Evansville Man Arrested after Morning Chase

Pike County – Wednesday morning, September 20, at approximately 8:51 a.m., Trooper Manning was patrolling SR 64 near Meridian Road when he observed the driver of a 1996 Ford Ranger traveling east at 94 mph. Trooper Manning attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused and continued east on SR 64 at a high rate of speed before turning onto CR 550 South and then north on CR 100 East. The driver disregarded the stop sign at CR 475 South and continued traveling west toward Meridian Road.  The driver attempted to turn south onto Meridian Road but struck a guy wire for a utility pole causing the vehicle to roll over. The driver, identified as Henry DeWeese, 57, of Evansville, was taken into custody without further incident. DeWeese did receive minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville where he was treated and released. DeWeese is currently being held on bond in the Pike County Jail.

Arrested and Charges:

  • Henry G. DeWeese, 57, Evansville, IN

  1. Resisting Law Enforcement, Level 6 Felony

  2. Habitual Traffic Violator, Level 6 Felony

  3. Reckless Driving, Class B Misdemeanor

Arresting Officer: Trooper Hunter Manning, Indiana State Police

Assisting Agency: Pike County Sheriff’s Office

All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

IECC Board Of Trustees Meeting Summary

The Board of Trustees of the Illinois Eastern Community College District No. 529 met Tuesday night, September 19th at Olney Central College, Olney, Illinois.

The Board approved the 2024 Fiscal Year Budget which projected $34,481,671 in total operating funds. The budget was approved following a public budget hearing.

The Board accepted the FY2023 Student Complaint Annual Review and the 2023 Annual Security Report. Board approval was given for revisions to the following policies:

• Information Technology (IT) Change Management Policy 200.3 to ensure a consistent and systematic approach to modifying IT resources.

• Campus Safety and Security Policy 500.17 which reaffirms IECC’s commitment to complying with the Clery Act.

The Board approved First-Year Housing Policy 500.40 which is a new policy that requires first-time, full-time students whose primary residence falls more than 60 miles outside District 529 boundaries to reside in college-affiliated housing during their initial academic year at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. The policy also contains circumstances in which exemptions would be granted.

A 5-year tax abatement resolution to incentivize residential and commercial development in the Robinson Crawford County Enterprise Zone was approved by the Board.

The bid committee recommendation was approved for acceptance of the bid received from Grunloh Building, Inc., Effingham, IL in the amount of $2,400,330 for the Athletic Training Facility at Lincoln Trail College.

The following personnel were employed: Denise Givens, TRIO Upward Bound Counselor, OCC effective September 25, 2023.

Changes in employment status effective September 25, 2023 were approved for Cassandra Goldman from Program Director of International Students to Dean of Students; Michael Conn from Dean of Instruction, OCC to Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning; Julie Auteberry from Adult Education Professional Development to TRIO Upward Bound Coordinator, WVC; Amanda Kotch from Coordinator, International Students, Athletics, & Student 2 Activities, FCC to Distance Learning Specialist, FCC; Reilly Baumgart from Director of Business, WVC to Payroll Coordinator; and Paula Peach from Part-time to Full-time Library Assistant, WVC.

Change in employment status was also approved for Amanda Nelson from TRIO Upward Bound Counselor, OCC to Academic Advisor, OCC effective October 9, 2023.

Under Personnel actions the Board approved Special Assignments for Andrea Loll as Temporary College Admissions Representative for LTC, Kaitlyn Weger as CARLI Library, Amy Tarr as Interim Dean of Instruction, OCC, and Chad Groves as Approver for LRC/ASC purchasing.

Approval of proposed non-college employment was given for Kristina Isaac at St. Vincent Ascension, Evansville, IN and Allendale School CCSD 17, Allendale, IL and Megan Bunnage at St. Vincent Evansville Women’s & Children’s Hospital. Educational level changes were approved for Steve Hnetkovsky and Sarah Bergbower.

Resignation ratifications were approved for Michael Patilla as Music Instructor, LTC effective December 31, 2023; Krista Barber as Nursing Instructor, OCC effective September 5, 2023; and Caleb Dunn as Operations & Maintenance, FCC effective September 15, 2023.

An honorable dismissal was approved for Ashley Bigard as Title III Project Director, OCC effective September 29, 2023 as the grant she administered for IECC came to its natural closure.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, October 17, at 6:15 p.m. at Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel.

Washington Man Arrested Twice In One Day

On 9/19/23 at 2:56 a.m., Mt. Carmel Police arrested Andrew S. Ellis, age 34, of Washington, Indiana following an incident at the apartments located at 1230 N Walnut Street.  Police were called to the scene when the victim reported Ellis repeatedly beating on their door off and on for the last two nights. The victim had a past relationship with Ellis and wanted these actions to stop.  The victim signed a complaint against Ellis for Disorderly Conduct resulting in his arrest.  Ellis was charged and later released on a Notice to Appear.  Later that day, at 11:34 a.m. officers responded to the Mt. Carmel City Park to handle a two-vehicle crash.  Upon arrival, officers learned that Ellis had caused the collision by slamming on his brakes causing the earlier complainant to strike his vehicle.  According to an uninvolved witness, the Ellis vehicle aggressively drove around the other driver to get in front of them before quickly stopping to cause the crash.  Ellis was placed under arrest for Reckless Driving and taken to the Wabash County Jail where he was charged.  Ellis was later released on a Notice to Appear.

Mt. Carmel Man Arrested On Criminal Trespass Charge

On 9/18/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Kevin E. Linson, age 63, of Mt. Carmel for Criminal Trespass to Real Property.  Linson had been given prior notice that he was prohibited from being on a property in the 700 block of N Market Street.  Linson ignored the letter and returned to the property.  A complaint was signed against Linson resulting in his arrest and later release on a Notice to Appear.

Multiple Charges Face Mt. Carmel Man

On 9/18/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested David A. Banks, age 59, of Mt. Carmel for Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Unlawful Use of Weapon and Possession of an Open Title following a traffic stop at 8th & Market Street.  Banks was stopped in his green Chevrolet truck after committing a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code.  During the stop, Ofc. Hopper and his K-9 Eleven responded to the scene to conduct a free air narcotics sniff around the exterior of the Chevrolet.  Eleven alerted to the presence of narcotics resulting in a search of the vehicle.  During the search, officers located a glass smoking device containing suspected methamphetamine residue and a small clear bag of suspected methamphetamine.  Officers also located a spring-loaded knife on Banks’ person.  Finally, officers discovered an unrelated open vehicle title within the truck.  Banks was placed under arrest and transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was issued the above charges.  Banks was later released on a Notice to Appear.  Banks is currently out on bond for Possession of Methamphetamine, Aggravated Battery and Burglary cases in three unrelated cases from 2023.

Traffic Stop Results In Arrest Of Princeton Man

On 9/19/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Johnathon I.M. Davis, age 33, of Princeton, Indiana for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Endangering the Life of a Child following a traffic stop at 4th & Market Street.  The stop was a result of a complaint from a concerned citizen about an alleged reckless driver operating a red Chevrolet truck.  Once the officer located the suspect vehicle, he observed a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code as well.  During the stop, the officer had suspicions that Davis may be under the influence of alcohol based on his observations and the driver’s behavior.  The officer requested Davis submit to a roadside sobriety check in which he agreed.  During this testing the officer noted several clues to indicate impairment resulting in Davis being placed under arrest.  Furthermore, three children were seated in the back seat of the truck resulting in the additional charge of endangerment.  Those children were turned over to a family member.  Davis was transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was processed for DUI, issued the above charges and turned over to jail staff for further processing. 

Evansville man arrested for driving on suspended license

On September 20, 2023, at 1:46 a.m. Gibson County Deputy Bart Wagner conducted a traffic stop on a Black 2016 Nissan Rogue for an equipment violation on US 41 near County Road 600 South.  Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Wagner identified the driver as 24 year old Jacob Benton of Evansville.  During a roadside investigation Deputy Wagner ran Mr. Benton through the Indiana Data And Communications System and discovered that Mr. Benton was operating his vehicle while his drivers license was suspended on a prior DWS conviction.  At the conclusion of the traffic stop Deputy Wagner placed Mr. Benton into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Driving While Suspended/Prior.  He remains in custody on a $650 bond. 
 
Assisting Deputy Wagner in his investigation was Sgt. Loren Barchett.
 
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Fort Branch woman arrested for battery

On September 19, 2023, at 7:11 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a 911 report of a disturbance that was occurring in the 6000 block of South Tara Lane outside of Fort Branch.  Upon arriving Deputy Michael Owens and Sgt. Loren Barchett located all parties involved in the disturbance and began an investigation into the incident.  During the investigation it was discovered that 29 year old Lindsay Brummett of Fort Branch had battered another individual during the incident.  At the conclusion of his investigation Deputy Owens placed Ms. Brummett into custody and transported her to the Gibson County Jail where she was charged with Battery.  She has since posted a $650 bond.
 
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

District #348 Science Test Scores Above State Average

Wabash District #348 superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer delivered positive test score news to the school board at their monthly meeting Monday night. Bleyer said the good news comes in science scores from state tests administered to 5th, 8th, and 11th graders...

DR. CHUCK BLEYER ON SCIENCE SCORES #1

Bleyer saluted the hard work of teachers for the high scores....

DR. CHUCK BLEYER ON SCIENCE SCORES #2

 

Bleyer's report came at Monday night's school board meeting.