The Herald Republican – October 24, 2013

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Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857

Prairie Heights thespians to present fall play

Weather Cloudy, chance of rain, high in the low 40s. Tonight’s low 30. Page A8

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013

Angola, Indiana

GOOD MORNING Heights observing Rock the Belt BRUSHY PRAIRIE — Students Against Destructive Decisions Chapters statewide, including Prairie Heights High School, are holding Rock the Belt Day today as part of National Teen Driver Safety Week. The day focuses on educating drivers to buckle up when driving. Students are celebrating a statewide Rock the Belt Day to educate young people about the importance of wearing a safety belt with a Quick Click Challenge. Youths and adults are encouraged to buckle up. Car crashes remain the leading cause of death among 15-20 year-olds. In 2012, less than one-third of young Hoosier drivers killed in crashes were restrained. Half of those who were not wearing seat belts would have survived if only they had buckled up.

kpcnews.com

Cold feet on murder plea Alleged murderer Mark Hines, in orange, is escorted to the Steuben County Courthouse by Steuben County Jail officer Doug Grandin Wednesday. Hines had been scheduled for a change of plea hearing but backed out. Hines has another hearing Monday in Steuben Circuit Court.

Alleged killer backs out of change of plea deal BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com

MIKE MARTURELLO

ANGOLA — The suspected shooter in a July 7 fatal shooting backed out of a guilty plea Wednesday afternoon. A change of plea hearing was scheduled for 1:45 p.m. in Steuben Circuit Court after Mark Zachery Hines, 28, indicated he was ready to plead guilty to one of the charges against him. He is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder as well as carrying a handgun without license and two allegations of habitual offender. Hines worked with his public defender Anthony Kraus to negotiate a plea bargain with the state, represented by chief deputy prosecutor Jeremy Musser. That deal was signed but not executed on Wednesday. The court hearing started around 2 p.m. with Kraus talking in hushed tones to Hines. After a few minutes, Kraus asked Judge Allen Wheat for more time to confer

with his client and they went to the Circuit Court’s filing room where they spent nearly an hour. Kraus emerged with no resolution, and Hines was returned to Steuben County Jail. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Monday at 8 a.m. in Circuit Court. A jury trial is on the court calendar for Nov. 18. Hines is accused of killing Ruben Sanchez, 29, on July 7 during a weekend of partying in the lakes area. He was arrested along with Tyler Lee Biggs, 18, of Jimmerson Lake, shortly after Sanchez’ shooting was reported to authorites. Hines allegedly shot Sanchez three times outside the Jimmerson Lake residence where Sanchez lived with his girlfriend. The .40-caliber pistol believed to be the weapon used in the crime was allegedly supplied by Biggs. Biggs, who has retained SEE HINES, PAGE A8

Showgirl hearing stays on schedule

Halloween Spirits Rising

Judge blasts emails in Indy officer’s trial FORT WAYNE (AP) — Indianapolis police leaders are under fire after the judge overseeing a reckless homicide and drunken driving trial of one officer learned that another has been emailing trial summaries to department leaders, including at least one on the witness list. The Indianapolis Star reports the summaries went to five Indianapolis public safety leaders. Recipients included Police Chief Rick Hite and Deputy Chief Val Cunningham. Cunningham is a potential witness in the trial of Officer David Bisard. He’s charged in a 2010 crash that killed one motorcyclist and badly injured two others. Allen County Judge John Surbeck called the emails “unprofessional” Wednesday and said he may summon Hite to explain them. The issue is the latest in a case marked by mishandled evidence, demotions, lawsuits and secret recordings.

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Contact Us • The Herald Republican 45 S. Public Square Angola, IN 46703 Phone: (260) 665-3117 Fax: (260) 665-2322 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (800) 717-4679

Index • Classified.............................................. B5-B8 Life.................................................................A6 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A5 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A8 TV/Comics ..................................................B4 Vol. 156 No. 293

75 cents

BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com

MIKE MARTURELLO

Holiday decorations can be found throughout Steuben County as residents celebrate fall and Halloween. These jack-o-lanterns were at a residence on Springhill Drive in Angola. There

are many activities planned for the fall season and Halloween in the coming days across Steuben County, starting Friday in Hamilton.

Steuben to celebrate the season From Hamilton to Pokagon, many activities planned BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com

Spooky events around Steuben County are gearing up for Halloween. Some of the fall and Halloween events are below: • Angola Parks & Recreation will host its annual free Halloween Fun event on Saturday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Selman Timber Frame Pavilion in Commons Park. Join the fun with games, hayrides, pumpkin decorating and treats. For details, call 665-1588. • The Fremont Public Library’s annual Pumpkin Walk will be held Friday from 5-7 p.m. at the library and in Vistula Park. All ages are welcome with or without a costume. It will feature face painting, balloon art, caricatures, storytelling, petting zoo, pony rides, refreshments, door prizes, games and crafts. • Fremont Autumn Days will be held Friday and Saturday with a 15-kilometer bicycle ride and fall activities. For more details, visit fremontautumndays. wordpress.com. • Pokagon State Park will conduct a camp decorating contest all weekend. It will also feature campground trick-ortreating. From 7-8:30 p.m. ghost tales and stories will be told by Lou Ann Homan and Steve Etheridge in the CCC shelter. • YMCA of Steuben County, 500 E. Harcourt Road, will hold its annual Halloween Howl

Trine to present Halloween concert FROM STAFF REPORTS

ANGOLA — Trine University’s chamber orchestra and vocal ensembles will present their Halloween concert at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Dale Hughes Jr. Memorial Auditorium, Steuben Community Center, 317 S. Wayne St., Suite 2J. Children and their parents are encouraged, but not required, to come in costume for the free event. “We hope community members will enjoy our fun and spirited Halloween concert that promises lively tunes and Halloween favorites,” said Mark Kays, chair of the music department. “It’s one of our favorite concerts and a great way to get in the mood for Halloween whether you’re a Monday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. for children up to 12. Bring a canned good for Project Help. The following are trick-ortreat times: • Angola, Oct. 31, 6-8 p.m. • Ashley, Oct. 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m. • Clear Lake, Oct. 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m. • Fremont, Oct. 31, 5-7 p.m. • Hamilton, Oct. 26, 5-7 p.m. and costume judging will take place at the fire hall by Psi Rho

child or a child at heart.” Many Halloween-inspired favorites are on tap, including “Lightning!” by Greg Gilpin, “Animal Crackers, Volume I” by Eric Whitacre and “The Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett and Leonard Capizzi. Male performers will present their rendition of “We May Not Be Vampires (But We’re Still Men)” by Mark Burrows. Hits from popular movies also will be performed, including “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas, “Batman — the Dark Knight Rises” by Hans Zimmer and “1812 Overture” by Johannes Brahams as performed in the movie “V for Vendetta” by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Sorority at 4:30 p.m. • Orland, Oct. 31, 5-6:30 p.m. When it comes to top Halloween costumes this year, online sources said those you might be likely to see out and about are those related to “Duck Dynasty;” Miley Cyrus; the fox from the Norwegian comedy group, Ylvis; “Breaking Bad;” the U.S. government shutdown; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Avengers’ Black Widow; and “Despicable Me” minions among others.

ANGOLA — A federal court hearing in the lawsuit between Showgirl’s owners and the city of Angola will go on as scheduled in U.S. District Court in South Bend on Friday. The hearing, though, will only involve a motion for a preliminary injunction against the city that, if granted, could allow Fort Wayne strip club owner Alva Butler to open a Showgirl in Angola. The city had filed a motion for summary judgment but that will not be heard Friday, Judge Robert Miller Jr. ruled on Tuesday. The court had entertained the parties to seek a continuance, which Angola did, because the court was lacking time to sufficiently address matters brought before it in the city’s motion. Butler and his wife, Sandra, have sued the city, claiming their First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution have been violated by Angola’s efforts to stop them from opening a strip club at 310 W. Wendell Jacob Ave. SEE SHOWGIRL, PAGE A8

German leader complains BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel complained to President Barack Obama on Wednesday after learning that U.S. intelligence may have targeted her mobile phone, saying that would be “a serious breach of trust” if confirmed. For its part, the White House denied that the U.S. is listening in on Merkel’s phone calls now. “The president assured the chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of the chancellor,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “The United States greatly values our close cooperation with Germany on a broad range of shared security challenges.” However, Carney did not specifically say that U.S. had never monitored or obtained Merkel’s SEE GERMAN, PAGE A8


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