On Monday, November 21, Winchester City Council held their normally scheduled meeting addressing a wide range of topics.
Due to Mayor Bob McCoy being unable to attend, City Council President Tom Sells resided over the meeting. The Council members in attendance then approved the minutes of the previous meeting and the accounts payable.
City Clerk-Treasurer Kerry Sayre presented the council with some additional appropriations to approve. The first was for $30,000.00 for sidewalk rehabilitation. The second was for $3,312.00 to help care for the Police Department’s two K-9 Officers. Both of these were approved by the council members.
Sayre also noted that the city had received a letter from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita requiring the city to set up two accounts for any funds received as a part of the Opioid settlement that Indiana is involved in. One of these accounts is to be restricted access and the other unrestricted. The first readings to establish these accounts passed 4-0. The second and third readings will take place at the next meeting on December 5.
Another item introduced at this time was amending the salary ordinance and employee handbook to address firefighters and police officers losing vacation time. Both departments are short staffed and this has resulted in employees having to cover those shifts. In turn making it difficult for them to use their allotted vacation time before it expires. The Council agreed with this issue and it approved.
A citizen’s questions regarding the City’s Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance were then addressed. The question concerned unplated vehicles on private property. It was eventually decided to review the ordinance and amend it to match the State’s ordinance on the matter.
The council was to discuss the recent requests for assistance from Fountain Park Cemetery but it was decided to wait until the next meeting to do so due to the absences of the Mayor and Teale. Council Member Jim Nuñez informed the council that the rear drive had been completed following the recommendations suggested by Water Superintendent Chris Martin.
Hutchinson Police Services reported the following incidents:
APRIL 1: At 3:35 p.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Adams Street Northeast and Fourth Avenue Northeast. A 2017 Chevrolet Silvarado driven by James Anthony Navratil, 30, of Hutchinson was northbound and stopped at the red traffic light. A 2014 IC Corporation 3000 School Bus driven by Paula Sue Eyman, 64, of Norwood Young America was westbound on Fourth Avenue Northeast and turned northbound onto Adams Street Northeast when the front end struck the rear of the Chevrolet Silverado. The bus had 19 passengers at the time. There were no injuries or tows. No citations were issued. The bus sustained minimal to no damage. The Chevrolet Silverado sustained moderate damage but was functional.
APRIL 11: At 8:57 a.m., officers responded to a report of damage in the concession area at Veteran’s Memorial Field Ball Park. Damage was caused to the door frame and hinges in what appeared to be an attempt to break into the concession area. No items were reported missing. Damage is estimated at $500. There are no suspects at this time.
APRIL 18: At 10:57 a.m., officers responded to a report of theft on the 1100 block of Adams Street Southeast. A 12-foot tandem axel aluminum trailer was taken sometime between the afternoon of April 16 and the early morning of April 18. The trailer is valued at $7,320. There are no suspects. This is an ongoing investigation.
APRIL 20: At 11:46 a.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of the 100 block of Summerset Lane Southeast. A 2020 Ford Transit Cargo Van owned by Herrmann Inc. was aprked on the road, partly blocking a driveway. A 2019 GMC Acadia driven by Merrill Luther Johnson, 89, of Hutchinson backed into the van. There were no injuries or tows. Both vehicles sustained minor damage. No citations were issued.
APRIL 22: At 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a driving complaint in the area of Casey’s General Store on 510 State Highway 7 East. During a traffic stop, Daric Dennis Rossenau, 38, of Atwater was taken into custody. He has been charged with: felony fifth-degree controlled substance possession, second-degree driving while impaired and gross misdemeanor refusal to submit to chemical test. He was taken to McLeod County Jail.
At 9:39 p.m., officers responded to a car vs. deer crash in the area of 640 Highway 7 East. The vehicle was southbound on State Highway 7 when a deer ran out in front of it. The driver and passenger were not injured. The vehicle sustained minor damage. The deer suffered irreparable injuries.
APRIL 23: At 8:07 p.m., officers responded to a report of package theft on the 400 block of High Street Northeast. A man reported a package containing two discs for disc golf was taken from his front door. A neighbor said they saw the package outside the door that day. When the man arrived home the package was gone. The total value of the missing items is $100. There are no suspects at this time.
McLeod County Attorney’s Office
McLeod County Attorney’s Office reported the following:
Brittney Nussbaum, 24, of Hutchinson entered a plea of guilty to one felony count of meth crimes involving children for an offense that occurred on or about Sept. 24, 2020. Judge Maher stayed the imposition of sentence and placed the defendant on probation for three years. The conditions of probation are that the defendant serve 55 days in McLeod County Jail, complete a chemical dependency evaluation and follow its recommendations, have no use or possession of alcohol or non-prescription drugs and pay a surcharge of $85.
Michael McKittrick, 37, of Glencoe entered a plea of guilty to one gross misdemeanor count of driving while impaired for an offense that occurred on or about Aug. 10, 2021. Judge Maher stayed the imposition of sentence and placed the defendant on probation for two years. The conditions of probation are that the defendant serve 10 days in McLeod County Jail, serve 10 days of sentence to service work/community work service, complete a chemical dependency evaluation and follow its recommendations, attend a victim impact panel and pay a fine and surcharge of $500.
Kevin Byrd-Solseth, 32, of St. Paul entered a plea of guilty to two felony counts of assault for an offense that occurred on or about June 26, 2021. Judge Maher ordered the defendant to serve 17 months in prison, pay restitution in the amount of $1,312, and pay a surcharge of $85.
In a second file, Byrd-Solseth entered a plea of guilty to one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and one felony count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for an offense that occurred on or about Dec.11, 2020. Judge Maher ordered the defendant to serve 21 months in prison, pay restitution in the amount of