CRAWFORD/CLARK: Old York on the county line suffered massive flooding with water reaching into homes, the top of road signs, the bottom of mail boxes and over the axles of several vehicles which couldn’t be moved fast enough. Locals said the water sunk their tiny community almost overnight.

In light of the issues that have plagued the ECIMTD in recent months with the investigations into theft of funds and equipment reaching well into the six-figure range by Kami Miller from Chrisman, Ill., the trustees have determined it is no longer feasible to operate the District. They have plans, contingent on the Edgar and Clark county boards approval, of “merging” with RMT. This will help create a massive mass transit district consisting of 18 counties. Coles County is not interested.

The Edgar County Watchdogs wrote several articles last year (2012) on the investigations (many of which were featured in initial issued of Disclosure Heartland, available by back issue as well as online), and on the illegal trustee appointments to the district board, where a former Edgar County board member, Kevin Trogdon, resigned from that position. It appears the financial turmoil, coupled with the freezing of a grant from DOT/IDOT, was too much for the current district to handle.

RMT has been around for 36 years and formed the first Rural Mass Transit District in Illinois.

The ECIMTD Facebook page has not been updated since June of 2012 when the first of the revealing articles about Miller were published online at the Edgar County Watchdog’s site.

Police say on April 12, Jason D. Miller, 35, and Kerri Miller, 30, both of 3085 East 930th Road, Casey knowingly possessed with the intent to deliver more than 500 grams but less than 2,000 grams of a substance containing cannabis.

Jason Miller faces an additional charge of Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance when he had less than 15 grams of psilocybin (a naturally occurring hallucinogenic compound produced by more than 200 mushrooms), a controlled substance.

In September 2000 Jason Miller, convicted of Unlawful Possession of Meth more than 15 grams but less than 100 grams and Manufacturing/Delivering Cannabis 30 to 500 grams, was sentenced to six years in Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC).

Then in January 2004 he was convicted of Aggravated Battery of a Handicapped Person and Knowingly Damaging Property more than $300 but less than $10,000 and was sentenced to three more years and six months in DOC, 24 months probation and ordered to pay $300 in fines and fees.

Prison math being what it is, Jason Miller was out in time to be charged and convicted on December 2005 with Tampering with Anhydrous Ammonia Equipment and was sentenced to 30 months probation, which was added to his probation from the 2004 sentence and ordered to pay $2,372 in fines and fees of which he still owes $332.

Kerri Miller was released from custody April 15, after a $750 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Brad Sweet, of 102 E. Buckeye Apt. 5, Casey, with a preliminary hearing set for June 5.

Jason Miller was released from custody on April 24, after a $1,000 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Kerri Miller.

He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing set for May 29.

Unrelated weed

In an unrelated case a woman from Terre Haute, Ind. has been charged with Unlawful Possession with Intent to Deliver Cannabis.

Authorities say on April 16, Cortney E. Athey, 22, of 2200 Berne Avenue, Terre Haute, Ind. knowingly possessed with the intent to deliver more than 30 grams but less that 500 grams of a substance containing cannabis.

Athey was released from custody April 18, after a $1,500 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Mariame Morgan, of 13521 E. 1850th Rd., Marshall.

A pre-trial conference was scheduled in the case for June 24 with a jury trial set for July 9.

Sex offender charged with smoke

Dana L. Taylor, 50, of 3425 East 600th Road, Casey has been charged with Unlawful Possession of Cannabis.

Police say on March 14, Taylor knowingly possessed more than 30 grams, but less than 500 grams of a substance containing cannabis.

In October 2003 Taylor was convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and was sentenced to 18 months of probation and 30 days in jail, but the probation was revoked in August 2004 when Taylor was found guilty of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Taylor was sentenced to two years and six months in the DOC, along with an overall order to pay $1,638 in fines and fees.

Taylor is to appear in court on May 29.

The following is a message to us from David Finley of Lawrenceville:

If you are willing to do a little labor or donate supplies (cleaning supplies, canned goods, household items, clothes) toward the flooding at Old York, get ahold of me (David) or call me 812-887-9719 for pickup!  We will be getting a list gathered around throughout the day of what they and the kids need.

We can’t wait on FEMA; something needs to be started now!! Please call me (David) at 812-887-9719! Lets do this, folks!

Anyone wanting to help those in the flood at Old York – here is the list so far:
Buckets
TP
Baby Wipes
Paper Plates/Cups/Silverware
Mop Buckets
Bleach
Scouring pads
Sponges, assorted sizes
Scrub brushes
Cleaning towels (reusable, like Easy Wipes®)
Dry laundry detergent
Bottle of liquid concentrated household cleaner (like Lysol®)
Bottle liquid disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn®)
One package of 48-50 clothespins
Clothesline, 50 ft. or 100 ft.
Dust masks
Latex gloves (like Playtex®)
Work gloves
Putty Knives (Good for removing mud)
Trash Bags
Insect repellent
Any household items

David Finley will be in Old York area with a truck/trailer all day Saturday  (April 27, 2013) collecting items (will be in storage until water drains), Either get ahold of him on Facebook or call 812-887-9719 (David), and they will setup a time/place to pick up items. There’s been no word on clothing sizes yet; keep checking back.

Homes underwater in Old York yesterday (04.25.13)

From Teri Nash in Palestine, here is the list of what those affected by the flood in that area need:

Disaster Recovery Buckets
Here’s the list of things that go in to a bucket:

One five-gallon bucket with resealable lid
Five scouring pads
… Seven sponges, assorted sizes
One scrub brush
Eighteen cleaning towels (reusable, like Easy Wipes®)
One 50-78 oz. box dry laundry detergent
One 12 oz. bottle of liquid concentrated household cleaner (like Lysol®)
One 25 oz. bottle liquid disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn®)
One package of 48-50 clothespins
Clothesline, two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.
Five dust masks
Two pairs latex gloves (like Playtex®)
One pair work gloves
28-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags (30-45 gallon)
One 6-9 oz. bottle of insect repellent (pump, drops or lotion, not aerosol)

Place all liquids in new, unopened plastic bottles. Be sure to pack only new materials. Place all items in the plastic bucket, making sure they are packed securely to avoid damage during storage, and seal lid with packing tape.

An aerial view of Palestine underwater (yes, that is a cemetery, right of center) by Vicki May from her Facebook page

We’ll have more flood-related relief effort information as it becomes available; keep checking back.

(Please pardon the presence of my finger; this is a newer device for me to be shooting vid with and I’m not used to where the aperture is… )

We have more vids coming, including the river between Knox County in Indiana and Lawrence County in Illinois.

One of those ballot initiatives was held last year: the Edgar County Watchdogs petitioned to have the Clark-Edgar Rural Water District board be made elected positions, not appointed, as they had been appointed since their existence (22 years) and the corruption was rampant as a result.

Board members were found to be abusing funds for foolish items, as well as taking water tap-on deposits, sometimes hundreds of dollars for a single fee, and never providing water service to the payor.

With the placement of the choice for elected trustees on the ballot last November, the Watchdogs were able to secure spots on the Consolidated Election ballot for April 9 for water district trustees, and those were chosen at that time.

The candidates, winners

Those who ran, and their totals, are as follows:

Edgar County: Anita B. Wester, 255; Richard Wilken Jr., 201; Tom Jones, 357; Sandra Neal, 457; James Griffin, 425; Phil Adams, 358; Roger Brown, 333; Robert Bogue, 238; write-in David Sprigg, 180.

Clark County: Wester, 934; Wilken, 726; Jones, 1255; Neal, 1109; Griffin, 918; Adams, 1116; Brown, 1319; Bogue, 556; Sprigg, 244.

Overall totals by order of total votes, first seven are the trustees: Roger Brown, 1,652; Tom Jones, 1,612; Phil Adams, 1,474; James Griffin, 1,343; Anita B. Wester, 1,189; Richard Wilken Jr., 927; Robert Bogue, 794; David Sprigg, 424.

This means that while Brown, Jones, Adams and Griffin, trustees from the appointed board that were holdovers within the public’s mind and that they automatically voted for in April’s election, are once again on the board, continuation of more of the same might be put off by new members Anita Wester and Richard Wilken Jr.

The next step is for four of the new trustees to draw for four-year terms, and three of the new trustees to draw for two-year terms; this will take place at the May meeting.

Arguments raised over water district election

The issue of the water trustees prompted terrible backlash toward the Watchdogs from the public official crowd, namely, the county’s prosecutor, Mark Isaf, who put himself on the county’s board of elections when it came to questions about eligibility in the water district race, as well as who would be voting on the trustees.

Attending the board of elections meetings in January, the Watchdogs were then further subject to violations of their civil rights when Isaf refused to allow them to speak during the public input portion of the meeting.

An argument was made by Isaf that there was no public input portion of the meeting designated, therefore no one could speak, even upon request.

However, Illinois law shows that “any person has a right to speak at a public meeting, and any person shall be afforded that opportunity under any rules established and recorded by the public body. Failure of the public body to establish and record their rules does not negate the public’s right to speak and certainly does not allow the public body to disallow public comment at its meetings.”

Filed miscellaneous remedy case

The Watchdogs filed suit against the elections board in a miscellaneous remedy case in Edgar County.

The case is ongoing and has had at least a little activity—and success for the people—since its filing.

On April 8, after the board of elections (represented, not by Isaf as counsel, but by Mattoon attorney William McGrath) had filed for a motion of summary judgment to dismiss the Watchdogs’ case against them, the judge denied that motion.

He unfortunately also denied the Watchdogs’ cross-motion for summary judgment on the same day, meaning that the case is still being argued on its separate merits (as opposed to “summary,” wherein it was requested to be taken as a whole.)

The next hearing in the case is set for May 31 at 9 a.m. in Edgar County.

The case came to the attention of authorities last year after a juvenile and his parents filed complaints with the Casey City Police.

According to information filed in the case, the first pair of charges of Criminal Sexual Assault of a Victim 13-17 years of age perpetrated by an individual in a supervisory position were filed May 16, 2012 against Michael S. Lee, 30, of 606 North Emerald Ave., Mundelin.

Those charges are said to directly stem from the original complaints lodged by the juvenile and his parents.

Lee was taken into custody and housed in the county jail on $25,000 cash bond.

On June 11, 2012 he appeared in custody in open court and entered a plea of not guilty.

After a $25,000 check bond was posted July 3, 2012 by Michael Purcell, Lee was released with a GPS ankle monitoring device.

The next month, August 17, 2012 there were 11 additional counts of Criminal Sexual Assault and one count of Attempted Criminal Sexual Assault of a Victim 13-17 years of age perpetrated by an individual in a supervisory position were filed against Lee.

On March 4 a motion was filed for the production of “school and counseling” records.

That motion has yet to be heard.

March 6 Special Prosecutor Lorinda M. Lamken was named to the case.

Then on March 15 two additional charges were filed in the case.

The first charges Lee with yet another count of Criminal Sexual Assault alleging that on or about November 2011 he committed an act of sexual penetration with an underage victim (identified as James Doe) when he placed the victim’s penis in his mouth.

The second count charges Lee with Sexual Exploitation of a Child alleging that he performed the oral sex on a second victim identified as John Doe knowing that James Doe would view the act.

Lee entered a not guilty plea to the new charges in March 27.

On April 2 the prosecution received from Verizon a call and text detailed report presumably from Lee’s phone. A copy was provided to the defense.

With several jury dates vacated and kicked down the road there have been indications that a trial is very near at hand.

A motions hearing has been scheduled for April 22 to address all pending motions including 4,000 pages of crime lab reports as evidence.

A date for the jury trial could very well be set on the same day.

Police say on January 4, Steven M. Finkbiner, 35, of 310 S. 4th St., Marshall violated his bond when he was observed at the Marshall Dairy Queen located at 1213 N. Michigan Ave., by Angela Morris, a Dairy Queen employee, who had seen Finkbiner entering the restaurant with Corena Gordon, who as condition of a bond in Dec. 2012 he was ordered to stay away from.

The pair was observed ordering and paying for a meal together.

The pair was still together by the time officers arrived.

It appears the trouble started when officers advised Finkbiner he was under arrest for violating the conditions of his bail bond.

At about that time Finkbiner decided on his own he was not going to go quietly and be taken into custody.

The fracas ended up outside the Dairy Queen where one of the officers utilized a TASER to remove him from his vehicle.

Despite the sudden removal from his transportation, officers say Finkbiner continued to resist causing the officers to wrestle him to the ground.

Finkbiner was released from custody the same day after a $400 cash bond was posted on behalf of Michael Finkbiner, of 310 S. 4th St., Marshall.

A Pre-Trial has been set for Feb. 27 at 1:15 p.m.

Ohio man charged with weed

A young man from Ohio has been charged with Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver.

Authorities say on Jan. 11, Cory L. Lambert, 23 of 211 East Canal Street, Troy, Ohio knowingly and unlawfully had in his possession clonazepam and possessed with intent to deliver more than 10 grams but not more than 30 grams of a substance containing cannabis.

No other information, including where the alleged possession charges occurred, were included in Lambert’s file.

Lambert was released Jan. 13 after a $1,500 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Vivian J. Ward, of 746 Ohio Ave., Troy, Ohio.

Firearm discharged

An Indiana man has been charged with Aggravated Assault and Reckless Discharge of a Firearm.

Authorities say on Jan. 26, Stephen E. Lenges, 60, of 232 North Summer Avenue, West Terre Haute, Ind. knowingly endangered the bodily safety of Joyce Mott when he discharged a firearm in close proximity to where Mott was standing, placing her in reasonable apprehension of a battery.

No other information, including where the alleged assault and discharge occurred, were included in Lenges’ file.

A cash bond was set in the amount of $5,000 with additional conditions if bond is posted that he have no contact with Mott and not go within 500 feet of her residence.

Aggravated assault

Dustin D. Sawyer, 23, of 405 W. Carroll St., Paris, has been charged with Aggravated Assault after authorities say on Jan. 9, he was at Mill Creek Lake and Gas Dock when he assaulted Travis Rhoads.

When a notice for a first appearance set for Feb. 23 was sent out, Jan. 28 it was returned undeliverable.

Urinating in public

Timothy L. Shannon, 30, of 711 Elm St., Paris, has been charged with Disorderly Conduct after authorities say on Jan. 9, he was at Mill Creek Lake when he was seen, by police, urinating in public.

A Feb. 13 first appearance has been set in the case.

Found with three empty vodka bottles

Megan E. Eitel, 32, of 710 S. 5th St., Marshall has been charged with Violation of Bail Bond and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Police say on Jan. 20, Eitel was found at the residence of 206 Cherry where she was hiding behind the residence in the shed with three 375 ML bottles of vodka in her possession, all the bottles were empty, and she appeared to be intoxicated which is a violation of her bond conditions.

Eitel provided a breath sample result of .226 and was also found to be in possession of a small metal pipe along with a deep well socket.

Both items contained the residue of suspected burnt cannabis.

Eitel is to appear in court on Feb. 13 at 1:15 p.m.

Authorities say on January 18, Michael W. Travels, 48, of 662 E. Scholfield, Martinsville knowingly possessed inside his glove in a plastic baggie less than 2.5 grams of cannabis and rolling papers. During law enforcement contact Travels was discovered by the officer to have “cheeked” (inserting cannabis inside the cheek pocket of the mouth) a couple of grams of cannabis and was ordered to spit out the cannabis and he refused, resulting in him swallowing the cannabis.

Travels’ cash bond was set in the amount of $150, which was posted on the same day as his arrest.

In November 2011 Travels was convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (prescription medication) and was ordered to serve 24 months probation, undergo drug treatment and pay a total of $2,073 in fines and fees of which he still owes $1,558.

Travels has a court date set for February 25 at 9 a.m. for his latest charges.