Headlines • January 14, 2014
Mary Mattingly
EDITOR
mmattingly@ripleynews.com
The Ripley County Clerk’s office has been especially busy, at least as of Wednesday. That was the first day to sign up for the primary election in May. According to the clerk’s office, people were lined up at 8 a.m. to sign up. There are several local offices up for election, in addition to state ones. Several have already started campaigning. As of Monday morning, 20 had filed to run.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pictured below, a line of people were ready to file candidacy for the May primary, when the county clerk’s office opened Wednesday morning. Below left, Jeff Cumberworth filed just after Robert Linville. Clerk Mary Ann McCoy is at right and a deputy clerk assists the candidates.
Sheriff
Jeff Cumberworth, Republican
Joe Mann, Republican
Tim Sutton, Democrat
Commissioner
Bill Flannery, Republican
Robert J. Linville, Republican
Council
Ron Decker, Republican
Dephane Smith, Republican
Osgood Council
Linda Krinop, Republican
Norman Kappes, Democrat
Auditor
Bill Wagner, Republican
Surveyor
Jeff French, Republican
Assessor
Shawna Bushhorn, Republican
Additional filings
Delegates Ginger Bradford, William H. Bradford, Sue French, Jeff French, and trustees Cynthia Melton for Otter Creek and Ray Tucker for Otter Creek advisory board; Janice Linkmeyer for Brown township board, and for precinct committeemen, Alberta Doll for Adams 1 filed for Democrats. State senators, representatives, prosecutor and judge candidates file at the statehouse. Randy Frye, district 67, filed last week to run for another term.
Deadlines
The deadline to file is noon February 7. Ripley Publishing will post a list of the candidates periodically between now and then. Voter registration is the end of the business day on April 7 and re-opens May 20.
Whatever happened to...
Some court dates set for area trials
Mary Mattingly
EDITOR
mmattingly@ripleynews.com
Here’s an update on some prominent criminal cases to be heard by area courts.
Corruption, conspiracy, forgery
Remember the Acapulco Mexican Restaurants and the roundup of the owners and some 100 employees in 2012? Brothers Benito and Adolfo Lopez were two of the three owners charged with corrupt business influence, conspiracy and forgery. They owned part of the Batesville and Versailles restaurants. Abel Bustos of Lafayette and Maria Visoso were also listed as owners. Five restaurants in southeast Indiana were implicated.
The owners allegedly did not report $4.4 million to the government over four years, thus avoiding paying taxes. In September, 2012, after an 18-month investigation, excise police found $3.4 million in safety deposit boxes. A trial was actually scheduled last Monday, Jan. 6 for Benito Lopez of Batesville, but once again, it was continued, according to the Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office. Greendale’s Adolfo Lopez’s trial has also been continued. Attorneys are to report back to the judge, pending the case status. Both men are out of jail, having posted bond. Adolfo Lopez remained in jail for some time because of the $3 million bond. The court of appeals ruled in April the bond was excessive, citing that his assets were seized making it difficult to post bond. In the meantime, many of the 100+employees charged had their cases dismissed as of last January.
A Mexican restaurant has been open in the same spot of the former Acapulco restaurant at the Batesville. The Versailles restaurant had posted a sign of a new restaurant coming for several months, which opened this Monday and is called Tapatio.
Armed robberies
Another criminal case that drew a lot of attention was the string of armed robberies in Ripley County last year. Jesse Sparks of Laurel was charged with two Class B felonies for robbing Huck’s gas station in Batesville and Youngman’s Marathon station in Napoleon in January of last year. He is in the Ripley County jail awaiting trial, which is set for February 25 in the Ripley County Courthouse.
Murder trials
The three trials for the murder of Nancy Hershman have been set by the court. A plea hearing is scheduled for Sean Nichols on January 28; Allison Moore’s jury trial is currently on for March 31 and Daniel Hodge’s jury trial is July 7. These trials had been established for other dates, but attorneys filed continuances.