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'A reason to turn at the light'

At the start of the Spencer Main Street annual membership banquet, President Julie Coffin took the audience on a trip.

That trip, while being descriptive while folks attentively listened during Coffin's opening remarks, was along State Road 46 from Bloomington to Spencer.

"You're moving in a generally westerly direction. You just left a populated area, and you're starting to enjoy the rolling countryside, and you're getting the town. And you hit the first stop light, and you think, 'Wow, that town must have a bang up Garden Club, because look at that...'" Coffin began before being interrupted with applause.

She continued.

"So then the light turns green, and we move on, and we get to the second stoplight. And it's red, of course, and you're sitting there thinking, 'Well, there's nothing particularly scenic there, right?' So you wait there, and the light turns green," Coffin continued.

"And because I'm an optimist, I say the third light is green, so you roll on through. You say, 'Oh, look, this town has a Walmart, just like every place else does.' And you're done with this little town."

Coffin wanted to paint a different vision of Spencer.

"But wait, what if it could be different? Let's rewind. Go back to the first stoplight. Admire the garden again, ooh ahhh great garden, right? As you begin to approach the second stoplight, you look down at the table in front of you, and you turn over your placemats, and you see the most fantastic entryway arch you've ever seen," she said, as folks unveiled the photo of the arch as their placemat.

In this version, folks leave Morgan Street, have a bench to sit on to enjoy the most fantastic hanging baskets.

"Your turn signal is on, and you're thinking, 'It's a good thing that that arch is there so that I knew to turn at the light. So once you turn, you find this charming historic downtown area. It meets every single one of your needs. You can eat at any time of the day. You have multiple absolutely one-of-a-kind shopping sequences. You have a historical theater for entertainment. You have a music restroom, and you have a bench to sit on to enjoy the most fantastic hanging baskets."

Coffin then painted a vision for the future.

"Wouldn't that be great if everybody who was driving on Morgan Street knew that there was a reason to turn at the light?" Coffin asked.

She then said they have been working with the town and noted to get a design and that they are working on finding a way to fund the archway to the downtown.

A Spencer man sentenced to 60-years in the shooting murder of Elizabeth "Bizzy" Stephens filed an appeal in his case last fall.

Jay White was found guilty of murder and obstruction of justice in April of last year and sentenced on May 30, 2024.

"The trial court erred in failing to overturn the jury verdict, as no reasonable jury could find the State proved Jay White guilty beyond a reasonable doubt due to the lack of sufficient evidence mishandled evidence and the overwhelming evidence entered by the defense that proved the State's theory of murder was an impossibility," the nearly 50 page appellate brief reads. "The trial court's error was compounded when it erred in failing to overturn the verdict from a jury trial rife with prosecutorial misconduct, wherein the prosecutor engaged in mischaracterization of evidence, failed to account for lost evidence, failed to process and test evidence, and the prosecution misused incompetent polygraph evidence to obtain a wrongful conviction and an unjustly long sentence in light of the factors provided at sentencing."

The brief, filed in late October 2024, goes on to say that the court "egregiously erred" by failing to sustain the defense's motions to exclude the stipulated polygraph.

It argues that there was a breach of contract, an onerous nature of the stipulation and an inability for the polygraph examiner to provide answers to "foundational questions regarding the readings a polygraph provides, any empirical studies showing a direct correlation between the physiological responses detected by a polygraph device and deceit, as well as the appropriateness that a candidate may have given a brain injury, such as the one Jay White sustained."

The state responded with their brief on Feb. 26, which was also approximately 50 pages.

In April, the Indiana Court of Appeals issued a Memorandum Decision.

"The trial court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted the results of the polygraph exam or the testimony of the polygraph examiner. In addition, the prosecutor did not commit any acts of misconduct, let alone acts that either individually or cumulatively amounted to fundamental error. And the State presented sufficient evidence to support White's murder conviction. We therefore affirm his convictions," the Memorandum Decision reads.

White's public defender, Megan Schueler then filed a petition for rehearing, which the appellate court denied in June.

In July, Schueler then petitioned the appellate court to transfer the case to the Indiana Supreme Court, and that petition was denied on Aug. 26.

A juvenile person of interest has been detained following the shooting deaths of two adult males in northeastern Owen County.

Owen County Dispatch received a call at approximately 3:42 p.m. concerning a gunshot victim at a home in the 1500 block of Truesdel Road.

Upon arriving at the scene Jeffrey Fauber, 61, and Grantham Adam Chandler, 41, were found deceased from gun shot wounds.

Owen County Sheriffs Department, Owen County Coroner's Office, Indiana State Police, Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Owen County EMS, Bloomington Police Department and Owen County Prosecutor's Office all responded to the scene.

“This investigation is tragic, and I am at a loss for words on such a horrendous violation to these two victims. It is sad, but the good thing that comes from all of this is all of the law enforcement units that come together to help get justice for the people and the victims,” Owen County Sheriff Ryan White said at a press conference held at the Owen County Courthouse. "Although this is a tragic event and our hearts and prayers go out to the family and the victims, it is heartwarming to see law enforcement officers and public servants come together for the good of the people, and that is what we had here today."

White noted several officers and agencies went above and beyond by coming in to assist on their day off.

The press conference took place at 9 p.m. this evening.

The name of the juvenile person of interest, what charges they would face if any and whether or not they will be charged as an adult was not made public at this time.

The person of interest was located in Morgan County.

The Martinsville Police Department posted to their Facebook page that at approximately 4 p.m. "Martinsville Police Officers were notified of a male that entered the Morgan County Sheriff's Department lobby, advising there was an incident in Owen County that was criminal in nature. Martinsville Police Officers identified and detained the juvenile male."

White said that Owen County residents do not have anything to worry about and that there is no further threat that residents need to be concerned about at this time.

Prosecutor Benjamin Kim would like to remind the public that all persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This is a developing story, which will be updated as further details are released.

With confirmed cases of the highly fatal cat disease cytauxzoonosis, better known as bobcat fever, in the counties surrounding Owen County, animal health workers are asking cat, and all pet owners, to be mindful.

Bobcat Fever is a tick-borne illness primarily caused by Lone Star and American Dog ticks.

These ticks, after having a blood meal from a bobcat, the natural host species for the parasite that causes the disease and gives the disease its name, can pick up and transmit the parasite to domestic cats, Denise Derrer, Public Information Director of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), said via email.

Though affected bobcats, generally, don't get ill from the parasite, the disease can be fatal for domestic cats.

Clinical signs start to develop within five to 14 days after the bite. Symptoms to look out for are lethargy, inappetence, fever, difficulty breathing, anemia, jaundice and seizures. Affected cats can also have enlarged lymph nodes, spleen and/or liver, Derrer said via email.

Without medical intervention, death can result two to three days after the fever presents.

Though there are confirmed cases in Monroe, Greene and Martin counties, Derrer said it's challenging to track where the disease is since bobcat fever is not reportable to the BOAH.

The cases that are confirmed were reported directly from private veterinarians and labs that do the testing, but it is not mandatory for them to report their findings to the BOAH, Derrer said.

"Pet owners need to assume it's out there and able to spread, because ticks are found statewide," Derrer said via email.

Derrer recommends pet owners use preventive measures for their cats, such as keeping them indoors and using flea and tick medication.

Dr. Grant Minnemeyer of Ridgeline Veterinary Services located in Spencer also strongly recommends using preventive measures as well, due to how fatal and expensive treating the disease can be.

He recommends using monthly flea and tick medication, along with keeping cats indoors.

"The hard part is, most of these cats by the time they're getting to the vet clinic are already significantly affected," Dr. Minnemeyer said. "[They've had a] severe fever. They've had a reduced appetite for a while … and normally don't survive that initial 24- to 48-hour period. The cats that do survive, it's a pretty intense treatment."

When it comes to treating affected cats, a feeding tube filled with expensive antimalarial medication is used. Of the cats that are treated, there is a mortality rate of 50 percent.

"Treatment is difficult, to say the least, and this is all from a lot of experience, like in Oklahoma and Missouri, they've all had it for a lot longer than we have in Indiana," Dr. Minnemeyer said. "It's a newer thing here, so we're all kind of going through the process of trying to know what to do when we see [a] suspect case, but prevention is far and away the way to go because treatment costs are significant."

Due to the costs and it being an intensive treatment, Ridgeline Veterinary Services, though they haven't had confirmed cases of bobcat fever, plan to transfer the care of affected cats to the 24/7 internal medicine clinics that have access to the drugs needed.

Dogs and other species besides cats are not known to get the disease, Derrer said. With that, Dr. Minnemeyer said, no matter the animal, it's important to keep up on flea and tick medication, especially with him noticing tick-borne illnesses getting worse.

"In regards to Lyme disease in dogs and all of these tick diseases [they] continue to get worse in this part of Indiana," he said. "Check your animals for ticks. Keep them on preventions. Check yourself for ticks."

Infections of bobcat fever, due to it being a seasonal infection, start in March and they're not expected to end until September, according to Oklahoma State University.

The annual Owen County budget hearings are just around the corner, with three days scheduled to plan the county's budget for 2026.

The hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 27 through Friday, Aug. 29, starting at 8 a.m. in the commissioner's room on the second floor of the Owen County Courthouse, located at 60 S. Main St., Spencer.

But this year, due to the passing of property tax relief elements in Senate Bill 1, the county will have to cut between $300,000 and $400,000 from their budget, and the exact impact of that

"Property taxes are a primary source of funding for local government units, including counties, cities and towns, townships, libraries and other special districts including fire districts and solid waste districts. Property taxes are administered and collected by local government officials," according to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) website.

Council President Polly Chesser said that she still doesn't have an exact picture of what the impact will be for the county's budget, despite budgets being required to be submitted to DLGF by Oct. 1.

"I have been to at least two different state backed events to learn more about this and they basically got up and talked for 45 minutes trying to explain SEA (Senate Enrolled Act) 1 and at the end they pretty much said in both of them we really don't know what the impact is going to be," Chesser said. "That has given us a huge unknown to go into budget hearings."

County Councilman Anton Neff said that the Legislative Services Agency estimates that Owen County government stands to lose approximately $350,000 in revenue from property tax.

"Now other units of government, like the schools, townships, the library, that also get property tax, they'll also have a certain dollar amount of loss that is projected by that same group," Neff said.

The total tax impact in Owen County, which includes the other units of government, was estimated to be about $1 million during the last county council meeting.

"Now, whether or not that's accurate, whether or not that ends up being the actual amount once next year starts and property taxes are billed, etc, whether or not that's accurate, no idea. It is a starting point, though. It's what we have from the state," Neff said.

The council and the auditor's office are trying to use data from the assessor's office and previous properties that qualified for the homestead exemption to estimate the change in property taxes.

"Fortunately, the amount of the loss is not near what it originally would have been, and that would have been a tougher thing to adjust to. You're talking millions of dollars at that point. So definitely, in kind of the context, $350,000 is certainly better than what it could have been," Neff said.

In preparation of the loss in revenue, the council liaisons for the various departments have asked department heads to be conservative in their requests and try to hold to their current budgets as best as they can.

Neff was confident in the county's ability to make due with the loss in property tax revenue for 2026.

"I would generally tell folks we are so fortunate not to have any significant debt other than your typical vehicle loans and things like that. We don't have any major obligations that are active at the moment. Yes, we're working on a jail project, and that will involve debt, but we have earmarked money for that. So at the moment, we're fortunate there," Neff said. "We also have decent cash balances that have built up over the last couple of years, and so that allows us to help weather a storm or a challenge like this. So we would be in a much different negative situation if we had tapped out all of our debt and had low cash balances, and that is certainly not the case, and we're very thankful for that."

He also reiterated that the county has other revenue sources such as the motor vehicle fuel tax and income tax.

"There's a lot of moving parts. As we work through the process, more and more of those become clearer, more accurate," he said.

At this time, the council has no plans to levy additional taxes.

"The council did express or re-express its desire to work within our means, and I think that's something we need to honor," Neff said.

"None of us are in favor of piling another tax burden on our citizens when they're already stressed out as it is," Chesser added.

Chesser expressed disappointment in the quick changes to property tax that was made in this year's legislative session. She also expressed frustration by the notion from the state that counties would need to tighten spending.

"I understand not all counties are like our county. We are a very frugal council. We try not to blatantly spend money. We take it very seriously. It's not our money; it's the taxpayers money," she said. "I feel like it was rushed. I feel like it wasn't vetted well. I feel like there's so many unknowns, and it is so complicated that nobody really understands it fully, and they don't know what the impact is going to be."

She also was concerned that those that need the relief the most won't receive it, despite the impact it has on county governments.

"The problem is I think the average person is going to be very disappointed on how much they save because it's not going to amount to that much, but it is going to cumulatively impact the county governments." Chesser said.

If a property owner qualifies for the full amount of relief, they could save up to $300 on their annual property tax bill.

Chesser said that while it would have a drastic impact on Owen County, she's more in favor of providing direct relief to the elderly and those with the greatest need for relief.

"To me that is just, it's wrong. I mean, for an elderly person on a fixed income to lose their house to a tax sale because they can't afford their property taxes. That's just wrong," she said.

Neff encouraged citizens to attend the budget workshops in person or to watch them online.

"It is the one stop shop opportunity for the public to really learn and understand the various departments and issues that are facing county government, and the challenges we have to face, the problems we have to solve, the reasons why it costs so much for X or Y or Z," Neff said. "It is my favorite time of the year because of that, and I think that it's a golden opportunity. And we will encourage questions and would be happy to answer questions that people have."

The latest postponement in the pending murder trial for Quentin Lamont Porter, Jr., accused of the July 2024 shooting death of 23-year-old Malik Darea Sims, pushes the projected start date to early 2026.

Although originally set to get underway on Jan. 21, the trial was delayed until May 12 of this year. On May 5, however, a hearing was held in the Owen County Circuit Court I on a motion for continuance filed by the defense. Arguments from both sides were heard, with the court ultimately resetting the start date to July 21.

A series of subpoenas/summons were filed on July 9 and July 10 in preparation for the Aug. 4 start date, however, the trial start was again cancelled on and rescheduled for Jan. 20, 2026 beginning at 9 a.m. in Owen County Circuit Court I.

Porter remains in custody without bond at the Owen County Security Center pending the upcoming trial by jury. The court has allotted eight days for the trial, excluding Saturday and Sunday.

More in-depth coverage of the case was published in the August 2024 issue of The Owen News. The full article can be accessed on our website.

Porter did appear in the Owen Circuit Court I on May 12 and 13 alongside his attorney Jacob Fish to face related but separate charges of escape and battery against a public safety official.

Jury selection in this case began and concluded on day one of the two-day trial, followed by the State of Indiana, represented by county prosecutor Benjamin Kim, presenting evidence and witnesses before resting its case. Not having adequate time to conclude the trial in a single day, the jury was recessed until the following day when Porter was ultimately found guilty on both felony counts.

A notice of appeal was received by the court on July 11.