The Advance Leader December 12, 2013

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The

Advance An edition of THE NEWS SUN

City Council holds last meeting of year BY BOB BUTTGEN bbuttgen@kpcmedia.com

LIGONIER — At what will probably be their last meeting of 2013, members of the Ligonier City Council took care of some procedural issues Monday night. Council members approved on unanimous votes an additional appropriation for the Ligonier Public Library’s budget, and first reading of an ordinance that combines two tax-increment financing districts into one big district. The new district will include more of the downtown area and could also lead to a grants program for property owners to fix up their storefronts. The TIF resolution was passed only on first reading. A public hearing on the proposal was set for Feb. 24, 2014 at the regularly scheduled city council meeting for that night. The council also reappointed Daniel Blevins, funeral director for Yeager Funeral Home in Ligonier, to the city’s economic development commission. Also, council members Chris Fought and Julie Bell volunteered to serve new terms on the Ligonier Redevelopment Commission starting next year. Mayor Patty Fisel said the state department of transportation has been in Ligonier marking Cavin Street (S.R. 5) for core samples. The samples are being taken now, she reported, for the repaving project that will not take place until 2016. Council member Fought also announced that Operation Foundation will take place in 2014, after taking a year off in 2013. A meeting for volunteers will take place tonight at 6 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church near downtown Ligonier.

Mother, son recovering from kidney transplant LIGONIER — Relief and happiness flooded the family of the Rev. Candy Kaiser and her family on Friday, following a delicate kidney-transplant operation at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis. Kaiser, pastor at Ligonier United Methodist Church, donated one of her kidneys to her son, Brad Robinson, and the first reports coming out of Indianapolis from Friday’s operations are encouraging. “I got to visit with Brad for a few minutes late this morning,� Kaiser said Saturday afternoon from her hospital bed. “I am having quite a lot of pain today, but seeing him smiling and looking good is the best pain reliever ever!� Rev. Kaiser was able to return to her Ligonier home on Saturday morning. The operations took several hours and were done in side-byside operating rooms at the medical center.

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Leader

Phone: 894-3102 • Fax: 894-3102

75 cents Ligonier, Indiana, USA On the web at: kpcnews.com Vol. 129, No. 50

Alleged voyeur nabbed in Ligonier BY BOB BUTTGEN bbuttgen@kpcmedia.com

LIGONIER — A man who police said allegedly had been peeking into windows of homes in Ligonier for the past several months has been arrested and charged with voyeurism. Teofelo Estrada, 19, of Ligonier was arrested during the early morning hours of Dec. 5 by Ligonier Police after a months-long investigation. Voyeurism is a class B misdemeanor. Estrada was also

Ligonier burglar gets seven-year sentence BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com

ALBION — A Ligonier man was sentenced Thursday in Noble Circuit Court to serve seven years in prison for four felony crimes, including six years for burglary. Lonnie G. Miller, 22, pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of burglary, a Class B felony, and two unrelated Class D felony charges: possession of marijuana with a prior conviction and operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction. Miller admitted that he broke into two buildings on Dec. 23, 2012, intending to commit theft. The buildings are in the 4000 block of West C.R. 1100N and 10000 block of North C.R. 500W. Miller also admitted that he possessed marijuana and operated a vehicle while intoxicated with marijuana on Aug. 3, 2103. He previously was convicted of possession of marijuana in Noble County on March 30, 2010, and of operating while intoxicated in LaGrange County within the last five years, he said. Court records said the 2013 incident took place in the vicinity of West Union Street and Townline Road, Ligonier. Circuit Judge G. David Laur sentenced Miller to six years in prison for each Class B felony crime, with those sentences to be served at the same time, and one year for each Class D felony offense. The D felony sentences will be served at the same time as each other, but back-to-back with the B felony sentences. All the time is to be served. Laur gave Miller three days of credit for time already served in the B felony case and one day of credit in the D felony case. Miller’s driving privileges were suspended for one year. He was ordered to complete a substance-abuse assessment and any required follow-up immediately after his release from prison.

charged with trespassing, a class A misdemeanor. According to Ligonier Police Chief Bryan Shearer, “this crime occurred probably about 20 to 25 times within the last year. This suspect was caught because we had good cooperation with a resident it was happening to.� Most of the crimes were committed in one neighborhood in the west-central part of the city. Police started receiving reports earlier this year from residents who reported seeing the man.

Off-duty police officers in unmarked cars were stationed in the neighborhood during the early morning hours when most of the incidents were reported. Estrada was apprehended at about 5:45 a.m. He was not caught in the act of peeking in windows, but later allegedly told police he had done so in the past. “We were able, with the victim’s help, to figure out a pattern of this violation,� Shearer said. “This lead to our department putting police officers within this neighborhood to catch this suspect.�

Chamber of Commerce, firefighters host event At the Ligonier Fire Station on Saturday morning, Santa Claus made a special guest appearance at a breakfast hosted by the city’s firefighters and the Ligonier Chamber of Commerce. More than 100 kids had a chance to meet Santa and receive a small gift bag from the chamber. Donations were accepted by the firefighters and proceeds are going to the department’s adopted Bob Buttgen family for the holidays. Chamber members Among the many children who met with Santa and gave him their wish list were this happy pair: Lance Turzi, 5, and donated gifts for the Cecillia Mast, 4, from Cromwell. children.

Cromwell hosting ‘Christmas in the Village’ on Saturday, Sunday CROMWELL — The second annual craft and antique show, “Christmas in the Village� will be held on the second floor of the Cromwell library on Saturday and Sunday. In addition vendors will also be at the Cromwell Community Center on Baker Street.

The show features crafts of local artisans, antiques, gift items and good things to eat. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while Sunday hours are noon to 3 p.m. Children can visit Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the library on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Photos Contributed

Bob Braley

Lonnie G. Miller enters a Noble County Sheriff’s Department transport vehicle after being sentenced Thursday, Dec. 5, in Noble Circuit Court to seven years in prison for four felony offenses.

Shearer praised the work of his officers and the cooperation of the victim. “This was an excellent example of good police work with the cooperation of its citizens,� he said. “We, as the police, can’t do this job without the citizens’ help.� Estrada had a preliminary hearing last Friday in Noble County Court and has been released on bond. Shearer said this is one of the few cases of voyeurism that an arrest has been made in Ligonier in the past decade.

Breakfast with Santa a big hit

The Advance Leader P.O. Box 30 Ligonier, IN 46767

THURSDAY

A shuttle is scheduled to be available between locations, from the library to the community center. The day’s events are sponsored by the Noble County Public Library West and the Cromwell-Kimmell Lions Club. The public is invited to both locations.

Here are some of the homemade craft items that will be for sale this weekend at the Cromwell branch of the Noble County Public Library. The second floor of the library, as well as the Cromwell Community Center on Baker Street, will have booth spaces filled with local crafters and sellers of gift items this weekend.

Family of Don Moore accepts Sagamore award KENDALLVILLE — With family members and city and county officials looking on, state Rep. David Ober, R-Albion, presented Don Moore Jr. with his father Don Moore’s Sagamore of the Wabash honor in a brief ceremony Wednesday at American Legion Post 86. “It’s amazes me how influential

he was to everyone,� Moore Jr. said about his father. Don Moore died on Jan. 13 of this year. He was one of the community’s most energetic supporters and the owner of radio station WAWK-FM The Hawk in Kendallville. Moore served as an Army intelligence analyst in the Vietnam

War. He was an entrepreneur, operating Don Moore Productions and Minuteman Mowing Services. He served as Noble County Council president, Kendallville Chamber of Commerce president, Kendallville Downtown Business Association president and commander of American Legion Post 86.

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