68 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/15/03 7:22am)
The Monroe County coroner has ruled the death of a 47-year-old Bedford man who died after being held in the Monroe County jail as accidental.\nJames L. Borden Sr. died more than a month ago under what friends and family have called questionable circumstances. Monroe County Coroner David Toumey released a statement Friday reporting Borden died of a heart attack, drug intoxication and electrical shock.\nToumey couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.\nA statement released just after Borden's death said "standard police procedures by trained officers to control combative or uncooperative individuals" were used.\nMonroe County Sheriff Steve Sharp said Borden became violent once he was in custody.\n"I was told he was a very violent combatant and a taser was used," Sharp said. "We've used the taser several different times on inmates who get violent on us, but we got it because it's non-lethal."\nA taser is a gun used to send an electrical signal throughout the region where taser probes make contact with the suspect's body, resulting in instant loss of control and coordination.\nAfter the incident, Sharp said the coroner's office was immediately contacted and the Bloomington post of the Indiana State Police took over the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest.\n"There have been statements made by the sheriff's office and a video recording of the event has been turned over to the state police," Sharp said.\nThe state police spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.\nBorden's brother, Steven, works at the IU Physical Plant and said his brother's probation officer checked on James in the early evening of Nov. 6.\nThe probation officer called police after it was discovered Borden was wanted in Monroe County for a probation violation.\nSteve Borden said his brother, a diabetic, was disoriented that night because he hadn't taken his insulin for more than a week.\nBorden was taken to the Monroe County jail, where he fell after losing consciousness. Officers then took him to Bloomington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.\n"The state police called me to tell me Jimmy was dead," Steve Borden said. "But they wouldn't tell me specifics. They just kept saying, 'we don't have that information.'"\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(12/09/03 5:56am)
Paul Purdom, an IU professor and Democratic volunteer, returned home a few weeks ago to find the light on his answering machine blinking. He pressed the button and listened to what he called "a disturbing message."\nThe message didn't contain a threatening voice -- in fact no one speaks on the recording. The only audible sound is nearly a minute of successive gunfire.\n"If I wanted to think why anyone would want to frighten me, it would be because of my political activities," Purdom said. "I've never had any students do anything to try and frighten me. They're the only other people I could think of, but they're usually much more vocal when they're unhappy."\nThe Bloomington area has become a hotbed of political tension between Democrats and Republicans, according to local activists and politicians. \nJust prior to the Nov. 4 election, Purdom said he was putting up signs in support of Democratic candidates on the corner of 11th and Walnut Streets. A car he described as "a dark SUV" swerved, nearly striking him.\nTensions have been mounting between active Republicans and Democrats since the more environmental Democratic party has been in power. The party has placed more emphasis on protecting the environment than Republican-favored financial growth.\nBud Bernitt, a Republican realtor, has been active in his party but said he wouldn't run for political office on the request of his wife. Bernitt was involved in the arrest and trial of Monroe County Councilman Scott Wells. Bernitt and his wife Amy called an off-duty state trooper to report a staggering Wells getting into his car. Wells was later picked up by state troopers and has since been convicted of operating while intoxicated and disorderly conduct. Wells, a Democrat, and his party supporters have insisted the arrest was politically motivated and just another example of strong arm politics. \nWells, a self-proclaimed environmentalist, and former County Commissioner Brian O'Neill cast votes in favor of stonewalling a Bernitt Reality-sponsored project to bring a Menards to a specific part of Bloomington. When the Menards didn't get built where Bernitt had planned, the Republican activist lost money from the project.\nBernitt has had his share of harassment at the hands of what he called "political motivation." In what was the prime of the anthrax scare, Bernitt received multiple envelopes, each of them empty.\n"It's hard to say who, but it's clear we aren't dealing with a bunch of boy scouts here with these environmentalists," Bernitt said. "I think things are getting out of hand and all of this has to stop."\nBernitt has also received threatening messages on his business and home answering machine.\n"Are you off chasing drunken Democrats right now?" an unknown voice asks on the recording. "Is that why you're not answering the phone? See ya; wouldn't want to be ya."\nBernitt's concern for drunken driving goes beyond the Wells case. Last year, then-County Commissioner O'Neill returned to his car on the Courthouse Square where he noticed Bernitt sitting and eating a sandwich. O'Neill said as he drove home, a sheriff's deputy began following him based off a Bernitt tip claiming the commissioner was impaired.\nThe Democratic O'Neill said he has also been targeted for purely political reasons, calling the behavior "dangerous to the democratic process."\nHe described instances where he was followed by a large SUV so closely he couldn't see the vehicle's headlights in his rear view mirror. O'Neill said he has also found live snakes under his car after council meetings.\n"I thought it was a fake snake, but then when it lunged at me it was definitely real," O'Neill said.\nO'Neill said after his council meetings he has returned to discover his vehicle altered in dangerous ways. On one occasion, the tire pressure on two of his Ford Explorer's tires was drained to below 12.5 psi, O'Neill said. The other two tires were at their normal pressure, causing him to fear the SUV would roll over while he drove home.\n"I'm not entirely sure of the reasons, but it got vicious," O'Neill said. "There's no place for this in civil society and the Republicans who I respect need to come out and condemn this stuff, and they haven't."\nCurrent County Commissioner Herb Kilmer, a republican, was unavailable for comment, but has expressed concern about his own personal harassment in the past.\n"I've heard plenty of private expressions of concern about this," O'Neill said. "But I have not heard anyone come out and say this is reprehensible stuff, and it's got to stop."\nSergeant David Drake is a detective with the Bloomington Police Department and said harassment complaints are one of the most common reported to his department.\n"There's a fine line between free speech and harassment," Drake said. "Something has to be done, with no intent of legitimate communication in order for it to be considered harassment. There would need to be some connection to make sure these aren't random events."\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(11/14/03 2:17pm)
His friends and family filled the courtroom Thursday, but Monroe County councilman Scott Wells sat alone, resting his head on the bench in front of him.\nNearly seven hours after the six-person jury left to deliberate, it returned with a verdict in Wells' criminal trial.\nIt wasn't the verdict he was looking for.\nThe jury found Wells guilty of operating while intoxicated and disorderly conduct, but acquitted him of misdemeanor battery and resisting law enforcement.\nWells faces up to 60 days in state prison and will be sentenced in mid-January by special judge Frank Nardi.\nWells said he was disappointed, shocked and ultimately depressed by the jury's decision.\n"When you know you're innocent and you're convicted, it's like someone let the air out of a balloon," Wells said. "I'm concerned about next year's party election. I mean, who is going to run when you have to face this kind of terror?"\nSpecial prosecutor Stan Levco said he was pleased with the verdict, which vindicates Wells' arresting officers, Stacy Brown and Travis Coryea, of any wrongdoing.\n"They have suffered unfairly throughout the case," Levco said.\nLevco said the media scrutiny of the arresting officers has been unfair and misrepresentative. Assistant special prosecutor Bob Andre echoed Levco's remarks in the state's closing argument, saying Brown and Coryea have been unduly characterized, and when all is said and done, the state police officers acted in the interest of the community. The jury agreed.\nThe initial charges stem from a Sept. 27, 2002 traffic stop by the Indiana State Police. Brown and Coryea were dispatched to the area of Sixth and Dunn Streets to investigate an anonymous tip. That tip originated from Wells' political foe Bud Bernitt, who called off-duty state trooper and then-Republican sheriff candidate J.D. Maxwell, telling him of Wells' intoxicated condition. Throughout the trial, the defense argued political overtones were too clear for a conviction, but the prosecution insisted the trial focused on the facts and not politics.\nWells continues to insist he is an innocent man caught in a political scandal and said he will appeal the verdict.\n"I was becoming very successful in politics," Wells said. "And they were like, 'Let's get him,' and they did."\nAs the five-hour deliberation ticked its way toward a sixth, judge Nardi joked with defense attorneys Elizabeth Cure and David Colman.\n"(The jury members) have now taken as long as you did with your closing arguments," Nardi said.\nCure said the lengthy deliberation should have produced reasonable doubt.\n"How can they not have reasonable doubt if it took them this long?" Cure said after the verdict was read. "This is a terrible feeling. It's just awful."\nThe jury did not consist of any IU students. Cure said certain testimony from student eyewitnesses might have had a better effect if the jury had had student representation.\n"Obviously when you get a verdict back like this one you think who would be more sensitive to political issues and less sensitive to police," Cure said. \nAccording to defense attorney's closing arguments, any guilty verdict would reassure Wells' political enemies that what they had done was right.\n"Now there is nothing to stop people like Bud Bernitt and J.D. Maxwell from controlling the political arena," Cure said. "They now have a license to do whatever they want because, in their eyes, they've won."\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(11/13/03 6:06am)
Scott Wells' criminal trial concluded Wednesday, but the Monroe County councilman will have to wait until today for the verdict.\nThe prosecution and defense finished their closing arguments, and the jury elected to return this morning to deliberate rather than to stay late.\nThe charges against Wells include misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct.\nThe Democratic councilman has insisted since he was arrested on Sept. 27, 2002, that he was set up by his political opponents and assaulted by state policemen Stacy Brown and Travis Coryea.\nAssistant special prosecutor Bob Andre began the prosecution's closing remarks by telling the jury the defense has unfairly characterized arresting officers Coryea and Brown.\n"Their motives are far from pure," Andre said of Brown and Coryea. "But troopers Brown and Coryea are their own men, and this trial is not about them; it's about whether the defendant broke the law."\nAndre admitted there was a political motive behind Wells' arrest, but encouraged jurors to focus on the law and not politics.\n"There is a place in our community for civic opportunity," Andre said. "But there is not a place on our roads for impaired drivers."\nAndre was Wells' assistant track and field coach at Owen Valley High School for one season. Wells said he knew Andre was trying to do his job, but couldn't help but take his arguments personally.\n"He is presenting lies as truth," Wells said. "I just can't believe the same guy I used to coach with is now trying to slit my throat."\nSpecial prosecutor Stan Levco presented his thoughts in conclusion to the state's case saying trooper Brown and Coryea didn't have an axe to grind with Wells, but were just doing their jobs.\n"The police acted in the proper way," Levco said. "The fact that they stopped him that night may have saved someone's life, most likely his."\nLevco said his entire case rested on the credibility of the two arresting officers.\n"If there had been the slightest bit of evidence connecting trooper Brown and Coryea of misrepresenting the arrest I wouldn't have tried the case," Levco said.\nHe questioned the credibility of the IU students who said they witnessed Wells' arrest and saw the councilman taken down in a violent and brutal way.\n"Who do you think these college kids are going to identify with? The police?" Levco said.\nThe defense team of Elizabeth Cure and David Colman used their final opportunity to remind jurors who has the burden of proof.\n"This trial has been filled with a lot of maybes and what-ifs and possibilities," Cure said. "We don't convict in this country on maybes, what-ifs and possibilities, in fact in those cases we acquit."\nCure gave jurors examples of testimony and evidence from the prosecution's case suggesting possible avenues of doubt. She brought up trooper Brown's report of spotting Wells driving his car, but waiting to pull him over.\n"The state police let him (Wells) drive in Indiana intoxicated?" Cure asked the jury. "If someone's intoxicated you don't wait to pull them over."\nAttorney Colman detailed each highlight of the defense's case. He insisted, "Scott Wells was framed," as he repeated it three times.\n"Red lights were flashing not just in the police car," Colman said. "But in Scott's mind because he knew what was happening wasn't right."\nColman suggested trooper Brown's original statement of seeing no impairment was contradictory to his final report of Wells staggering to his car and driving erratically. Brown testified he remembered thinking something about the arrest wasn't right, but took Wells out of his car anyway.\nA tape recorded conversation between Brown and police dispatcher James Valentine captures the moment the policemen realized they may have been exploited in the name of local politics.\n"It sounds like we all might have been used a little bit," Valentine told Brown.\n"I say there was a cover up but it was only partial," Colman said. "There are people out there who are embarrassed by this and those people need to be vindicated by this verdict. We cannot allow frame-ups and set-ups because then innocent people will be convicted."\nColman concluded his remarks by telling a story of the late former Bloomington mayor and U.S. congressman Frank McCloskey. McCloskey visited Wells' fund raiser to raise money for his trial. He spoke in front of the crowd and focused on Bloomington's political climate and Wells' criminal trial.\n"We can't let these sons of bitches get away with this," McCloskey told the crowd of Wells supporters.\nColman told the jury in order to convict his client they would have to agree with the people who propagated his set up.\n"For the sake of this community and Scott Wells you must not let these sons of bitches get away with this," Colman told the jury.\nThe trial will resume at 9 a.m. Thursday when the jury will begin deliberations and reach it's verdict.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(11/11/03 5:35am)
Scott Wells' criminal trial resumed Monday, but the Monroe County councilman didn't take the stand. Both the prosecution and defense rested without Wells' expected testimony.\n"I absolutely wanted to testify and talk about my innocence," Wells said. "But when you're winning a case and all the evidence is in, why risk it?"\nThe state has charged Wells with misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct. The charges resulted from a Sept. 27, 2002, traffic stop by the Indiana State Police.\nSince the arrest, Wells, a Democrat, has insisted he was set up and assaulted by state police in a character assassination plot.\nThe incident began when Bud Bernitt, a political enemy of Wells, called off-duty state trooper and then-Republican sheriff candidate J.D. Maxwell. Bernitt told Maxwell he had seen Wells in downtown Bloomington urinating in public and stumbling to his car. State troopers were dispatched to the area of 6th and Dunn Streets where they waited for Wells, tailed him, and finally pulled him over.\nThe trial resumed after special prosecutor Stan Levco returned from his teaching commitment at a week-long prosecutor's seminar. Before the break, both Levco and the defense team of David Colman and Elizabeth Cure expressed concerns of juror integrity. Special judge Frank Nardi instructed jurors not to talk about the trial and to refrain from watching and reading news of the trial during the break.\nOne juror was accused of talking to a co-worker during the hiatus; however, the co-worker would not come forward so nothing came of the accusation.\nAfter each side finished its arguments, the jury took a trip to the scene of the arrest at 6th and Dunn Streets.\nJudge Nardi told jurors not to investigate the scene, but to get a feel for the area detailed during the trial.\nAs the defense finished its presentation, a toxicologist took the stand to assert that Wells could not have had a blood alcohol level of more than .03 at the time of his arrest based on the amount of liquor consumed and the length of time passing between consumption and the arrest.\nThe defense also called Monroe County councilman Mark Stoops to the stand to testify on the merit of Wells' character. Stoops has served on the county council with Wells and said he considered Wells a friend.\n"Scott is very assertive and very emotional with his arguments, but his character is peaceful and honest," Stoops said. "He has a very high moral code and he follows it strictly."\nStoops said he and Wells would occasionally grab a beer together but he had never seen Wells intoxicated or drink more than three beers in one sitting.\nWells' brother, Steve, also testified on behalf of his brother's moral character. Steve Wells said he interacted with his brother after he was arrested but said he seemed preoccupied.\nAfter the defense rested, the prosecution re-questioned arresting officer Travis Coryea. Coryea described the scene the night of Wells' arrest and debated whether or not the arrest involved a cruel take down.\n"The sidewalk wasn't as lopsided and jagged in the area where Mr. Wells was standing," Coryea said, describing the area where Wells was arrested.\nDale and Lee Jones, friends of Wells, testified that an empty beer bottle found in Wells' car during the arrest was left over from a social gathering they had with Wells. \nAccording to the testimony, Wells would occasionally bring a beer for himself and Dale when Wells would go to Jones' house. Often times neither would finish his beer, but Wells would pour out the unfinished beer and take the empty bottle back to his home for recycling.\nOne of Wells' attorneys, Elizabeth Cure, said she felt confident the defense presented its case fully, and Wells questioned whether the prosecution proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.\n"What's scary is that if I didn't have great lawyers the police could have written whatever they wanted in their report and it would be what everyone believed," Wells said. "It's sad the state police has had its reputation tarnished because of two guys because there are good officers there."\nThe trial will take a one-day recess for Veterans Day, but will continue Wednesday when the jury is expected to reach a verdict.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(11/03/03 5:50am)
Scott Wells says he's going to get some sleep this week. The Monroe County councilman's criminal trial isn't over, but it is taking a 10-day break. Wells said he is going to use the break for rest rather than worry.\n"I've been getting about three hours sleep every night," Wells said. "Now I finally get the chance to get some sleep."\nSpecial Prosecutor Stan Levco committed to teach at a week-long prosecutor's seminar and will be unavailable until Nov. 10. Levco said he was "a little concerned" about the break because of the possibility jurors might gather information outside the trial.\n"If there are any problems, one of the alternative jurors will step in," Levco said.\nThe 10-day break is also a concern for defense attorney David Colman.\n"It's risky," Colman said. "You never know who will try to talk to the jury."\nColman said he was interested in newspaper accounts of the trial and used them to try to interpret what jurors might be thinking.\n"It's as close to a juror perspective as possible," Colman said speaking of trial news coverage. "The newspapers have been a very good third-person perspective, which is close to the perspective of a juror."\nDespite trial publicity, special judge Frank Nardi instructed jurors not to read, watch or listen to news of the trial.\nNardi apologized to jurors for the extended trial, but explained the importance of remaining unbiased.\n"I'm a firm believer in the integrity of jurors, and I trust all of you to follow my admonitions," Nardi said. "But the temptation is going to be great to talk about this trial."\nWells faces charges of operating while intoxicated, disorderly conduct, battery of a police officer and resisting arrest stemming from a Sept. 27, 2002, traffic stop by Indiana State Police.\nFriday's witness, Jason Moore, a graduate student in the fall of 2002, testified he witnessed police take Wells down in an "abrupt and very brutal way." \nMoore said he came forward because he read Wells was being charged with crimes he didn't commit.\n"I feel it is important that my testimony be heard and the truth of what happened that night be known," Moore said."\nMoore said he and his then-girlfriend stopped at the stop sign at Seventh and Dunn Streets for nearly two minutes where they saw state policeman beat Wells with nightsticks.\nLevco questioned Moore about how he could have stayed at a stop sign for two minutes without a significant back flow of traffic forcing him to move.\nSenior Sam Kaplin also testified Friday and was noticeably uncomfortable on the stand. He said after seeing what the police had done to Wells, he feared they would come after him.\n"I was just concerned with this being a small town and the police having a decent amount of power, I didn't want to get pulled over at every stop sign," Kaplin said.\nKaplin testified he was arriving home from the IU Auditorium when he noticed police cars outside his home. He said he saw the police talking to a man when all of a sudden they took him down.\n"I'd seen that move on cops before," Kaplin said. "I remember cringing and thinking 'Ouch, that would hurt.'"\nAfter witnessing the arrest, he said arresting officers Stacy Brown and Travis Coryea came to his house to question him. Kaplin testified he left out details when he spoke to the state troopers because he didn't want to be subpoenaed.\n"I lied to the police officers, and I apologized to them," Kaplin said.\nSince the trial's began, Wells' defensive team has insisted the outspoken environmental Democrat is the victim of a set up at the hands of his Republican enemies.\nBud Bernitt, a Republican realtor, called an off-duty trooper to report a staggering Wells getting into his car the night Wells was arrested.\nWells and former County Commissioner Brian O'Neill cast votes in favor of stonewalling a project to bring a Menards to a specific part of Bloomington. When the Menards didn't get built where Bernitt had planned, the Republican activist lost money from the project.\nBud Bernitt's wife, Amy, also testified Friday concerning her eyewitness account of Wells' condition prior to her husband's calling the police. She admitted she had mixed feelings about the councilman.\n"Christ tells us to love anyone, so I love him," Amy Bernitt said. "It doesn't really matter who it is, if it's a drunk person, he needs to be off the road."\nAmy Bernitt said she and her husband witnessed Wells' arrest, but both issued contradictory testimony to that of the IU student witnesses.\n"He was throwing punches," she said.\nThe trial will resume Nov. 10 at the Monroe County Courthouse.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/31/03 6:06am)
Two IU graduates who witnessed the arrest of Monroe County Councilman Scott Wells took the stand at his trial Thursday and refuted the state police account of the incident.\nWells, a Democrat, has insisted since his arrest he was set up and assaulted by state police in a politically-motivated scheme.\nThe incident began when Bud Bernitt, a political rival of Wells, called off-duty state trooper and then-Republican sheriff candidate J.D. Maxwell. Bernitt told Maxwell he had seen Wells in downtown Bloomington urinating in public and stumbling to his car. Maxwell then relayed the message to the state police post, where troopers were dispatched.\nKieran Casey graduated this past May and lived at 501 E. Seventh St., the house across the street from where Wells was arrested Sept. 27, 2002.\nCasey said he saw arresting troopers Travis Coryea and Stacy Brown talking to Wells on the street. According to police reports, Wells became violent and attacked the troopers, but Casey said it was the other way around.\n"It seemed to me that he was just standing there calmly and then all of a sudden there was a pretty violent take-down," Casey said.\nCasey testified that, from what he saw, Wells never did anything to provoke the officers.\n"(Wells) was taken down to the ground with his arms behind his back and he hit the ground pretty hard," Casey said. "Then they put a knee to his shoulder to keep him on the ground."\nMichael Tanoury lived with Casey and testified he also witnessed Wells' arrest.\nTanoury said he and a friend had returned from the IU Auditorium, went on his porch to say goodbye and saw Wells, Coryea and Brown.\n"You could see in their conversation that (Wells) wasn't happy, but there was no distinct movement of aggression," Tanoury said. "I remember one cop on top of him with his knee in his back area."\nTanoury and Casey had both been drinking that night, but he said neither of them were near the point of impairment.\nDefense attorney David Colman said the defense will call one more IU graduate and one current IU student to give their eyewitness testimonies before the trial concludes.\nTanoury and Casey said after the arrest, Coryea and Brown came to their home to conduct an interview.\n"There were some leading questions," Tanoury said. "Sometimes you can tell if someone is trying to take you in a specific direction."\nTanoury testified that Coryea asked him if he had a hard time seeing the arrest, and said he felt it was a leading question.\nWells said he was extremely lucky to have so many eyewitnesses testify in his defense.\n"These people came forward because when they read a list of my charges they wanted to tell what really happened," Wells said.\nSpecial Prosecutor Stan Levco introduced pictures demonstrating what he called an obstructed view between the arrest location and where the witnesses viewed the incident. The photographs were taken in June and Colman argued the pictures were not a proper representation of the foliage conditions the night of Wells' arrest.\nFormer Democratic county commissioner Brian O'Neill also took the stand Thursday to testify on behalf of Wells' character and his own experience with Bud Bernitt.\n"He's a boy scout," O'Neill said of Wells. "He always wants to do right."\nO'Neill said he and Wells have endured a degree of public criticism for certain decisions made as public officials. He said Bernitt had been outspoken against him and Wells because of those decisions.\n"He accused me of taking bribes, snorting cocaine with the mayor and murdering children," O'Neill said.\nO'Neill testified that Bernitt and Republican activists "tried to get him."\nColman and Levco said they don't expect the trial to conclude today and since Levco has a prior commitment all of next week the trail will be put on hold.\nAfter a week-long break, the trial will resume Nov. 10, but will recess Tuesday of that week for Veterans' Day.\nProceedings resume at 11 a.m. today in the Monroe County Courthouse.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/30/03 6:29am)
Monroe County Councilman Scott Wells' defensive team of David Colman and Elizabeth Cure began their presentation in support of Wells Wednesday. Colman questioned Bud Bernitt, the Bloomington resident who initially reported Wells to the Indiana State Police.\nThe state has charged Wells with misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct. The charges stem from a traffic stop by state police following the report. \nColman introduced Bernitts' cell phone records from Sept. 27, 2002, the night of Wells' arrest.\nThe record showed Bernitt placing a call to State Policeman and then-Republican Sheriff candidate J.D. Maxwell at 7:41 p.m. Colman argued it was this call where Bernitt reported Wells to Maxwell. According to the testimony of Ron Stanhouse, manager of Crazy Horse, 214 W. Fifth St., he and Wells had a 20 minute conversation on Sept. 27 until at least 7:50 p.m.\nBernitt said there was a perfectly good explanation for the call, but it wasn't to report Wells.\n"I'd tell you what happened," Bernitt told Colman. "But you don't want the truth."\nSince he was arrested, Wells has continued to insist he was set up because of his political success.\n"How could he have seen me staggering and urinating when I hadn't even left the bar yet," Wells said. "The phone records clearly show I couldn't have been where these people say I was."\nWells was arrested at 9:52 p.m. Two minutes after State Police Trooper Stacy Brown pulled Wells over for what he said was a seat belt violation, Bernitts' phone records show a phone call to local real estate developer Steve Smith.\nThe $725,000 home of Steve Smith burned to the ground on June 27, 2002, and local Republicans including Leo Hickman, Franklin Andrews, J.D. Maxwell and Bud Bernitt accused Wells, an environmentalist Democrat, of knowing more about the fire than he led on. Investigators found a propane tank in the garage of the 3,400 square-foot home, which caused suspicions of arson.\nThe fire came shortly after Smith was fined nearly $50,000 by the Monroe County Planning Department for violating state regulations concerning construction, tree clearing and erosion control.\nSmith also received a $23,100 fine for violating a zoning ordinance.\nAccording to Bernitt's testimony, Wells and then County Commissioner Brian O'Neill cast votes in favor of invoking fines on Smith. Along with the fines, Bernitt, a local real estate agent, said Wells and O'Neill helped stonewall a project to bring a Menards to a specific part of Bloomington. When the Menards didn't get built where Bernitt had planned, the Republican activist lost money from the project.\nColman questioned Bernitt about his involvement with certain business endeavors, including his dealings with Smith. Bernitt said Wells voted at county council meetings to fine him for violating certain ordinances. O'Neill said 10 days before Wells' arrest he was followed by a sheriff's deputy after dining at the Crazy Horse. O'Neill said the same people who set up Wells were going after him.\n"There are certain things the citizens of this county need to know," O'Neill said.\nO'Neill is expected to testify today.\nColman proceeded to ask Bernitt about messages he had posted on Hoosier Talk, The Herald-Times on-line message board. The messages showed a vicious sentiment for Wells from Bernitt. \n"Scott Wells, you are a hypocrite, and when I'm done with your sorry rear every person in the county is going to know it," Bernitt wrote on the message board under "tree cutter," one of his user names.\nSeveral message board posts were shown to the jury despite protests from Bernitt that the posts had been altered.\n"These documents seem to have been manipulated," Bernitt said. "There is a lot more to this, but I'm not going to play all my cards."\nBernitt said he has curtailed his message board usage and public comments concerning Wells because of his attorney's advice. \nColman continually reiterated that the state stipulated the presented posts were accurate reproductions of the original messages.\n"If that's what the state said then you and the state are wrong," Bernitt told Colman.\nSpecial Prosecutor Stan Levco said he has no reason to believe the documents had been altered.\nLevco finished his presentation against Wells Wednesday. His final witness, arresting office Travis Coryea, said Wells wouldn't have been pulled over if he had been wearing a seat belt.\nLeasa Farkas, coordinator for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the trial should focus on the facts concerning Wells' arrest and not a political scandal.\n"I remind you what this case should really be about," Farkas said. "Bud Bernitt is not the one on trial."\nThe trial continues at 9 a.m. today at the Monroe County Courthouse.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/29/03 6:50am)
Jurors in the criminal trial of Monroe County Councilman Scott Wells heard testimony Tuesday from state police Sgt. J.D. Maxwell, the man Wells says is responsible for his set-up.\nMaxwell's deposition was read aloud in front of the jury because the sergeant is suffering from a cancerous brain tumor that has left him with memory loss. He was not in the courtroom, but his deposition was taken before he began suffering from cancer.\nThe night of Wells' arrest, Maxwell said he was watching a football game when he received a phone call from Bud Bernitt, a supporter of Maxwell's 2002 campaign for Monroe County Sheriff.\nMaxwell said he did not associate with Bernitt socially but liked his work ethic in support of local Republican politics.\nMaxwell said Bernitt called him while he was off duty to report the "drunk as a skunk" Wells urinating in downtown Bloomington.\n"I told him I can't get involved in this," Maxwell said. "I told him you'll have to call the station and report it."\nMaxwell said Bernitt insisted on having the state police investigate his complaint.\n"On a normal basis we would refer this to the city police," Maxwell said. "But when a complainant specifies that he wants a state police officer, we try to satisfy that request."\nMaxwell said he then called the state police dispatch and asked which state troopers were available for the investigation.\nTrooper Stacy Brown responded to the complaint and pulled Wells over near the corner of Sixth and Dunn Streets.\nSpecial Prosecutor Stan Levco also called two Bloomington Police Department officers who assisted with Wells' arrest to testify.\nBPD Officer Tiffany Willingham told the court that Wells was on the ground and in handcuffs when she arrived on the scene.\n"I saw the state policemen fixing their uniforms and tending to some scratches," Willingham said.\nShe transported Wells from the arrest site to the Monroe County jail because her squad car, unlike the state police cars, was equipped with a protective cage separating the suspect from the officer.\n"He kept asking why I would pull him out of a car and beat him up for a seat belt violation," Willingham said. "Based on the fact that he kept asking the same question over and over, that suggested to me that he was impaired."\nThe state has charged Wells with misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct, stemming from the arrest.\nBPD Sgt. Scott Oldham also testified Tuesday and said he heard Wells yelling and screaming but could not make out any words when he first arrived.\n"It was obvious that Mr. Wells continued to be belligerent," Oldham said. "He would talk in a normal speaking voice and then erupt again."\nBoth officers said they offered Wells a blood test several times at the Monroe County jail, but Wells continued to refuse. \nWells said he was never offered a blood test.\nOn the night of his arrest, Wells visited certain Bloomington restaurants and bars, including the Crazy Horse, where he spoke with manager Ron Stanhouse. Stanhouse testified Tuesday that he and Wells had a 20-minute conversation on Sept. 27, 2002, the night of Wells' arrest.\n"I didn't see him come in or leave, but he was drinking a beer at the bar," Stanhouse said. "There is food available at the bar on Friday nights during certain times, including the time Wells was there."\nDefense attorney David Colman said he expects the prosecution to finish its presentation this Wednesday and begin his defense by midday.\nIf the trial goes past Friday, there will most likely be a week-long hiatus due to a prior legal commitment by Prosecutor Levco in his home, Vanderburgh County. The trial would resume Nov. 10.\nThe defense is expected to finish cross examination of Wells' arresting trooper, Travis Coryea, and call its first witness today. That witness is expected to be Bud Bernitt, Wells said.\nDay three of Scott Wells' trial begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Monroe County Courthouse meeting room.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/28/03 6:19am)
Day one of Scott Wells' criminal trial saw, what special prosecutor Stan Levco called the state's most important witness take the stand. Indiana State Police Trooper Stacy Brown was Wells' arresting officer September 27, 2002.\nThe state has charged Wells with misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct. Wells, a Democrat, has insisted he was set up the night of his arrest. \nWells' defense team of David Coleman and Elizabeth Cure entered a tape recorded conversation between Brown and the dispatch officer on the night of Wells' arrest. The tape describes Brown's initial impression of the arrest from the time he spotted the councilman until Wells was in custody.\nAt first Brown said he saw no signs Wells was intoxicated.\n"Subject has returned to his vehicle, I saw no impairment as he walked up to it. We'll be stopping him around Indiana and Seventh street, he has no seat belt." Brown told dispatcher James Valentine.\nAttorney Coleman questioned Brown and suggested the trooper made up a reason to pull Wells over just to carry out Maxwell's dirty work.\n"Subject is a county councilman; he's become belligerent," Brown told Valentine on the night of Wells' arrest. "He's all over the roadway, then he got out, and pissed in the park. The way I was positioned in the parking lot he had evidently made it into the car. I saw somebody at the door get in, I didn't see as far as how he walked or anything. I wasn't in the field of view." \nColeman questioned Brown as to why he changed his story from seeing Wells' getting into his car unimpaired, to not seeing Wells get into the car at all.\nBrown said he simply misspoke.\n"I go to pull out, as he drives by he doesn't have his seat belt on so of course he takes the turn onto Indiana and turns too sharp, typical everything else," Brown told Valentine over the dispatch phone line. "Evidently he's a county councilman and I'm sure J.D. (Maxwell) knows that."\n"Actually he didn't know who the guy was," Valentine replied.\n"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Okay," Brown said.\nColeman continued questioning trooper Brown.\n"You knew right then that J.D. Maxwell was misrepresenting the situation and you didn't stop?"\n"No sir," Brown said.\nColeman continued to ask questions.\n"You were putting this situation in the hand of J.D. Maxwell's friends, J.D. Maxwell's informants, and you were there on J.D. Maxwell's behalf," Coleman said.\nBrown told the court he was irate when he figured out he was involved in the alleged set up.\n"After sitting in my car and rethinking the situation, I did think J.D. (Maxwell) was wrongfully involved," Brown said.\nWells said he was amused by Brown's effort to answer Coleman's questions.\n"Coleman basically got Brown to contradict himself and say he was totally wrong," Wells said. "I was watching the jurors faces and they were shaking their heads."\nBrown said his relationship with Maxwell prior to the night of the arrest was professional and pleasant, but Brown said he was not involved in any set up.\n"That night he (Maxwell) put me at a disadvantage," Brown said.\nMaxwell originally called the dispatch officer after Bud Bernitt, a political enemy of Wells, called the then-Republican sheriff candidate Maxwell. Bernitt said he saw Wells in downtown Bloomington urinating and stumbling to his car.\nA tape recorded conversation between Maxwell and the dispatch officer detailed the off-duty Maxwell asking which troopers were available that night.\n"You don't have anybody,?" Maxwell asks the dispatch officer. \n"Yes I do, I have Stacy (Brown) and Travis (Coryea)," the dispatcher responds.\n"Really? Could you have Stacy call my house immediately?"\nMaxwell spoke with trooper Brown directly to request his services. According to Indiana State Police procedure Maxwell should have contacted Brown through the dispatcher.\nLeasa Farkas, coordinator for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said this trial needs to be more about Wells' drunk driving and less about politics.\n"I think the trial should be about the criminal charges, not whether there is a conspiracy of someone is out to frame Scott Wells," Farkas said. "If he had not been arrested that night could he have hurt or killed someone. We should be grateful to those who called in, they did the appropriate thing to call the police."\n The trail will resume Tuesday at 9am in the Monroe County courthouse meeting room where Bud Bernitt is expected to testify.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu
(10/28/03 6:19am)
The audio tape chronicling Scott Wells' arresting officer, Stacy Brown's, night on the job was not the only tape evidenced during Monday's trial. A second audio tape contained a conversation between state police dispatcher James Valentine and Assistant County Prosecutor Mary Ellen Diekhoff.\nThe tape includes Diekhoff's instructions to Valentine and other state police officers on how to write Wells' arrest report.\n"We have a county councilman," Valentine told Diekhoff. "He fought with ours guys on a DUI stop so we've got him resisting and all kinds of good stuff."\n"Who is it?" Diekhoff asked Valentine.\n"Uh ... Scott Wells," Valentine said.\n"You're kidding me?" Diekhoff replied.\nOn the tape, Valentine told Diekhoff that Indiana State Police First Sergeant Denny Kirkman wanted Valentine to get in contact with Diekhoff so the police report could include specifics other than typical arrest procedures.\n"You can bet he is going to allege that he is set up," Diekhoff told Valentine. "We've got to be prepared for the worst here because that's the nature of the game. I would go and try to see if you could find someone to back up what we're going to be doing."\nDiekhoff told Valentine the situation was going to be scrutinized and he and the parties involved should be as prepared as possible.\n"BPD (Bloomington Police Department) can collaborate what ISP (Indiana State Police) is saying so now you know if anybody wants to allege a conspiracy then now you got two agencies conspiring," Diekhoff said in the recorded call.\nDuring cross examination, defense attorney David Coleman asked Brown why he didn't originally call the city police since the arrest occurred in their jurisdiction.\n"He (J.D. Maxwell) asked me to do it," Brown said.\nBrown said he completed his report without any outside assistance.\n -- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/27/03 5:10am)
The fate of Monroe County Councilman Scott Wells is now in the hands of a six person jury, two men and four women, chosen in a Friday hearing.\n"I'm very happy with the jury," Defense attorney Elizabeth Cure said. "They seemed like a good group of people. The prosecution wants someone who will listen to them and convict, and we want someone who will listen to us and acquit."\nThe state has charged Wells with misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct. The charges resulted from a Sept. 27, 2002 traffic stop by the Indiana State Police. Last week some charges were dropped and others reduced from their previous felony status. \nWells, a Democrat, has insisted since his arrest that he was set up and assaulted by state police in a character assassination plot.\nJury selection took nearly all of Friday, and the trial begins today. Potential jurors were questioned by the prosecution and defense attorneys.\nQuestions from Special Prosecutor Stan Levco weeded out possible jurors who believed a set-up was a defense to criminal activity. If Wells is guilty of the charges, Levco said he wants to make sure jurors would convict independent of a set-up.\nColeman and Cure asked possible jurors about their ability to assume Wells completely innocent until proven otherwise. Questions measured potential juror response to a defense geared to put Republican radicals on trial.\n"Because this case has received a lot of publicity, we want to make sure the potential jurors can presume innocence," Coleman said. \nOne possible juror's lack of knowledge concerning the case drew an ear-to-ear smile from the defendant.\n"When I first saw the parties involved I'd never seen Scott Wells before and didn't know who he was," one potential juror said. "In fact I thought he was part of the (legal) council."\nSpecial Judge Frank Nardi questioned 40 potential jurors individually to keep them from polluting each others' views on the case. The Owen County judge was assigned the case to avoid a conflict of interest produced by Wells' county councilman position.\nNardi asked what possible jurors knew from media publicity and if they could assess the case based on what they heard in the courtroom and not what they already knew.\nThe jury pool was reduced to 20 when possible jurors were dismissed for their pre-knowledge of the case, or uncontrollable bias.\nAccording to State Police reports, the incident began when Bud Bernitt, a political enemy of Wells called off-duty state trooper and then-Republican sheriff candidate J.D. Maxwell. Bernitt told Maxwell he had seen Wells in downtown Bloomington urinating in public and stumbling to his car. Maxwell relayed the message to the State Police post. Two state troopers were dispatched to the area of Sixth and Dunn Streets where they waited for Wells, tailed him, and pulled him over.\nDuring his arrest, trooper Stacy Brown asked Wells to take a Breathalyzer test. Wells insisted the test be administered at the Monroe County Jail. Wells said he feared the results would be tainted if the test was done in front of only Brown. Police reports show Wells blew a .075 on the breath machine, just below the legal limit of .08.\nWells' defense team of David Coleman and Elizabeth Cure originally made a motion to disqualify the 80-person jury panel because it wasn't a representation of Monroe County.\n"Monroe County has a population of 120,000 people, of which between 30,000 and 40,000 are students at Indiana University," the motion stated. "A truly random jury-selection process for Monroe County should result in no fewer than 20 students from Indiana University." \nThe original jury pool consisted of 80 prospective jurors, none of them being IU undergraduate students between the ages of 18-22. One was a continuing studies student, but she was the only possible juror less than 30 years old.\nNardi first ruled to accept a motion to bring in younger jurors, but later overturned that motion. According to a deposition, Nardi overturned his decision because forcing in more IU students would have severely upset the way jury selection is run in Monroe County. Currently juries are randomly selected from county residents' driving records, property tax returns and voter registration, all unlikely to produce student jurors. \nLisa Abraham is the Monroe County jury coordinator. She testified that the random, computerized selection jury selection may not always include students. \nWells said he's convinced those behind a plot of "deception and destruction" will be exposed over the coming week. \n"I'm satisfied with the jury," Wells said. "But my innocence is not the only thing that's going to come to light during this trial."\nThe trial begins at 10 a.m. Monday in the Monroe County courthouse meeting room; the same room where Wells' bi-monthly county council meetings are held.\nThe trial is expected to last until Friday, but if it does last longer it may have to be delayed once again. Levco has a legal conflict with a case in his home of Vanderburgh County, where he is the prosecutor.\nLevco said he will probably need two days to present his case. Coleman and Cure said they would need longer to call key witnesses including several eye witnesses, among them, Bud Bernitt.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/22/03 6:05am)
The School of Music says it plans to change the exterior door locks to each music school building Wednesday to deter future burglaries.\n"I think everything has been ordered, but it's just a matter of everything being changed by Wednesday," said Music School Budget Director Royce Deckard.\nSince the theft of the music school's master keys at the end of August, a $20,000 violin, a $5,000 bow and nearly $5,000 of video equipment are missing.\nDeckard said before the locks are replaced each faculty member must be contacted and issued a key designed to access the replacement locks.\n"We have to notify everyone who needs keys so we don't leave people standing outside and locked out," Deckard said. "We've got to make sure we've contacted all our faculty. Now we're in the process of seeing how many keys we must get cut."\nAccording to the Physical Plant, there are more than 400 locks needing replacement. Six different manufacturers are responsible for production of the locks with certain locks being made by one company and other locks by another. All locks were accessible from the original master keys. The original master keys unlocked every door in each music building. However, some keys only open individual rooms, and others may only open specific parts of one music building. Before replacement locks can be installed, this locking component hierarchy must be determined to create a new key system.\nFor now, the Physical Plant is working on preventing unauthorized entry by replacing the nearly 40 exterior locks on music school buildings.\nJames Holt, a doctoral music student, said he has not had any experience with burglary at the school but has heard the buzz about recent thefts.\n"They probably haven't changed the locks in a long time," Holt said. "I think anything they do to bring peace of mind is a good idea, and if that means changing the locks then change the locks."\nAn assault at the School of Music on janitor Kaylif Bennett a week ago was followed by the theft of a 55-pound safe Saturday. IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said the police have increased patrols, and rekeying exterior locks is a step in the right direction.\n"We'll still maintain a high uniform presence until such time that we are confident we won't have future larceny," Minger said. "We don't have authority to tell people what to do when protecting their property, but whatever transpired to cause them to wait as long as they did may have been beyond their control."\nMinger said the IUPD is still interviewing people believed to be connected with the only known suspect.\n"This is a little more difficult than working one particular burglary," Minger said. "There are several standard things police departments do in cases involving missing property, including checking places where people try to give away and sell stolen property."\nAnyone with information about the thefts or the assault is asked to contact the IUPD at 855-4111.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/20/03 5:15am)
Thieves hit IU's School of Music again this weekend, but the school now says it is working on replacing the compromised locks.\nPolice said a 55-pound combination-lock safe was taken from the music practice building late Saturday night.\nThis robbery follows the thefts of a $20,000 violin, a $5,000 violin bow, $5,400 of video equipment, cash taken from the music school dean's desk and last week's assault on music school janitor Kaylif Bennett.\nThe $30,000 to $40,000 estimated price tag to replace the locks has already been equaled and nearly surpassed by the property loss.\nRoyce Deckard, budget director for the School of Music, said he wants to have the replacement project completed and most music buildings secure by the beginning of next semester.\n"I don't know what the time frame is, but we've got a plan," Deckard said. "I don't want to tip anybody's hand as to where we're going to start or what we're going to do, but I think the Physical Plant is going to work overtime to get this accomplished."\nDeckard said the school has been working on the idea of re-keying jeopardized locks since the thefts started, but since there are so many locks to re-key, it could take a long time.\n"There may be more restrictions to building access," Deckard said. "We try to accommodate our students and we hate to impose restrictions, but we may have to."\nSecurity checkpoints and camera surveillance are all possible theft deterrents, Deckard said, but he wouldn't go into specifics to protect the new security plan from burglars.\nGwyn Richards, dean of the School of Music, said he has been constantly updated about the situation.\n"I think everybody in the school has been affected in one way or another, so I think it's of the utmost importance to get this resolved as soon as possible," Richards said. "We've been in contact with the (IU Police Department) and have been having daily faculty meetings regarding the issue."\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said there were no signs of forced entry in the latest robbery, but that doesn't necessarily mean the missing master keys were used to gain access.\n"We are certainly considering the possibility that each of these larceny are related," Minger said. "But it doesn't mean we can count out other possibilities."\nPolice and music school officials said they did not know the contents of the stolen safe.\nThe IUPD has increased its patrols near the music school premises with more uniformed officers, Minger said.\n"More uniformed officers may deter suspects from committing anymore crimes," Minger said. "We are following procedures and hope that will lead us to our suspect, but we can't make the School of Music change their locks. That is up to them."\nKarel Butz, a second year master's student at the School of Music, said the thefts have become the hot topic buzzing all over the music school.\n"I won't let my equipment out of my sight," Butz said. "There haven't been any updates from the music school since the original e-mail, but generally the School of Music is safe ... you just always have to be careful."\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/20/03 5:15am)
Monroe County is about to have its "Trial of the Century," says county councilman Scott Wells.\nFriday's pre-trial hearing brought favorable results for Wells when Special Prosecutor Stan Levco did not file the expected felony battery charge against Wells, opting instead for a misdemeanor. Levco also dropped a seat belt violation charge and a misdemeanor for public intoxication. Wells now faces charges of misdemeanor battery, operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct.\nThe lessened charges dissolve the possibility of Wells being forced to leave office, since by law he would be forced out if convicted of a felony.\nLevco said he believed the misdemeanor charge was more appropriate. He said he would not have filed charges unless they were supported by the evidence.\n"My job is to prove that he's guilty of these charges and that there's evidence to support it," Levco said. "There is a lot of evidence and a lot of potential witnesses. I've tried 20 to 30 murder cases in my life and none of them have had the volume of paper this one has."\nIf convicted of all the misdemeanor charges, Levco said Wells could face up to one year in jail.\nOn Sept. 27, 2002, Wells was pulled over by state police officers on the corner of Sixth and Dunn Streets. The report said he was suspected of drunken driving, but Wells said arresting officer Stacy Brown told him it was only for a seat belt violation. The situation then escalated, resulting in Wells' arrest on multiple charges.\nWells, a Democrat, said he was mistreated and assaulted by state police in a character assassination plot.\n"This is how democracy can go amuck," Wells said. "Who wants to run for office in a county when this kind of stuff goes on?"\nWells and his attorneys, David Coleman and Elizabeth Cure, have called the arrest "a political setup." They say Bud Bernitt, a local Republican activist, and former Republican Sheriff Candidate and Indiana State police Lt. J.D. Maxwell are the leaders of the scheme.\n"There was nothing going on behind the doors illegal of any kind," Maxwell said. "I was on routine patrol, I wasn't setting him up or anything, I was just doing my normal patrol."\nColeman said he plans to present evidence showing Bernitt followed Wells and informed Maxwell of Wells' position the night of his client's arrest. The defense will detail the night of Wells' arrest and focus on the arrest itself, Coleman said.\nThe jury trial begins Oct. 27 before Special Judge Frank Nardi. Jury selection will begin Thursday and pool prospective jurors from Monroe County.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/09/03 5:39am)
An IU student's $20,000 violin is missing, along with nearly $2,000 of recording equipment and cash taken out of a dean's desk.\nThe School of Music sent an e-mail warning students about the security risk Monday, a little over a month after master keys from the School were reported missing.\nThe vintage 1899 violin, along with its $5,000 gold and tortoise shell bow, were taken from a locked practice room Oct. 2. When owner Shin-Young Kwon, a doctoral student, returned the next day the door was open and the violin was gone.\n The keys open rooms in the Music Annex, Simon Music Library, Merrill Hall and the Musical Arts Center, but the school has yet to change the locks.\nSchool of Music budget director Royce Deckard said the locks haven't been replaced because of the $30-40,000 price tag associated with replacing all of the jeopardized locks.\n"I think we've done everything we can do, and we're looking into the idea of re-keying all our buildings, which is a major cost," Deckard said. "The Physical Plant and a locksmith would have to go through an analysis, and that's a huge funding issue."\nSchool of Music administrative assistant Jennifer L. Naab sent the e-mail explaining the recent spree of thefts to music students.\n"We have notified both campus police and Physical Plant supervisors of the activity and they are monitoring the situation," Naab wrote in the e-mail. "Given these recent events, we recommend that you not leave any valuables in your studios or rooms."\nKarel Butz, a second-year violin performance graduate student, said the School of Music is generally safe, but the school's lack of action concerns him.\n"I'm disappointed and I think there are better steps in controlling what's locked and who is told what's going on," Butz said. "When I got the e-mail, my initial response was that the stolen things were taken from open rooms, but after I found out the doors were locked and something was stolen from a locked room I was extremely surprised."\nButz said if the School of Music would have informed the students, thefts wouldn't be as common.\n"I don't know what the reasoning was, but it seems strange they wouldn't tell us right away," Butz said. "If the keys are missing they should have changed the locks immediately and since this issue affects all the students they needed to be told sooner."\nSchool of Music Dean Gwyn Richards experienced the effects of these thefts first-hand when his office was broken into and an undisclosed amount of money was stolen. Richards issued a statement, but would not comment further.\n"We have been working with the (IU Police Department) and Risk Management offices from the onset of the thefts," Richards said in the statement. "The next stage in addressing these issues will be discussed at (today's) School of Music Council meeting and at the mid-day Student Representative Council meeting. Our future actions will be guided by the dialogue we have in these meetings."\nThe IUPD is investigating the money and violin thefts, along with the robbery of two video recorders valued at $909 and $1000, IUPD spokesman Lt. Jerry Minger said. The video recorders were also stolen from a building associated with the School of Music.\nMinger said suspects have been identified in the video recorder robbery, and the police are seeking leads linking those burglaries with the violin and money thefts.\n"The way we've had to address these problems is by giving extra patrols to the music buildings because they aren't as secure as they were before," Minger said. "You have someone wandering around out there with a master key intent on thievery. It's a pretty tough thing; you almost have to catch them red-handed."\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(10/02/03 6:01am)
Congress has started assigning a larger number of funds to specific higher education projects, and IU has put itself in a position to secure some of that money. \nIU's executive director of federal relations John Walda has been IU's point man for collecting federal money since January 2002.\nTo date, IU has received $6.7 million in federal funding in the 2003 fiscal year, up from $3.4 million in 2002.\n"This year my hope is that we get at least as much as last year, but hopefully set a new mark," Walda said. "We are just learning now which of our projects will be federally funded for 2004."\nCurrently, there is a generous amount of federal money available for health-related research and almost anything to do with homeland security, Walda said.\nAs a result, three projects are emerging on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses to address these needs. \nA technology center at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis is in the works to act as a business incubator for life science-related businesses. \nThe other two funded projects are joint projects with Crane naval base -- one for maintenance of the naval fleet through computers and the other for a testing program at IU's Cyclotron Facility in Bloomington.\nAt the beginning of each fiscal year, Congress designates a certain amount of money to be spent for specific projects and research. The trick for universities like IU is to pitch a project the federal government wants to be completed. \nWalda and his office send out surveys to every faculty member at all eight IU campuses, and out of those surveys, Walda said he receives around 40 sound proposals.\n"We try to match what our faculty wants to do with what Washington is spending money on," Walda said. "The questionnaires for this year are due back in my office this month and we will begin to evaluate them and develop next year's priority list. After next year we'll take those to Washington and develop support for them."\nWalda said he talks to members of Congress and chairmen of oversight committees in order to gain support for IU projects.\n"Each member of Congress has his or her own interests," Walda said. "We want to find something in an area of interest for our representatives."\nIn the cases of Rep. Baron Hill and Sen. Evan Bayh, Walda found their interests to the tune of a $5 million national defense directive.\nWalda said five to six more projects are still pending, but he is looking forward to pitching as many as 10 new projects starting Jan. 1.\nIU board of trustees President Fred Eichhorn said he was pleased with Walda and his active pursuit of federal funding.\n"He is active and the fact that he's often in Washington does a lot of good because that's where he's supposed to be," Eichhorn said. "I know it's a priority of President (Adam) Herbert to increase federal funding."\nAs recently as 2001, $15 billion of total federal research funding was awarded, but less than $2 billion was originally designated for that total from the federal budget. The remaining $12 billion of that came from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.\nEichhorn said Walda and Herbert have a working relationship intent on the same goal.\n"Our job is to appoint a good president and the president's job is to get good people to lobby the government and involve the University where it should have a particular relationship," Eichhorn said.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(09/24/03 6:31am)
GREENCASTLE, Ind. -- Wesley Clark isn't a man of large stature, but his supporters laud his big ideas for America's future.\nThe Democratic presidential hopeful spoke before a packed gymnasium at DePauw University Tuesday night in Greencastle, Ind.\nClark discussed issues ranging from health care and education, to tax relief and home security.\nHe began firmly, taking the near 2,600 in attendance on a historical roller coaster beginning with the end of the Cold War, touching on recent Republican leadership blunders and peaking with the economic prosperity under past Democratic leadership.\n"The American economy was driving the world and was the pinnacle of American power, but after 9/11 things seemed so different," Clark said. "Since that time we've been in a job-loss economy and nobody knows that better than the people of Indiana who have lost nearly 88,000 jobs."\nClark, a retired army general, turned his attention toward the necessity of a future plan with regard to national security.\n"We need to build a strategy and we don't have one right now," Clark said. "We need to start building on the real American principles of freedom, democracy and human rights. That's our contribution to humanity."\nClark criticized the Bush administration for demanding foreign players to "either be with us or against us."\n"How dare someone say your either with us or against us," Clark said. "Americans understand that we're not going to be safer building walls around this country. We've got to build bridges to help others see it our way."\nClark said he would use force only as a last resort concerning matters of conflict.\n"We can shape the world; we can then go forward in confidence," Clark said. "We can meet the challenges waiting for us, but we have to have a new strategy for dealing with the world abroad."\nAfter Clark concluded his speech, DePauw University student leaders were given the opportunity to ask the general some questions.\nBrandon Sokol, senior and editor of the DePauw newspaper, The DePauw, asked the general about current college students and their influence on the election.\n"When you have a democracy, it's important to encourage your generation to show it cares," Clark said. "If you love your country, then you have to fight for it and use your mind. I want you to vote."\nIndiana State University graduate student Tony Waterson traveled from Terre Haute to hear Clark speak, but said he was uncertain about the general's message.\n"The speech addressed a lot of problems, but not a lot of solutions," Waterson said. "He wants to send a lot of money and cut a lot of taxes which really doesn't equal out."\nCharles Southerland, a resident of Greencastle, said he was especially interested in Clark's remarks concerning social security.\n"As a senior citizen, I was really happy to hear him supporting the financial future for many people my age," Southerland said. "I look forward to voting for him and saying I was in the front row to see the president of the United States."\nA poll conducted by John Zogby, president and CEO of Zogby International, a respected political survey research organization, assessed Clark's potential for candidacy.\nAccording to the poll, 84.1 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say it is not too late for a new entrant to win their support; 73.5 percent rate military and national security experience as "very" or "somewhat" important for a presidential candidate.\nClark comes in first in a match-up versus six key Democratic candidates (Howard Dean, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Richard Gephardt, John Edwards and Bob Graham), but the most eye-popping statistic has Clark winning 49.4 percent to 40.2 percent in a run-off versus President George Bush. \nWhile some Republicans worry that Clark could pose problems for Bush, a statement issued by the Republican National Committee, said the retired general's candidacy is a minor distraction to the Republicans, but encourages more Democrat-versus-Democrat disagreement on U.S.-Iraq policy, taxes, trade and other issues.\nClark said he is in favor of middle-class tax cuts and a strong national defense. He supports abortion rights and affirmative action but has restricted his comments on such hot-button issues as gays in the military and gun control.\nBut Clark didn't hold back when talking about the necessity for a vision in the future. He called the 20th century "an American century" stemming from the forward vision of 20th century American leaders.\n"We are in a new century and we need to add vision," Clark said. "With generosity, courage and the willingness to put our hand forward we can make the 21st century another American century, and I believe it is our destiny to do so."\n-Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.
(09/23/03 6:07am)
After declaring his candidacy for U.S. president Wednesday, former NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark will speak in Indiana tonight in one of his first campaign appearances. DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., will host Clark as he now becomes the 10th Democrat to attempt to unseat President Bush in 2004.\nClark's lecture, "Facing America's Challenges," begins at 7:30 p.m. in Neal Fieldhouse of the Lilly Center, 702 S. College Avenue, and is generating interest on and off-campus.\n"When I made the offer to General Clark, I thought he would be a very interesting speaker on the state of the nation," said Ken Owen, DePauw University vice president for media relations. "When you can put together a program which excites your students and brings in outsiders, it can hopefully bring a lot of prestige to your college."\nClark will arrive in Greencastle on a private plane, make a brief statement, and then attend a dinner at the university president's home.\nClark enters the race as a wild card with huge potential but questionable political experience. His announcement speech began with the blunt declaration, "My name is Wes Clark and I am seeking the presidency."\nClark did not outline his views on any domestic concerns, but promised major addresses on the economy and national security in the weeks ahead.\n"I think it's impossible to predict what he is going to do," Owen said. "One of the problems he has is that his candidacy is just now getting legs. It will be interesting to see what he does talk about tomorrow."\nAccording to a Newsweek national poll, Clark may already be the Democratic front-runner, with support from 14 percent of "registered Democrats and democratic leaners." The poll shows Clark surpassing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, with 12 percent, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, also with 12 percent, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, with 10 percent and Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt, with 8 percent.\nClark appears on the cover of this week's Newsweek, and is considered by his democratic peers to be a fresh face with the potential to defeat Bush. But there has not been a general in the White House since Dwight D. Eisenhower. \nEisenhower was more widely known at the time of his election than Clark is today. Clark's political advisers said they believe the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks along with military action in Iraq have elevated national security on the minds of the people to a point that might prime voters to elect a military leader to the presidency.\n-Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu
(09/17/03 6:57am)
IU-Bloomington's resume includes two top-three party school rankings and one as best research university. \nNow, it can add No. 6 best college sports town to the list.\nSports Illustrated ranked Bloomington as the sixth best college sports town in the country in its most recent Sports Illustrated: On Campus issue.\n"What makes IU No. 6 in our eyes is obviously terrific basketball, but also the unique sporting experiences including the Little 500," SI: On Campus Editor Chris Stone said. "Ultimately fan passion for all university sports and sporting experiences divided the top 10 from everyone else."\nMadison, Wisc., (University of Wisconsin) ranked No. 1, followed by Athens, Ga., (University of Georgia), Austin, Texas, (University of Texas), Gainesville, Fla. (University of Florida) and Boulder, Colo. (University of Colorado).\nSix Big Ten cities made the top 20, including Ann Arbor, Mich., (University of Michigan) at No. 11, Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State University) at No. 15, Iowa City, Iowa (University of Iowa) at No. 18, and State College, Pa., (Penn State University) at No. 20.\nBruce Henderson II, a senior at UW-Madison, said the city is finally getting the respect it deserves. "We've got the best basketball team, with one of the top 10 recruits coming in, and we are predicted to win the Big Ten again," Henderson said. "We've got the football team which is always bowl bound, but most importantly, we've got a combination of all sorts of people who love one thing -- the Badgers."\nThe SI article made reference to Bloomington's love of basketball and the success of the IU men's soccer and swimming teams. The article touched on the football team's futility, saying, "The men's soccer players and men's swimmers are no slouches, even if the football team is."\nAssistant Athletic Director of Media Relations Jeff Fanter said Bloomington's ranking is justified.\n"Sports IIlustrated is a nice, well-respected magazine, and I think people who didn't know much about our athletic department will notice something like this," Fanter said. "I think there needs to be a more balanced interest in athletics across the board, and that's what we have here."\nSI suggested Nick's English Hut as "The Spot" for watching the big game, giving a breakdown of how to play, "Sink the Biz."\n"Nick's is probably as closely related to the University without being a part of the University as you can get," Nick's co-owner Rex Barnes said. "We'll fill up before and after the games and usually have lines out the door."\nIU men's basketball attendance ranks near the top nationally, but low attendance at football and women's basketball games has one professor questioning the validity and importance of the ranking.\n"In the end, a winning football and basketball team is what the media and the public care about," said American Studies professor Murray Sperber. "If someone like me -- a researcher in the field -- has hardly heard of it and cannot get a clear answer about its criteria, then the average person in Indiana is unaware of its existence. So, it's impact on IU's reputation is very marginal."\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.