A deluge of posts came into the comment area on the WKVI Discussion Board about the story on Lisa Owens yesterday. Owens is the woman who is reportedly going to get an early release from prison after being convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter in the death of her husband in 2001. Owens was sentenced to 40 years by then Starke Circuit Court Judge David Matsey after being found guilty of shooting and killing her husband in the shower. Current Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall was the Prosecutor in the case.
A special Prosecutor will be called in for the trial of Kimberly Hitchens and John Brooke. Hitchens appeared before Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall on Friday where the defense requested a special Prosecutor for the proceedings due to a conflict of interest. Judge Hall granted the request. The special Prosecutor has not yet been named.
Judge Hall also granted a request that would combine Hitchens’ trial with John Brooke. Hitchens trial was to begin this month. The combined trial will begin Monday, February 21st.
Here are a few of the stories that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
Megan Smithson, 19, of Illinois, died in an auto accident Sunday afternoon at the intersection of State Road 10 and State Road 35 in Starke County. Police say she pulled out onto US 35 and into the path of a vehicle driven by Tony Wagner of Winamac.
We heard from three of the four Starke County Councilmen who attended their last meeting December 20th. Chuck Estok, Bill Dulin, and Bruce Fingerhut (pictured right) said that they enjoyed working with the people of Starke County.
Gerald L. Broude, Jr. was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court, Tuesday. Judge Kim Hall sentenced him to 50 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. A jury had found him Guilty on four counts of Child Molestation on December 1st.
Ken Singleton, 38, of Knox, was arrested on Friday, December 24th on nine felony charges. The State of Indiana has charged Singleton with one count of Child Molesting, a Class A Felony; three counts of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor, a Class B Felony; two counts of Incest, a Class B Felony; and three counts of Incest, a Class C Felony.
When it happened, it rocked the County. A Starke County woman had been brutally attacked and killed by her estranged husband. Mary Wireman had been at home when her husband Ernest stabbed her. Following that, he went to his step-son’s house and attempted to murder him, too.
Superior Court Judge Patrick Blankenship swears Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall into office
The Starke County Republican elected officials were sworn into office last night in the Starke County Circuit Courtroom. Superior Court Judge Patrick Blankenship swore in Judge Kim Hall. Judge Hall then swore in the rest of the candidates.
“It was a wonderful evening and a great opportunity to place these fine folks under oath to faithfully and impartially perform their duties,” said Judge Hall.
Gerald L. Broude, Jr. was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday morning. Judge Kim Hall sentenced Broude, Jr. to 50 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. He was given 50 years on each of the three Class A Felony counts of Child Molestation, and eight years on one count of Child Molestation, a Class C Felony. The sentences will run concurrently for a total of 50 years.
The mother of the victim gave a victim impact statement this morning and Broude, Jr. maintained his innocence in his statement to the Court. Judge Hall found his actions to have a severe impact on the victim and the family and classified him as a sexually violent predator.
The number four story of 2010 is the Republican resurgence in Starke County.
Long a bastion of Democrat government, the Republicans rode the wave of national sentiment to local success. The major impact will be felt on the Starke County Council where the Republicans won three of four seats up for election. Tony Radkiewicz defeated longtime council member Chuck Estok, Mitchell Semans defeated Becky Ferch in a seat that had been held by Dan Awald, and Dave Pearman defeated E.J. Rogers in the seat held by Bill Dulin.
Judge Kim Hall beat back a challenge by former Judge David Matsey by a wide margin.
The state races went Republican, as did the U.S. Senate Race that saw Dan Coats return to the senate by a wide margin. Democrat Representative Joe Donnelly was returned to his seat with a narrow victory over Jackie Walorski, and Democrat Nancy Dembowski got by Frances Ellert for the 17th District House seat. Both candidates, though, blamed the votes that went to the Libertarian candidates for their defeats.
The Republicans gave notice in Starke County that the GOP Party is back, and to be reckoned with in the future.
Judge Hall discusses the lighting in the Courtroom with Greg Scarpone from M&I Engineering in Indianapolis
A meeting was held in the Starke County Courthouse, Thursday, between the engineer, contractor, two Commissioners and Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall to assess the new lighting in various rooms, including the Starke Circuit Courtroom.
Some of the installation of lighting in the rooms controlled by the Judge was deemed to be unfinished, or unsatisfactory, by Judge Hall.
John Brooke, a suspect in events surrounding a shootout at Bass Lake in February, and his attorney, Dale Allen, told Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall Monday afternoon that they have failed to come to a satisfactory plea agreement with the court so they will move forward to trial.
The trial will begin on Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. CT and will last the week. Allen said there could be up to 50 witnesses called to take the stand. A final status hearing will be held on January 26th to ensure all paperwork is prepared for trial.
A jury found John Loftus, Jr. Guilty on four out of five charges against him in a trial this week in Starke Circuit Court. The jury deliberated nearly an hour-an-a-half. The trial lasted nearly two days.
Loftus, Jr. was found Guilty on the following charges: Domestic Battery with a Child Present, a Class D Felony; Resisting Law Enforcement, a Class A Misdemeanor; Battery, a Class A Misdemeanor; and Battery, a Class B Misdemeanor. He was found Not Guilty on a charge of Attempted Robbery, a Class C Felony.
Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.
Diana Jedynak, 67, died of fire related injuries after her home caught fire early Monday morning in Washington Township. Indiana State Fire Marshal, Fred Sumpter, said the investigation into the cause of the fire was postponed due to the weather conditions and the integrity of the structure.
Northwest Indiana Forum, Inc.
The Northwest Indiana Forum’s Board of Directors have voted to acknowldge the organization’s service territory to extend beyond Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Starke Counties to include Newton, Jasper and Pulaski Counties.
Starke Circuit Court Judge, Kim Hall, recently sentenced two offenders to the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Shawn Centers
Shawn Centers, 35, of Knox, plead guilty to a charge of Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony. In August, police executed a search warrant on a shed at 508 S. Shield St. where they recovered several items used to manufacture methamphetamine. Judge Hall sentenced Centers to 12 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. None of the sentence was suspended. The Judge recommended that Centers be placed into the DOC’s treatment program for methamphetamine.
Tom Berg is now the owner of the WKVI high game patch
WKVI’s “Airwaves Rollers” took 2 out of three this week during Tuesday night action at Bowlaway Lanes. With Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall subbing, Lenny Dessauer absent, and Pat Dunn in a two week slump, Tom Berg came to the rescue. Taking the “Rollers” high game patch away from Dunn with a 224 game, Berg paced the victors in game two. The WKVI Morning Man attributed his sterling performance to a wrist brace given to him by Dessauer and a pep talk from his mother Judy Collins of Indianapolis.
