PRESS Report: Aberdeen shouldn’t build plant BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press An engineering firm is advising the Village of Aberdeen to abandon the idea of building a water plant. The village hired Jones and Henry of Cincinnati to conduct a feasibility study on the water plant issue earlier this year. The report was presented to council on July 1. The report takes into account the costs of both options and said either choice will raise the monthly water bills of residents, and lists the estimated cost of building a water plant at $2,964,400. According to the figures provided in the report, an average usage of 7756 gallons per month
would generate a water bill of $84.16 per month if a water plant is built in Aberdeen and $75.13 if the system is absorbed into the Brown County Rural Water Association. The report assumes that the bond funds borrowed to build the plant will be repaid in either case. That expense is listed as $221,600 per year. Contracting with the BCRWA would also cost the village $52,560 per month. The estimated water bill increase is broken down for the two options. If the village builds the water plant, the report estimates that water bills for residents will increase by $32.26 per month. That figure includes, the bond repayment, annual operating expenses and other
debts. The estimated monthly increase to residents if the village chooses the BCRWA is listed at $16.73. That includes the bond repayment and the payment to BCRWA, minus operating expenses. Village Council Member Billie Eitel made her choice clear following the meeting. “I have never supported the idea of a new water plant and I never will”, she said. Council Member Jay Castle disagreed. “I think it’s crazy to borrow millions of dollars, not get anything out of it and then have to pay it back anyway.”, he said. One issue not addressed in the report is the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
The Brown County Press Sunday, July 7, 2013 • Volume 40 No. 48 Serving Brown County, Ohio since 1973
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Sheriff, Prosecutor sued for $500K BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press A former Brown County sheriff’s deputy is suing Brown County Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger and Brown County Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Little for $500,000. Both are being sued in their capacities as elected officials and individuals. Frank Lambros is claiming Abuse of Process and Fraud following his retirement from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office in July of 2011. In his complaint, filed June 28 in Brown County Common Pleas Court, Lambros claimed that he retired under the threat of being prosecuted for “theft in office”.
Lambros claims that the issue began in February of 2011 when he signed up for an auxiliary detail. Another deputy attempted to bump Lambros from the list, and the claim reads that Lambros attempted to print the duty logs for one day to prove his case for remaining on the detail, but “mistakenly printed duty logs for a significantly longer period of time, and the printed pages numbered in the hundreds.” The claim continues that Lambros “took the mistakenly printed pages, which only had print on one side, to his cruiser, intending to use the blank sides of the pages as note paper for his investigations.” The activity of Lam-
bros was noted on cameras in the sheriff’s office, and he was suspended one week later by Wenninger pending an investigation. Upon arriving home, the claim reads that Lambros noted that his home had been searched by “Deputies of Defendant Wenninger”. The claim then notes that Lambros was relayed a message from Brown County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Schadle that “if Plaintiff (Lambros) agreed to surrender his commission and never be a peace officer again in the state of Ohio, and released Defendant Wenninger and his office from all liability, then the issue of criminal charges would be dropped. Plaintiff was CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Georgetown IGA could reopen BY Martha B. Jacob The Brown County Press Georgetown Village Solicitor Jay Cutrell told members of the Georgetown Village Council that an area businessman is trying to obtain a beer and wine license with plans to purchase and reopen the Provided/ The Brown CounTy Press
Brown County sheriff Dwayne wenninger
Georgetown IGA Grocery in Georgetown, (formerly Goessling’s IGA). The IGA Store closed it’s doors to the public earlier this year in April. Goessling tried to sell the business at that time but was unable to find a buyer. Cutrell explained to council, at its June 27 meet-
ing, that there are no liquor license’s available in Georgetown so the interested buyer is in the process of applying for a transfer of a liquor license from another municipality. “I’ve heard of this before,” Cutrell said. “When a municipality has more liquor licenses than they
can use, they can be transfered to another municipality. In the state’s point of view, it’s a watch over quotas in the state. So if he does obtain the license, council has to approve it.” Cutrell continued, “The mayor has to sign a letter addressed to the State of CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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Index Classifieds...........18, 19 Court News................16 Death Notices..............6 Education ..................15 Opinion ........................4 Social ...........................8 Sports ..................13, 14 219 South High St. Mt. Orab, OH 45154
Warren will be paid $3925.00 for his efforts by the Brown County Commissioners. The three principals, Wenninger, Varnau and Little, were in the same room once, on June 3, according to Warren’s bill. Wenninger said that he didn’t sign the agreement because he and his deputies were already following Ohio law. “My people are protected as long as we follow the law”, Wenninger said. “I am not going to sign an agreement that I feel could expose them to criminal charges if someone goes back on their word.” Wenninger was referring to state law that allows the coroner to file charges against anyone who interferes with a body at a death scene. Varnau said that she will follow the protocol whether Wenninger signs it or not. Responding to a request for comment via email, she wrote “At our CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Wayne Gates/The Brown CounTy Press
The formal groundbreaking for the Mt. orab campus of southern state Community College took place on June 28. From left to right are Doug Green, Joe uecker, sherri Carbo, Dr. Kevin Boys, Don Moore, Mike Pell, Bruce Lunsford, Darryl Gray, Barry woodruff, Doug Boedeker, Dr. Vicki wilson and Leilani Popp
SSCC breaks ground in Mt. Orab BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press The long awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the Mt. Orab campus of Southern State Community College took place June 28. The new campus will be a 50,000 square foot, two story building. The total cost for the project is ap-
proximately 14 million dollars. State and local dignitaries, Southern State representatives and a crowd of about 100 all celebrated the event as critical to the future success of Brown County and southern Ohio. “This is a historic day that will change the dynamic in Brown County for
decades to come.”, said Mt. Orab Mayor Bruce Lunsford. “I’ve been to many groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings, but for the future of this part of Ohio, this is bigger than any of those.” Southern State President Dr. Kevin Boys echoed the sentiments of Lunsford,
saying the location of the new campus would be a key to its success. “When you look at all the traffic passing by us on (State Route) 32, that speaks largely to why we are here on this site. I think the people in Brown County and beyond will see this campus as an inviting CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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A special prosecutor hired by the Brown County Commissioners to create a written protocol between the Brown County Sheriff and Brown County Coroner for death investigations has said the effort did not work. C. David Warren, in a letter to the commissioners dated June 26, said that he had met with Brown County Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger, Brown County Coroner Dr. Judith Varnau and Brown County Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Little “on several occasions” during his effort. Warren wrote, “Even though I felt we were making excellent progress toward a protocol regarding death investigations, I unfortunately must inform you that no agreement could be reached. I am also of the opinion that any further attempts to reach an agreement would not be successful.”
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Brown County Coroner Dr. Judith Varnau
Coroner/Sheriff agreement dead BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press
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Murder suspect back in county BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press Joe Trzeciak is in the Brown County Jail facing murder charges. Trzeciak appeared before Brown County Municipal Judge Joe Worley on July 1 and pleaded not guilty. Worley set bail for Trzeciak at half a million
dollars. He has another hearing in municipal court scheduled for July 17, when he is expected to appear with an attorney. Trzeciak was arrested in White Cloud, MI by Michigan State Police on June 9, following a shooting at the Hyde Park apartments in Mt. Orab on June 7. The victim in the shooting
was James Mootispaw. His brother Darrell identified Trzeciak on a 911 call as the shooter. Mt. Orab Police Chief Bryan Mount said that investigators from the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation were assisting his department with evidence gathering and analysis, as
well as rendering other assistance. In a press release issued June 10, Mount thanked Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Michigan State Police, the Ohio Highway Patrol, the Clermont and Brown county sheriff’s offices and the Mt. Orab Fire Department for their assistance in the case.
Provided/ The Brown CounTy Press
Joe Trzeciak