Pulaski County’s new veterans service officer will soon be able to start seeing clients, but what he will get paid still remains to be seen. Brent Frain told the county commissioners Monday that he passed the state’s certification test last week.
Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker
The Pulaski County Commissioners will
consider a few requests from the EMS Department tonight. EMS Director
Brandon DeLorenzo is expected to ask for on-call rules to be added to
the county’s policy manual. He’ll also ask for an increase in mileage
fees and permission to buy fuel from Good Oil.
The expectations for Pulaski County’s
next veterans service officer will be a little higher than originally
thought. The county commissioners announced Monday that two people
have applied for the open position. But Tom White, the northwest
district officer for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, says
the state has a number of requirements that aren’t explicitly listed
in the county’s job description.
Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker
The Pulaski County Commissioners are
expected to appoint a new veterans service officer tonight. Tom White
with the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs is scheduled to be at
tonight’s meeting to discuss the position.
The Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction and sentence against Jack Haut.
Haut was found guilty by a jury of a Class C Felony charge of Reckless Homicide and was sentenced to eight years in prison. A jury found that Haut had driven his pickup truck on U.S. 35 north of Knox and into the path of a motorcycle driven by Tom White, who died from injuries in that accident. Haut claimed he had no recollection of that event and chemical tests proved that he had controlled substances in his body at the time of the accident. A police officer had testified during the trial that Haut appeared intoxicated at the scene.
The Court of Appeals noted in their decision that sufficient evidence supported his conviction and the court upheld the jury’s decision and the judge’s sentence.
Judge Kim Hall gave Jack Haut a stiff sentence yesterday afternoon in the Starke Circuit Court. Hall described Haut as “a despicable human being that deserves far more than the eight years for killing another man,” and Prosecutor Nick Bourff said he was a “medicated menace.”
More than a year after the incident, Jack Haut is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow. On July 22, Haut was found guilty of Reckless Homicide, a Class C felony after his truck struck the motorcycle of Tom White on July 2, 2010, killing him in the crash. The crash occurred on U.S. 35.
In the state’s argument, Bourff said that Haut was driving recklessly, forcing drivers off the road, speeding, and driving in the opposite lane of traffic. After Haut passed two vehicles on U.S. 35, he pulled back into his normal lane of travel, but veered back to the opposite lane where he struck the motorcycle of Tom White. No brake lights were seen by witnesses, and there was no testimony that would indicate why Haut did not recall anything from the accident or afterward.
For the defense, they said that this was a tragic accident. Haut’s speed could not be determined by the state crash reconstructionist, and the coroner said that the injuries were consistent with highway speeds. They argued that the medication in Haut’s system, including Dilata, Oxycodone, and Xanax, were not abused, but were in fact within the therapeutic range prescribed by a physician. No alcohol was involved in the accident.
Haut will be sentenced tomorrow in the Starke Circuit Court at 11 a.m.
The second day of the trial of Jack Haut in Starke Circuit Court ultimately ended in a verdict for one count of Reckless Homicide, a Class C felony after his truck struck the motorcycle of Tom White, killing him. After a brief deliberation, the 12-person jury returned with a guilty verdict, and Haut’s sentencing is set for August 17th at 11:00 a.m.