BLOOD DRIVE THIS FRIDAY AT METHODIST CHURCH; NOON TO 6 P.M. PLEASE GIVE!
The
Advance An edition of THE NEWS SUN
THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2013
Leader
75 cents Ligonier, Indiana, USA On the web at: kpcnews.com Vol. 129, No. 44
Chase Ligonier celebrates Halloween, fall ends with arrest BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
CROMWELL — A Middlebury man allegedly used a gun to hold another man against his will over the weekend, Noble County authorities said. Trent A. Faulkner, 27, also allegedly led police on a vehicle and foot chase that straddled county lines and ended when a police dog found him, said Noble County Sheriff Doug Harp. Faukner was charged Monday in Noble Circuit Faulkner Court with criminal confinement with a deadly weapon, a Class B felony, Noble County Prosecutor Steven T. Clouse said. The incident began Saturday night, when Faulkner allegedly held a male victim in a car as the car drove around in the Noble-Kosciusko-Elkhart-LaGrange counties area, Harp said. “It was a mobile location,” he added. Faulkner allegedly showed the victim a gun that was in his possession at the time, Clouse said. Once the victim was able to get away in extreme western Noble County, he called police, Harp said. Police reports indicate the call from the victim came at 8:34 a.m. Sunday. Officers began to search for the suspect, Harp said. When they approached Faulkner, he allegedly fled in a car, the sheriff said. Faulkner allegedly drove the car off the road, through a field and a wood line, Harp said. At one point, the Noble and Kosciusko county sheriff’s departments, the Ligonier Police Department and Indiana State Police were involved in the case and search. Faulkner then allegedly abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot, Harp said. K-9 officers from the Ligonier and Avilla police departments were called in to track Faulkner, Harp said. The Ligonier Police K-9 found him hiding in a thicket. No one was injured during the events, Harp said. Faulkner is being held at the Noble County Jail for $100,000 bond, Clouse said. The next hearing in his case will be Dec. 12. Faulkner is seeking to hire his own attorney, Clouse said.
Noble House benefit auction and dinner set for Friday. Details on page 2
This scarecrow won first place in the contest hosted by the Future Ligonier Alliance. It’s a reasonable facsimile of Ligonier attorney Tom Wigent and was created by his family. The secondplace scarecrow was placed up the street and was a tribute to Ligonier Dr. Robert Stone.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
BOB BUTTGEN
Adorable Kitty: Kimberly Correa in Mrs. Hicks’ first grade class at West Noble Primary School, dressed up for the costume party that was part of the school’s “Red Ribbon Week” festivities. (More photos are on page 7.)
BOB BUTTGEN PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
West Noble Primary School teacher Troy Risser and his wife, Donna, portray Batman and Batgirl during the school’s costume contest, held last week as part of Red Ribbon Week festivities at the school.
Many area residents decorated their homes and yards in the spirit of Halloween, including this residence on historic Main Street in Ligonier. Trick-or-treat takes place tonight in Ligonier, and hundreds of kids are expected to descend on the area in search of candy.
Council nixes pension for mayor’s job BY BOB BUTTGEN bbuttgen@kpcmedia.com
LIGONIER — After a debate that stretched over two months, the Ligonier City Council Monday night turned down the idea of adding the mayor’s job to the state’s Public Employee Retirement Fund . Currently, all city jobs except the mayor are covered by the retirement fund. The city pays about 10 to 11 percent of an employee’s salary into the fund, and the employee adds another 3 percent. Public safety employees
pay 6 percent of their wages into the plan. But people are not vested into the fund, meaning they cannot start collecting pension checks until they have been in the system for 10 years. That would require a mayor to either serve at least 2 1/2 terms or take another job with the city that is covered by PERF. Council members wrestled with the option during their last three meetings. Monday’s meeting was the first time all five council members were present for the discussion.
Council member Julie Bell said the idea is not specifically meant to benefit current Mayor Patty Fisel, who was not present at the meeting. Bell said she favored adding the mayor to the retirement system because it would attract younger and more qualified people to run for mayor. Council member Ken Schuman, who presided over the meeting in Fisel’s absence (she was ill), said he opposed the idea, based on his own feelings along with input from the public. The cost of adding the mayor to the state
The Advance Leader P.O. Box 30 Ligonier, IN 46767 Phone: 894-3102 • Fax: 894-3102
BOB BUTTGEN
Here’s the new picnic area at Pettit Park in Ligonier. It’s part of the improvement program at the park, with picnic tables and other features being added. Most of the improvements are being funded through a grant from the Hagen Family Foundation of Ligonier.
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fund was a factor in his decision, he said. The cost of adding the mayor to PERF would be shared three ways, with the water and sewer departments contributing two-thirds out of their revenues, and the general fund kicking in the other one-third. Only the general fund portion would use tax dollars. Schuman said, “We have an exceptional mayor now in Patty, but there’s no guarantee of that in the future. We need to protect the city in case our next mayor is not as dedicated as she is.” Clerk-Treasurer Barb Hawn said she believes the mayor should be in the PERF system. Hawn said she took a survey of surrounding cities in this part of the state, and the majority include their mayors in the state’s retirement fund. Council member Chris Fought also spoke against adding the mayor’s position to PERF, saying it would not be worth the investment. Bell then made a motion to proceed with adding the mayor’s job to PERF, but her motion died for lack of a second, ending the discussion. Also at Monday’s meeting, the council voted to endorse a plan by the Ligonier Redevelopment Commission to greatly expand the city’s Warren tax-increment financing district. TIF districts draw money from property taxes paid by factories. SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 3
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