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THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER Published
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S U N D A Y, M A Y 3 , 2 0 1 5
Over 40 needles found during Trash Bash BOB ROBINSON
ASSOCIATE EDITOR brobinson@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – Sheriff’s deputies collected more than 40 needles (syringes) as a result of calls from Trash Bash volunteers cleaning up trash in the annual county event April 18 and 19. “We received 25 calls Saturday and Sunday,” Chief Deputy Mark Whittaker told Darke County Solid Waste District Director Krista Fourman in an event follow-up letter. Thirteen calls had to do with multiple needles found; two calls were about meth labs. Miscellaneous trash, medical and drug materi-
als composed the rest. “This is probably the busiest Trash Bash weekend we have had, so the requirement to listen to your safety talks was taken to heart and it worked,” he added. Volunteers picking up their supply bags were focused on Whittaker as he discussed the concerns April 18. “We’re glad people were calling in and being safe,” Whittaker said later. Supply bags had either one or two blue flags in them, depending on the location in which they were going to be used. When volunteers found an item of concern they ‘planted’ the flag and called the sheriff’s office.
Whittaker noted the meth labs as well as the high number of syringes found. “For the last couple of years the county always seems to have a meth lab running,” he said. One ‘rig,’ assembled as a gas generator used in meth production, can be dangerous even if just touched. The movement could start it releasing a poisonous gas, Whittaker said. The most common items are the insulin needles, Whittaker noted. They aren’t illegal; they can be purchased at any drug store. “They are available for use with legitimate medical conditions, such as diabetes.” He said making the needles more difficult
to obtain wouldn’t solve the problem; in fact would likely create other health problems due to sharing. “No matter what steps we take, they’re going to feed their addiction,” he said. “We need to get a handle on the addiction.” “The important thing,” Whittaker added, “is applauding Krista not only to set up this program to clean up the county, but also that she’s made safety a priority. She really took it to heart this year.” Whittaker acknowledged it’s the department’s job to keep the county safe but, he added, “We have to know what’s going on; we can’t just bury our heads in the sand.”
Darke County Chief Deputy Mark Whittaker points out two needles, noting they are legal and can be obtained at any drug store. Needles discarded on roadsides, however, are dangerous, indicate possible illegal use and the sheriff’s department should be contacted. More than 40 were found during Trash Bash weekend. (Bob Robinson photo)
Jury convicts former bar owner of rape, sexual battery CLINTON RANDALL
STAFF WRITER crandall@earlybirdpaper.com
Emergency fire and rescue personnel work with CareFlight and the Greenville High School SADD club to show students the dangers of drunk or distracted driving as part of the ‘Drive Smart’ program. Log on to bluebagmedia.com for more photos from the Drive Smart program presentation. (Clinton Randall photo)
Greenville SADD club hosts prom week mock crash CLINTON RANDALL
STAFF WRITER crandall@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – As part of prom week, the Greenville High School’s SADD club hosted a mock crash sponsored by Miami Valley Hospital’s CareFlight as part of its “Drive Smart” program. The drug and alcohol awareness program focusing on teenage drunk driving that, according to national statistics, is a higher risk during prom time. According to miamivalleyhospital.org, the 60-minute presentation recreates a motor vehicle accident, complete with casualties, giving students the opportunity to see firsthand what
happens at an accident scene. As the re-enactment of a rescue unfolds, students witness injured classmates taken away by ambulance and by CareFlight. Law enforcement officials also show students how a sobriety test is given. Thousands of students, educators and parents experienced the Drive Smart program. Miami Valley Hospital is hopeful the message resonates with students to help them make the right decision when they get behind the wheel of a car. Greenville High School holds the mock crash every two years during prom week. The GHS prom was scheduled for Saturday, May 2.
Honor your graduate in The Early Bird GREENVILLE – Attention parents of 2015 graduates – high school and college. The Early Bird wants to honor your son or daughter for reaching a milestone in their education. A special section is being planned for May 17 that will highlight their achievement. Please mail, drop off or email a picture of your graduating student along
with their name, school and parents’ names. The Early Bird is located at 5312 Sebring Warner Road, Greenville, Ohio 45331, or email pictures and information to editor@ earlybirdpaper.com with “Graduation” in the subject line. There is no cost to submit a picture and the deadline is May 13, 5 p.m.
GREENVILLE - A jury convicted a former New Madison bar owner April 30 in a case involving the rape and sexual battery of two underage women. It took the jury of eight men and four women nearly seven hours of deliberating to find 34year-old Klint P. Kuck of Eaton guilty on one count of Rape, a felony of the first degree, and a lesser charge of Sexual Battery, a third degree felony, on the second Rape charge. He was acquitted on a single count of Kidnapping and found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to an underage person. As Darke County Common Pleas Court Judge Jonathan P. Hein read the verdicts aloud emotional reactions could be heard from both sides of the courtroom. Kuck was visibly shocked by the verdicts as he shook his head in disbelief. “We are very happy with the jury’s decision,” Darke County Prosecutor Kelly Ormsby told The Early Bird after the verdict. “I think they did their best to come up with a just verdict in the case.” Over the course of the 4-day trial, the jury heard from numerous witnesses that gave testimony of what they remember from the nights in question that the two women testified Kuck had sexually assaulted them. Witnesses from the state and defense included friends and family of both victims, medical experts,
Klint Kuck listens as Darke County Common Pleas Court Judge Jonathan P. Hein announces the jury’s verdict Thursday afternoon. (Clinton Randall photo)
both victims and the defendant. Kuck was indicted following an investigation by the Darke County Sheriff’s Office after the two 19-year-old woman accused him of the rape after visiting the Backroads Bar & Grill, which he owned at the time. According to testimony in day one of the trial, the first victim stated she had gone with a co-worker to the bar on July 13, 2012 where she had met Kuck for the first time. She recalled being uncomfortable around Kuck as he and his friends pressured her into a couple alcoholic drinks. While under oath, she explained how she remembered feeling very tired and not able to remember much after the drinks. She tearfully told the jury how she awoke briefly only to discover Kuck in the act of raping her outside the back of the bar. Though she did ask her now fiance to get a morning after pill from
a Greenville pharmacy, she chose not to report the incident to the police the day after the offense. In fact, it wasn’t until she learned of the second victim claiming to have been raped by Kuck on Feb. 23, 2013 that she told authorities what had happened. In the morning of day two of the trial, the state called on the second victim in the case. She told the jury how Kuck served her several drinks, all the time knowing she was underage. She said the last thing she remembered was looking at the clock in the bar which read 2:19 a.m. Her next memory was waking up in Kuck’s Preble County home on the floor without any clothes on. After she was dropped off that morning, her friends testified to observing bruising and scratches on her body. They talked her into going to Wayne HealthCare to be tested for rape. Like the first victim in
TRIVIA
GREENVILLE
the case, she too could not remember a period of time from that night. Unlike the first victim, she did not remember what occurred while at Kuck’s house that night. According to Kuck’s defense attorney Kevin Lennon and his own testimony, both women had consensual sex with him. “My client is not a gentleman, nor did he have any intention of having a relationship past a sexual encounter with these women,” Lennon told the jury in his closing argument. “This does not mean he raped them.” After reading the verdicts, it was clear the jury believed the testimony by the first victim and that rape had occurred. With the second young lady not being able to recall any of the criminal acts, other than being served alcohol while at the bar, the jury was unable to convict Kuck of the more serious charge and found him not guilty of Kidnapping. “Justice has been done for the victims in this case,” said lead detective David Hawes of the Darke County Sheriff’s Office. “However, nothing will fix the damage that he caused!” Kuck is scheduled for sentencing on May 21 at 1 p.m. in the Darke County Common Pleas Court. Though the state requested his bond be revoked, Judge Hein allowed Kuck to remain free on house arrest during the presentence investigation with the Adult Probation Department. He faces a maximum of more than 16 years in prison and will be required to register as a Tier III sex offender for the rest of his life.
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