwan Morgan will all undergo surgery in the coming weeks. Crean announced this on The Ride with JMV, a daily radio show hosted by John Michael Vincent on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis. “We have three guys who have to have surgery here in the next few weeks,” Crean said on the radio show. “That’s a level of toughness that these guys are carrying around and I’m unbelievably proud to be part of it with them.” Johnson will undergo surgery to repair an ankle injury originally suffered Feb. 20 in a 77-73 win against Purdue. He missed the final three games of the regular season as well as IU’s opening Big Ten Tournament loss against Michigan. Johnson returned to play March 17 in IU’s first round NCAA Tournament win against Chattanooga.
HALEY WARD | IDS
When Shaylyn Ammerman was taken from her crib early Wednesday, she was still alive and dressed. Her lifeless, bare body would be found almost two days later, laid neatly next to a tree by the banks of the White River, northeast of Gosport, Indiana. The course of events between Shaylyn’s disappearance and death were finally made clear Monday when Kyle Parker, 22, was charged with raping, strangling and murKyle Parker dering the toddler after kidnapping her from her home. Parker also faces charges for child molesting, aggravated battery, strangulation, obstruction of justice and failure to report a dead body. On Monday, Shaylyn’s grandmother, Tamara Morgan, said she was “just disgusted.” In an interview with investigators Sunday, Parker admitted he drove Shaylyn toward Gosport, Indiana, in a maroon Pontiac Grand Am on Wednesday morning. Along the way, Parker told investigators, he pulled over and raped Shaylyn in the front seat of his vehicle while she was still alive. The doctor who conducted Shaylyn’s autopsy Friday, Dr. Donna Stewart, said this was the “worst case of sexual trauma” she has seen in her career, according to the affidavit. Parker admitted to murdering Shaylyn by smothering her with a cloth he had in his vehicle. He then drove her body to the place where she was later found. He used bleach to clean off her body in an attempt to destroy his DNA, he told authorities. Investigators also found a burn pile next to the body, which they believed contained her clothing: a white onesie decorated with owls. Parker appeared in the charging hearing via a video conference Monday. With his hands crossed on a table in front of him, the man sat emotionless as Owen County Circuit Court Judge Lori Thatcher Quillen read him his charges and possible jail time — a maximum of more than 200 years. Parker pleaded not guilty to his charges and asked for a public defender. Quillen appointed Jacob Fish to represent him. Parker’s preliminary trial date is scheduled for Aug. 10. Parker is being held in the Owen County Jail and is not eligible for bail. The night Shaylyn went missing, Parker, a friend of Shaylyn’s uncle, Adam Ammerman, was at the house on the 400 block of West
SEE BASKETBALL, PAGE 6
Sophomore guard Robert Johnson shoots during practice before IU plays Chattanooga on March 16 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Johnson will have surgery to repair an ankle injury suffered near the end of the season.
SEE PARKER, PAGE 6
PHOTOS BY STELLA DEVINA | IDS
Left Monica Green talks with her future husband, Michael Johnson, on Wednesday at the Neal-Marshall New Director Meet and Greet. The couple announced they will marry in June. Right Monica Green was selected as the new director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. She began her new position March 14. The Office of the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Muticultural Affairs welcomed her with a Meet and Greet event Wednesday at the Bridgewaters Lounge of The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.
A fresh face Monica Green begins her work as director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center after the position was open for six months. See page 6 for the story MEN’S BASKETBALL
3 players to have surgery in coming weeks By Michael Hughes michhugh@indiana.edu | @MichaelHughes94
Annual state-wide tornado drill tests IU Notify system By Sarah Gardner gardnese@indiana.edu | @sarahhhgardner
As tornado sirens sounded all over the state last Tuesday, emails and texts were sent to every student’s phone and computer as part of the annual IU Notify test. The tornado drill was part of Indiana’s Severe Weather Preparedness Week. The drill provides an opportunity to test the IU emergency alert system, said Marge Abels, emergency management and continuity program manager. “We’re entering the time of year when a tornado is more likely,” said Ken Long, interim director of emergency management. “This is a good opportunity to test our own systems and adjust to any problems we might be having.” This is also the time of year the delivery system for IU Notify is brought under review, Abels said. Every spring, Rave Mobile Safety, the current system IU uses, is
compared to other systems that might perform better or be more cost effective. The system delivered 25,272 text messages in four minutes and 52 seconds for the Bloomington campus during Tuesday morning’s tornado drill. 93,415 emails were delivered in 16 minutes and 22 seconds. The drill received generally positive feedback, with 68 percent of surveyed students reporting they were satisfied with IU Notify’s role in the drill, Abels said. “To everyone on campus, though, the system used doesn’t matter,” Abels said. “The data in the message is the same, and the data is what we try to adjust to make it as useful as possible.” IU Notify releases two different types of alerts, Abels said. Crime alerts are released for Clery Act reportable crimes, and emergency alerts are released for any situation considered urgent for student safety.
“When we have a crime that has to be reported under Clery, we look at how urgent the situation is and whether anyone is in immediate danger,” IU Police Department Capt. Andy Stephenson said. “If it’s not urgent, we can spend a little time finding more information to pass along.” According to the IU Critical Incident Communications Plan, there are templates in place for 14 different types of emergencies, including armed or active shooters, bomb threats, earthquakes, explosions, fires, floods, utility failure and severe storms. The most common complaint from students is the emergency alerts don’t always have enough relevant information, Abels said. “But when a situation is ongoing, sometimes not everything is available right away, so maybe all we know is that there is someone with a weapon but not what they’ve done,” Abels said. “And it’s important to
balance informing the public and not creating panic.” On the other end of student complaints is the claim there are too many IU Notify alerts during a developing emergency, Abels said. But because IU has a larger number of students and faculty on campus at any given time than the rest of IU’s eight campuses, it would be too difficult to create targeted messages for certain populations, Abels said. “If it’s dangerous for one student, it’s important enough for us to alert everybody,” Abels said. Abels said the IU Notify drills and tests can be used to try out different ways to balance these concerns. Even the real crime alerts can be used to test the system, especially at the beginning of the year, Abels said. “Each time we have to send out an alert, we learn more about what we should or shouldn’t do,” Abels said. “The more input we have, the better we get at it.”
IU Notify delivered
25, 272 text messages in
4:52 and sent
93, 415 emails in
16:22 68 percent of surveyed students reported they were satisfied with IU Notify’s role in the drill.