T
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 138 Edition 41
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
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Two arrested after 14-month-old’s death By Dave Pearce Two Mount Vernon people were arrested and one remains in the Posey County Jail after a 14-month-old child passed away after being in the couple’s care on Wednesday. Mount Vernon Police say Richard Kennedy and Samantha Burris are facing charges after 14-month-old Nyla Brantley required medical care and later died after the two were arrested and the child had been transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Police arrested Kennedy and Burris on Wednesday. Both are from Mount Vernon.
According to information from the Posey County Jail, Burris bonded out between the time she was arrested on Wednesday and the time the baby died on Saturday evening in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She remained out on bond on Sunday evening. The couple had been booked into the Posey County Jail on charges of neglect of a dependent. Kennedy and Burris were allegedly driving the child to the hospital around 2 p.m. Wednesday when they called 911. According to Mount Vernon Police, ambulance
Samantha Burris Richard Kennedy crews were called for a 1-year-old with medical problems.
NH council OKs sale of unused properties
The arrested couple told police said they were trying to make it to a hospital in Evansville before making the call. Police say neither Kennedy nor Burris are a parent of the child. They do say however, that both knew at least one parent of the infant. The arrest came after Brantley was taken to a local hospital with medical problems. She died Saturday night just before 8 p.m. at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Investigators are working to see what, if any, additional charges may be added.
Online auction raises $4,800 for recently killed mother
By Lois Mittino Gray At the September 18, New Harmony Town Council meeting, By Pam Robinson President Alvin Blaylock reported The “Online Auction for Heather Wease” raised the North Posey School District re$4,800 “with no expense involved,” Marrs Elementary plied to the letter sent by the counSchool Principal Greg DeWeese reported Wednesday. cil offering them the former New Organized by Marrs parent Erin Harmony School property. North Vincent, the online Facebook Posey MSD has no interest in the auction featured over 50 donated property, so Blaylock noted the items stored at Marrs, DeWeese next step in the process is to set a explained. He said bidders comminimum bid for it to try to sell it. mented on the item(s) they wantThese minimum bids must then be ed to win from 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, advertised for a maximum of sixty October 2. days. The $4,800 raised came in on Councilman Roger Wade sugtop of donations already turned gested a minimum bid of $75,000 into the Marrs Elementary School for the three lots on South and office. The office had delivered Steammill Streets that were the $1,500 so far in cash and checks, Heather Wease former Tree of Life Doctor’s ClinDeWeese said, to Schneider Fuic and a minimum bid of $360,000 neral Home in Mount Vernon to defray funeral expenses for the former school property. He for Wease. then made a motion to that effect. “It’s just a huge community outpouring of support and Councilman Gary Watson secpeople wanting to help. Many of them don’t have kids at onded the motion. In discussion, Marrs or are familiar with the family. They just want to Councilman David Flanders asked help a family in need.” for a division of the question, so Erin Vincent, organizer of the event, says about Heaththe three residential properties can er Wease, “I didn’t know her at all. I had never met her in be voted on separately from the my life.” The circumstances of the car accident that took school building. It was agreed to Wease’s life moved Vincent to action. do so. “What prompted me to organize the auction — my A vote was taken on the three Little Autumn McGillam gives a big hug to the fireman dalmatian in the mom and [two] children were about to pull out of Marrs lots on South and Steammill yard of her Poseyville home. The Poseyville Fire Department held an open at the same time [as Heather Wease]. They saw it all hapStreets and Councilmen Alsop, house on Sunday. Photo by Dave Pearce Wade, Watson, and Blaylock voted Continued on Page A12 aye, while Flanders voted nay. On the minimum bid set for the former school property, the vote was unanimous to use the $360,000 figure and sell. Flanders opted to vote no on the sale of the three clinic properties right now because he said he would like the town to get some experience selling the school property By Lois Mittino Gray recent fatality at Marrs,” School Board member report,” he said. The cleanup will range from first, possibly using a broker. “We The Mount Vernon School Board at its Oc- Joe Rutledge observed. “They changed pickup $6,500 to $8,000 in cost, depending on equipreally don’t have a plan yet for the tober 1, meeting adopted the 2019 budget, routes and made the area safer for the long ment rental fees. three residential properties and I discussed advertised tax levy and rates, air term. I really appreciate it.” The board adopted its 2019 budget of quality at the junior high school, and the INSchool Superintendent Tom Kopatich said $28,513,748. The tax levy for that total is Continued on Page A12 DOT study after the recent fatality at Marrs the Indiana Department of Transportation is $12,647, 216, with a tax rate advertised at Elementary School. The meeting opened with doing a report on the area and looking into 1.2648. Most of the remainder of the money a presentation by Mount Vernon High School safety factors. Whenever there is a fatality, the comes from the State of Indiana at a per pupil junior students, Kenzie Paul and Emma Yar- possibility of installing a light at the intersec- rate. A public hearing was held on September ber, with Business teacher, Kevin Krizan. They tion is studied. He said he will inform the board 17 to get community input and it was advertised shared some experiences from their April trip of its findings as soon as he gets the report. in local papers. After this adoption, it is sent to Check out this year’s to the International DECA Competition in AtAfter parental calls amid concerns for the un- the Department of Local Government Finance United Way Pacesetters lanta, Georgia where Kenzie placed fourth and sightly mold growth on the ceiling of the junior for review. At that time, the DLGF will set the placed eleventh overall in the Stock high school gym, Dr. Kopatich announced that final income projections and tax rates and the in today’s edition. Story Emma Market Simulation Game. The board gave the the ceiling will be cleaned over Fall Break by debt service fund levy. and photos on page B6 students kudos for their outstanding success at the environmental cleanup HASCO Company. Local citizen Bill Newman asked questions the national level. “We asked them to take a swab test again while of Director of Business Loren Evans, who pre“I was very impressed by the rapid response they are way up there to assess the air qualContinued on Page A12 the school administration made to address the ity and mold spores. Last time, we had a good
Mount Vernon School Board applauds Marrs’ rapid response to recent fatality
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Message from the Mayor: Businesses and residences along Fourth Street are asked not to mow their lawns on Wednesday, October 10. INDOT will be paving the other side of Fourth Street that day. Grass clippings got into the surface topping when they paved the opposite side earlier this year.
More information on these and other events inside today’s Posey County News (USPS 439-500)
Two arrested after allegedly using Facebook to sell meth Special to The News Indiana State Trooper John Davis was recently contacted by an individual that had been contacted by another individual via Facebook Messenger about purchasing a quarter gram of meth for $400. After communicating with Trooper Davis, the individual agreed to purchase the meth to assist law enforcement and set up a location for the transaction. The person allegedly selling the meth agreed to meet his new client on State Road 61 near Dogwood Lane north of Boonville and would
be driving a burgundy Toyota Camry. Troopers were in the area that day. Davis observed the driver of the Toyota Camry abruptly turn left into a private driveway without signaling. Davis initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver as Stephen Robinson, 46, of Cynthiana, and his passenger as Alison Roettger, 32, of Chandler. When Robinson was instructed to exit the vehicle officers observed a small plastic bag containing meth on the front seat where
Continued on Page A12
Robinson
Roettger