Year in Review 2012
Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
Volume 135 Edition 52
Since 1882 y Times Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony (USPS 439-500)
“Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.”
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From our family to your’s... Ashley • Connie • Dave • The Kochs • Martin • Michelle • Pam • Steve • Valerie • Zach
L A I C SPE W E I V E R N I R A YE N O I T I ED Posey man convicted of attempted murder
McManomy to serve 20 to 50 years after completing a 15-year Kentucky sentence According to information released from Posey County Prosecutor Travis Clowers, a 26-year-old rural Posey County man will not be free again for a very long time. According to Clowers, a Posey County jury convicted Brandon McManomy Wednesday of attempted murder, aggravated battery, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and resisting law enforcement. He will now face a sentence in Indiana of between 20 and 50 years after he completes a 15-year sentence he is currently serving in Kentucky. McManomy was represented by Boonville attorney Mark Phillips. The seemingly routine arrest warrant was being served in rural northeastern Posey County in early 2011 when things went very wrong. McManomy was facing multiple charges in Kentucky and apparently stabbed himself when Posey County deputy sheriff Dan Montgomery and Indiana State Police Officer Kylen Compton entered the home to serve the arrest warrant. McManomy was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center by LifeFlight helicopter for treatment of serious injuries. Montgomery suffered a cut to the face in the incident that occurred at 1:30 p.m. Montgomery was taken to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville and received some 36 stitches to his face and throat area. Indiana State Police Information Officer Todd Ringle indicated that when the officers arrived, the father of the suspect gave the officers access to the home. “The father told the officers that the suspect was downstairs so the officers went downstairs to confront the suspect,” Ringle explained. “As soon as the officers got downstairs, they knew that the suspect did not want to go to jail. They were about 10 feet away and explained to the subject that they couldn’t go away and that they
had to take him to jail. At that point, the suspect grabbed a knife that he had on his possession. The knife was about four inches in length. He began to stab himself in the throat area. He stabbed himself multiple times in the throat area.” Ringle went on to say that Montgomery used a Taser on McManomy, and he went down immediately and the officers approached the suspect to take him into custody. However, he still had the knife in his hand and kept swinging the knife. The blade of the knife contacted Montgomery in the face and McManomy was Tased a second time. At that point, he was taken into custody and an ambulance was called for Montgomery and a helicopter was called to transport the suspect to St. Mary’s Hospital. Clowers and deputy prosecutor Jonathan Parkhurst were at the scene immediately upon hearing that an officer had been injured Clowers said his office helped police obtain a search warrant for the home at 10700 Yellow Leaf Drive in the Woodland Court Subdivision in the northeastern part of the county. Clowers confirmed that the arrest warrant had been issued from Calloway County, Ky., the home of Murray State University. He confirmed that McManomy was being charged with strong-armed rape and sodomy. McManomy faced charges of rape, sodomy, kidnapping, attempted assault and violating an order of probation issued in Indiana, according to an official in the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Calloway County. McManomy plead-
ed guilty to the lesser charges of first-degree criminal abuse and first-degree unlawful imprisonment in September after the victim consented to the plea deal. He is currently serving 15 years as the result of that charge. “Going into someone’s home and taking them to jail is probably one of the toughest jobs a police officer has to do,” Ringle told reporters. “Every single day, we know there is always the potential for a problem. We are going into someone’s home not knowing if there are weapons and if there are weapons, is that person going to use those weapons. It is a dangerous situation but is something that law enforcement officers have to do almost every single day.” The charges stemmed from an Aug. 31 incident in Murray. He was arrested on that charge on Sept. 2 in Vanderburgh County. According to Kentucky court records, the alleged victim in the rape case testified to a grand jury that she dated McManomy in 2009, but after he allegedly tried to sexually assault her, she obtained an emergency protective order against him. But she told a grand jury that she agreed to meet McManomy at the university’s Stewart Stadium parking lot after receiving several text messages from him. She said she got in his truck, and after he refused to let her out, he drove to a Best Western hotel where they struggled in his vehicle after he took her cell phone and pointed a knife at her. After driving around, he returned to the hotel and made her go into the room. She testified that McManomy put a blanket over her head, bound her hands and raped her.
McManomy
He then took her back to her car and promised not to contact her again, she said. McManomy had originally posted a $100,000 cash bond in that case, according to the Calloway County Clerk’s Office. But a warrant was issued for his arrest for violating the conditions of his bond, which included having no contact with the alleged victim or her family, no alcohol or drug use, no new arrests and requirements to periodically report to probation officials. McManomy has a lengthy record of criminal charges, according to Vanderburgh County court records. In April 2009, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge and was fined a dollar, after initially being arrested on a resisting law enforcement charge in October 2008. In December 2007, he was charged with attempted theft, criminal mischief and public intoxication. But he received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to the criminal mischief and public intoxication charges, and being ordered to repay an alleged victim. Also in December 2007, two felony theft charges against him were dismissed. In October 2006, he was arrested and accused of dragging an Indiana State trooper while speeding away during a traffic stop. That incident occurred after police were called to a home in Newburgh where McManomy allegedly broke a window, despite a protective order barring him from being on the property. The trooper stopped him 20 minutes later near Burkhardt Road and Virginia Street in Evansville. McManomy refused to get out of his car and sped off, dragging the trooper a short distance. The trooper was treated at a hospital and released.
Mount Vernon pays tribute to Randy Boyer, Hank Hudson By Pam Robinson Randy Boyer, five-term Mount Vernon School Board member, was honored for his 20 years of service at his last meeting, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Superintendent Tom Kopatich praised Boyer for his contribution in improving the school district and moving it forward while always putting MSD of Mount Vernon children first. In parting, Boyer thanked his community, previous and current board members, past and present administration, teachers and staff, the new board and his family, who filled the front row of the junior high meeting room. He advised the new board to show unity or, if not unity, respect to one another. Re-elected in November, board member Beth McFadin Higgins expressed her warm gratitude to Boyer for sharing his wisdom and experience during the past 8 years she has served with him. She praised his leadership as a great role model for board members. Also honored was community icon and retiring attorney Hank Hudson after 44 years of serving the MSD of Mount Vernon. Superintendent Tom Kopatich joked that Hudson became school attorney when Kopatich, who just turned 53, was 9 years old. In all seriousness, Kopatich saluted Hudson for his guidance and his tremendous knowledge of school law.
Hudson noted that the school district had only on a few occasions needed to draw on his representation. He stated that he was proud to have worked for and to have been associated with the MSD of Mount Vernon. Also present in the audience to wish Boyer and Hudson well were former MSD of Mount Vernon superintendents, Mel Levin and Keith Spurgeon. Former MSD of Mount Vernon math teacher, Clarence Nelson, will be sworn in as the newest school board member on January 7, 2013, at the board’s organizational meeting. Van Haaften & Farrar Law Offices have been selected as the new legal representatives for the school district. In other business: • President Heather Allyn opened the meeting with a few moments of silence for the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy, their families, and their community. • The board approved the addition of nine new courses for Mount Vernon High School beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. The courses will be offered at no additional cost for staff or
Hudson
PUBLISHER / EDITOR DAVID PEARCE
OFFICE MANAGER MICHELLE GIBSON
dpearce263@poseycountynews.com
news1@poseycountynews.com
SPORTS EDITOR STEVE KOCHERSPERGER
GENERAL MANAGER ZACH STRAW
sports@poseycountynews.com
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for materials: Advanced Three-Dimensional Design I, II, III, IV, V, VI; Ceramics I, II, III, IV, V, VI; Jewelry I, II, III, IV; Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio), Advanced Placement; Studio Art (3-D Design Portfolio), Advanced Placement; Sustainable Energy Alternatives; Veterinary Careers I (to replace Animal Science II); Veterinary Careers II; and Advanced Science, College Credit. • Building and Grounds Superintendent David Frye, along with Tony Wilson, was on hand for a brief presentation on the replacement of the high school boilers. Replacement is planned for summer 2013 with payment from the Capital Projects Fund. The current boiler, installed in 1986, will be replaced by four modular boilers. Energy efficiency rating will increase from the current 70 percent to 94 percent. The project will take about 6 to 8 weeks to complete after a proposed start date of May 1. The board granted permission to advertise for the project. • The board accepted the resignation of Andrea Allford as head coach for the high school volleyball team effective Dec. 1, 2012, and Andrew Hoehn’s resignation of half of his position as assistant high school wrestling coach effective Dec. 4, 2012.
Boyer
FEATURES EDITOR PAM ROBINSON WRITER / REPORTER VALERIE WERKMEISTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS THE DAVE & TERRI KOCH FAMILY
BOOKKEEPING CONNIE PEARCE Pocobooks@aol.com
STUDENT WORKER ASHLEY WHITFIELD VAN DRIVER MARTIN RAY REDMAN
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THE POSEY COUNTY NEWS 812-682-3950 • PO Box 397 • New Harmony, IN 47631 FAX 812-682-3944 • www.PoseyCountyNews.com
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