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THE BROWN COUNTY
Sunday, May 1, 2016 • Volume 43 No. 39 Sun Group
Serving Brown County, Ohio since 1973
NEWSPAPERS
www.browncountypress.com bcpress@frontier.com
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Mt. Orab Phone (937) 444-3441 Mt. Orab Fax (937) 444-2652 Georgetown Phone (937) 378-6161 Georgetown Phone (937) 378-2004
New Healthsource building in G’Town BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press Healthsource Ohio and local officials celebrated the groundbreaking of a new healthcare building in Georgetown on April 27. The new building will cost $2.6 million to build and will be located on 631 E. State Street in Georgetown. It is expected to open in November with more services. “We have hired a new family practice physician and we are going to expand to take care of more people in the community,” said Healthsource CEO Kim Patton. “We’ve also built the building to do some after
hour and flex care. It’s not emergency room work, but it gives people more access. We are also partnering with members of the community like Child Focus to provide other services.” Georgetown Mayor Dale Cahall said that he is very pleased that the project has room for future growth. “I’m excited that this project can expand in the future to other sources of medical care that we can receive here locally,” he said. Healthsource plans to expand their already existing pediatric services in the new 10,000 square foot building. Healthsource Development Officer Jennifer Patrick said in an e-mail CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Wayne Gates/THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS
Participants in the groundbreaking included Healthsource Ohio CEO Kim Patton, Brown County Commissioner Daryll Gray, Georgetown Village Administrator Art Owens, Georgetown Mayor Dale Cahall, Brown County Commissioner Tony Applegate, Brown County Chamber of Commerce Membership Coordinator Dannielle Williams, Healthsource Georgetown Practice Manager Sherri Cluxton, Brown County Development Director Kelly Cole and Healthsource CFO Tom Druco.
Tragedy hits close to home BY Patricia Beech Residents of Adams and Pike Counties were left shaken when news of a horrifying mass murder shattered the notion “that things like that don’t happen here”. The killings that left eight members of the Rhoden family dead across four homes in Pike County grabbed headlines around the world as the national press descended into the village of Piketon. According to Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader, seven adults and a 16-year-old boy were shot in the head at four different crime scenes. Attorney General Mike DeWine said most of the victims were found in their beds. DeWine and Reader identified the victims as Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; Dana Rhoden, 37; Christopher Rhoden Jr. 16; Hanna Rhoden, 19; Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20; Hannah Gilley, 20; Gary Rhoden, 38; and Kenneth Rhoden, 44.
Benjamin Suver of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) said that the two crime scenes on the 4000 block of Union Hill Road are within walking distance of each other, while the third residence is more than a mile away, and the fourth, located on Left Fork Road is a 15-minute drive away. In a press conference on April 24, DeWine called the killings a “pre-planned execution”, and said he believed more than one shooter was responsible. “It was a sophisticated operation, and those who carried it out tried to do everything they could to hinder the investigation and their prosecution.” Sheriff Reader responding to concerns about public safety said it was evident the family was targeted. “I cautioned them, and I told them to be armed,” he said, “I can tell you, if you are fearful, arm yourself, if you feel you need to protect yourself or your family, do so, and contact the local law en-
forcement.” Responding to complaints about the lack of information being shared with the press, DeWine asked for patience, “We will not be telegraphing or telling the bad guys everything that we know, I do not intend to give out one piece of information that will endanger the prosecution of this case,” he said, “It is in the interest of the people of the state of Ohio that we find this murderer or murderers as quick as we can.” “We will not have a second chance,” Sheriff Reader said, “we have to do it once, and we have to do it right.” Eighteen items have been sent to the BCI crime lab to analyze DNA evidence. DeWine said that investigators had received over 100 tips, conducted over 50 interviews with more on-going, and executed five search warrants for the four crime scenes. He would not comment on the fifth location. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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Man caught at post office picking up pot The Brown County Drug & Major Crime Task Force, with information and support provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service, has arrested Douglas Link of Mt. Orab. Link is currently charged with one count of Possession of Drugs, a felony of the third degree, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, after being arrested outside of the United States Postal Service Office in Mount Orab, Ohio on April 26, 2016. Link was in possession of over three pounds of marijuana which led Task Force agents to obtaining a search warrant for his residence and vehicle. Also, Task Force agents
Provided/ THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS
Douglas Link
seized multiple additional pounds of marijuana along with 24 plants, marijuana
cultivation materials, scales, and firearms at the home. Mr. Link was arraigned in the Brown County Municipal Court on April 27, 2016 and was given a $25,000 cash, surety, or property bond. Mr. Link posted bond and is currently out of custody. His next court date is scheduled for May 5th at 9:00am at the Brown County Municipal Court. Mr. Link is employed as a professor of humanities at Chatfield College, outside of Fayetteville, Ohio. The investigation is ongoing, with additional criminal charges to be presented to the Brown County Grand Jury at a future date.
Stykes Family to honor Brittany on May 4
The family of Brittany Ann Dodson Stykes would like to invite everyone to help them celebrate what would have been her 25th birthday on Wednesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. Brittany was killed on August 28, 2013 after being shot on Highway 68 between Georgetown and Ripley. The family will gather at the site of her death where a memorial has been erected in her memory on Highway 68 south of Georgetown.
BOE member Kattine’s comments questioned BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press Brown County Board of Elections member Jo Ann Kattine made comments that were called “inappropriate” at a polling place in Aberdeen during the March 15 primary election. They included statements such as “The office is a mess, the board is a mess. Nobody knows what they are doing”; “Mariah (Votel) and Dallas (Hurt) MUST be removed from the board.” Kattine’s comments were reported in a letter from poll
worker Vicki Lloyd-Jones to BOE Director Connie Ayers in a letter dated March 16. Lloyd-Jones was working at the Huntington Township community building when she heard Kattine make the comments. Ayers read the letter out loud to the board during a meeting on March 29. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Brown County Press via a public records request. Other portions of the letter included the following. “One of the board mem-
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Grant Days 2016 is celebrated in G’town BY Wade Linville People from near and far ventured to Georgetown on April 23 to celebrate an important part of American history. The calling was the 20th annual U.S. Grant Days’ Celebration, and this year’s Grant Days proved to be a great success with festivities to entertain and educate people of all ages. For children, activities such as a chalk drawing contest with awards handed out by Georgetown’s famous artist, John Ruthven and an 1800s magic show performed by Professor Faris attracted a number of young attendees, while adults enCONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Index Classifieds....19, 20 Legals ...........16, 17 Opinion .................4 Sports ............13-15 219 South High St. Mt. Orab, OH 45154
Wade Linville/THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS
Curt and Lena Fields portrayed Ulysses S. Grant and Mrs. Grant during the 20th annual U.S. Grant Days’ Celebration held in Georgetown April 21-23.
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