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14 to be inducted into Ranger Hall of Fame See page 15 M
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...I do not believe that the general populous really knows how bad this is. Len Syrek See page 4
S.C.R.A.P.
Fans of antique tractors, cars, and machinery got an eyeful at the annual S.C.R.A.P. (Sandusky County Restorers of Antique Power) Festival, held last weekend in Gibsonburg. The event included live bluegrass music, a flea market, and a kiddie tractor pull. (Press photo by Russ Lytle)
Ex-sergeant goes to Supreme Court By J. Patrick Eaken Press Staff Writer news@presspublications.com Convicted child molester Danny Wyatt Newton has filed a writ to have his conviction and sentence reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Airman Basic Newton was found guilty by a jury of enlisted military personnel of attempted sodomy upon a child under 12 years of age, conspiracy to obstruct justice, indecent liberties, and sodomy upon a child under 12 years of age during a general court martial proceeding convened at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, on December 21, 2010. The victim was his then-eight-yearold stepdaughter. The East Toledo native and 1995 Waite High School graduate, previously a staff sergeant, received a dishonorable discharge, confinement of 25 years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and reduction in rank to E-1. Newton is currently at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, serving his sentence. On October 1, 2013, the United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the findings of guilty and the sentence. Military appeals exhausted, Newton’s next course of action was to file the writ to the U.S. Supreme Court. The
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Saying it wanted to clarify its priorities, Oak Harbor Village Council indefinitely tucked away a private organization’s newest proposal for downtown revitalization. Legislation for a Downtown Revitalization Riverfront Overlay District came before council for a second reading at Monday’s regular meeting. But after a lengthy - and often heated - discussion, council voted 4-2 to table the issue. The district is an amendment to current zoning regulations that would open doors to private business owners’ expansion plans downtown, especially along the banks of the Portage River. The legislation paves the way for things such as gazebos, outdoor seating, bait shops, river walkways and even an amphitheater. But the district’s introduction took a troubling turn in recent weeks as the public confused the role of the village in future downtown development. “I personally think we should put it on the burner,” Councilwoman Sue Rahm insisted. “It has become a distraction for what we are trying to do. I have found no overwhelming support for it. I think it would be an injustice to residents of Oak Harbor.” Rahm explained the village had generated positive momentum in the last six months by finding a new administrator, hiring a different engineering firm to address major flooding problems and working to keep the budget in line in tight times. “People had hope we were on the right track,” she said, noting she had felt a shift in community spirit from the days when she collected signatures for her run for council last fall and heard endless complaints from disgruntled residents. The zoning request is merely a tool that would allow private businesses to possibly make changes that could trigger economic growth downtown, Mayor Bill Eberle said. A majority of residents think the village is driving this revitalization with taxpayer dollars, Rahm said. And that is not true, no matter what they believe, she emphasized. The village has no financial ties to any revitalization projects, Administrator
Supreme Court has set September 29 for his writ to be “distributed to conference.” If the court chooses not to hear Newton’s argument, another writ can be filed. The writ refers to constitutional issues relating to how the military court and military police handled evidence and other issues. Virginia police officer Allen Perry, who is helping with legal research, alleges that the military police violated Newton’s constitutional rights repeatedly. He said he saw military police get away with procedures that he could never get away as a policeman in a civil setting. Perry says he witnessed constitutional
Former Air Force Staff Sergeant Danny Wyatt Newton. violations first hand during search warrants and an alleged illegal strip search by military police of Newton’s wife, Sherry, before she entered the courtroom. “I could never in a million years get away with that, and neither can they,” Perry said. “You can’t just go sue them (military police in a military court) because they violated your constitutional rights, and it’s not because you joined the military and don’t have constitutional rights. That’s not the case. You don’t burn the constitution when you join the military.”
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