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Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Volume 141 Edition 47
ATM theft ring escapes Posey County empty-handed By Trisha L. Lopez A helicopter circled Mount Vernon throughout the morning on Tuesday as law enforcement officers from multiple agencies, including the FBI, scoured the east side of town in pursuit of three men suspected of trying to steal an ATM from a bank in Evansville. Evansville police officers responded to a call to Regions Bank at 7400 Eagle Crest Boulevard at 3:15 a.m. on Tuesday where they
noticed the ATM was damaged, but its contents still intact. According to a statement released by the Evansville Police Department, an officer saw a suspicious vehicle with no license plate which led to a chase that ended when the driver crashed on Highway 62 in Mount Vernon. A CodeRed emergency system alert was utilized and Mount Vernon residents were asked to remain indoors with their doors locked. Parents of MSD of Mount
Vernon students were originally told that schools would operate on a two-hour delay, but that delay turned into a cancellation as the search continued. Drones, search dogs and members of the SWAT team came up empty-handed. EPD detectives believe the group to be an organized ring that has been targeting ATMs throughout the Midwest according to officers on the scene. “There’s been a string across
the nation... ATM thefts,” said Brent Hoover with Evansville Police Department as he and fellow officers manned the mobile command unit set up beside storage units off of Tile Factory Road. “The FBI is investigating those and they will investigate this to see if it’s all tied in to what they are already working on.” Hoover said that he believed the suspects had attempted to take the cash vault out of the Regions Bank ATM in Evansville.
“I haven’t seen the machine, but that’s been the M.O. They are either taking the entire machine or the guts of the machine,” he said. “(Investigators) are working leads. The investigation will have to play itself out before they release any additional information.” The Mount Vernon Police Department, EPD, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and Posey County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the search.
Kusturin pleads ‘not guilty’ By Trisha L. Lopez A Mount Vernon man arrested for the November 5 murder of John and Elizabeth Hall entered a preliminary plea of not guilty in his initial court appearance on Tuesday. “It’s just a bad situation I’m in. I had nothing to do with it. It’s someone else,” Austin Kusturin, 28, told Posey Circuit Court Judge Craig Goedde, later adding “I did have possession of some stuff on me.” The Halls were found shot in their Mulberry Street home in Mount Vernon early on November 6. Documents filed with the court show that Kusturin was linked to the slayings by fingerprint evidence on a cell phone stolen from the couple’s home, video surveillance and cell phone provider tracking data, a gun registered to the victim that was recovered in Kusturin’s storage unit and a neighbor that witnessed him in the area several hours later
on the evening the state says the murders occured. Kusturin, present in Posey County Circuit Court by video, stood behind a podium at the Posey County Jail with his hands bound behind his back dressed in a loosely hanging orange striped jail uniform and listened as Goedde read his charges: count one, murder, a Class 5 felony with a possible sentence of 45 to 65 years in prison, for the killing of John Hall, 74; count two, murder, a Class 5 felony with a possible sentence of 45 to 65 years in prison, for the killing of Elizabeth Hall, 74; count three, burglary, a level 1 felony that carries a possible sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison, for breaking and entering the Hall’s home with the intent to commit a felony which resulted in serious bodily injury;
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released the following statement on the average retail cost of Thanksgiving dinner staples: “This holiday season we have so many things to be thankful for, chief among them our farmers and producers who are putting the food on our plates and the ability to spend time with loved ones, which we could not do last year. We know that even small price increases can make a difference for family budgets, and we are taking every step we can to mitigate that. The good news is that the top turkey producers in the country are confident that everyone who wants a bird for their Thanksgiving dinner will be able to get one, and a large one will only cost $1 dollar more than last year,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “That’s why the President has been so focused on creating millions of jobs, getting wages up, and getting tax cuts to working families. But let’s not forget the headlines and reality of Thanksgiving last year: 26 million people didn’t have enough food to eat while others were concerned about losing their homes.” Below are the average retail cost of Thanksgiving staples, based on AMS Market News Retail Reports for the week ending on 11/12/2021: Frozen Turkey Hen (12 lbs.) - $0.88 cents per pound Sweet Potatoes - $0.83 cents per pound Russet Potatoes - $0.90 cents per pound Cranberries - $2.22 per 12 oz. bag Green beans - $1.64 per pound Milk (1 gallon) - $3.75 per gallon *Overall, this represents a 5.0% increase over last year for these selected items combined.
Lorelai Anderson and Millie Schenk have better things to do than watch the North Posey-Mount Vernon basketball game this week. Photo by Dave Pearce
MSDMV reveals building plans By Lois Mittino Gray Charles Seifert, Director of Buildings and Grounds, spoke at the November 15 Mount Vernon School Board Meeting to present two schematics for the new Wildcat indoor athletic facility. One view was looking northeast and one looking northwest for the large roofed building to be located behind the high school, between the other athletic fields.. He said students can just walk right over to it after school to practice and will not need to be bussed. Seifert said the facility is mainly for winter time use. The building will not have rest rooms inside of it, so students will have to walk to the nearby ones in the concession stand, so they will be heated during the winter time. There are no locker rooms in it and it has no basketball space. A baseball field will be on the lower level with a walkway around the upper level for other ac-
tivities, such as golf and soccer. Besides practice areas, several places will serve as storage areas. There will be a fenced discus throwing cage outside. Seifert said the building materials for it are very high in price now and they will get started on construction as soon as they can. The building is 120 feet by 140 feet. With its large sloping south-facing roof and no trees around it, School Board President Beth McFadin Higgins asked the planners to get an estimate on the option to put solar panels on it. Board Member Joe Rutledge agreed with that idea seeing all that open south surface exposure. The board approved the design, worked out by Seifert and engineer Barry Tanner, and will await further details on the progress of the project.
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More Poseyville Library funds expected By Lois Mittino Gray It looks good for a resolution next month to the issue of transferring Robinson County tax income from the Mount Vernon library to the Poseyville library coffers. Adam Farrar, Attorney for Mount Vernon’s Alexandrian Public Library, spoke at their November 16, board meeting to give an update on progress between the two public institutions. “Posey County Attorney Joe Harrison and I are working together on a first draft of a resolution to make it happen. We won’t change much when we meet again, mostly stylistic changes, and we should have it ready by next month.” The resolution will be sent to the Department of Local Government Finance to determine that everything will have a good impact on the county. The DLGF is responsible for ensuring property tax assessment and lo-
cal government budgeting are carried out in accordance with Indiana law. Attorney Farrar said any changes would go in effect in 2023. “Your Robinson Township Representative on your APL board, Jacob Hansen, will be retained all next year,” he explained. “He is still under your jurisdiction.” Any taxes distributed in 2022 will be from monies collected in 2021 before the legal switch. Heather Morlan, Head Librarian for the Poseyville Carnegie Library, appeared before the APL board to deliver the letters of support for the change, requested at the last board meeting. She had letters supporting the change from the Posey County Commissioners, the Posey County Council, and the North Posey School Board. “You told me to come back with these letters
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Getting the word out Sergeant Todd Ringle serves as Liaison
Sergeant Todd Ringle
(USPS 439-500)
By Lois Mittino Gray Indiana State Police Sergeant Todd Ringle is the iconic face you see on television whenever a law enforcement incident occurs involving the Indiana State Police in six area counties. With the alarming Hall family murders and the runaway robbers in Mount Vernon this past week, he’s been very busy speaking on television and radio and posting updates on social media sites. Ringle is very polished and professional doing his job as the post’s Public Information Officer. He’s had 21 years of experience as the ISP information frontman, since he started way back in 2000. Born in Fowler, in north-central
Indiana, Sergeant Ringle came to this area to attend courses at Vincennes University. “I knew then what I wanted to do and I wanted to get my foot in the door with the Indiana State Police. At 18, I could be a dispatcher, but not a trooper yet, so I applied and interviewed and got hired first as a dispatcher to go to the Evansville post on my ‘big adventure.’ I’ve been here since,” he recalled. Counting the one year as a dispatcher, Officer Ringle just completed 37 years with the ISP. “I applied for the PIO position and I’m thankful I was awarded it all these years. My main role is as the liaison officer between the state police and all types of me-
dia. I conduct television, radio and newspaper interviews and write press releases. I have an Indiana State Police Sergeant Todd Ringle Facebook Page and a Twitter account, too.” The job has changed in his 21year stint. “In 2000 when I started, my work was mainly with newspapers. Social media is an important tool nowadays to get the message out. When we make a newsworthy arrest or need to issue a warning to be on alert, it helps to get it out quickly. In the recent burglaries in the Haubstadt area, the message to be vigilant reached 60,000 citizens very quickly,” he said as an example of rapid news dissemination. “I take those sites seriously.”
With the advent of accessible technology, Ringle is not stuck behind a desk every day to do his job. “I can do my work from my patrol car and I can travel to most any site where something is happening to help out with information. With only one person doing the talking in an investigation, we can make sure information is accurate and allowable to release at that time. I have a laptop and an I-phone and I try to be at all major incidents,” he explained. Ringle also puts on an Active Shooter Program for schools and large businesses employing 50plus people. “Everyone needs to be
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