Kodi Lafore

What was scheduled as a Friday bond hearing turned into a negotiated guilty plea for a Waterloo man accused in a fatal January stabbing near Red Bud.

“To some degree, it was unique,” Randolph County State’s Attorney Jeremy Walker said. “I walked in here today and it caught me by surprise.”

Kodi Lafore, 23, was sentenced to concurrent five-year prison sentences for second degree murder in Randolph County and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Monroe County. He must serve 75 percent of his prison term on the meth charge and 50 percent of the murder charge before any time off for good behavior is accrued. Lafore will also be placed on two years of mandatory supervised release following his prison sentence.

Friday’s hearing before Judge Dennis Doyle at the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo was to decide whether to raise or revoke bond for Lafore on the second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the Jan. 6 stabbing death of 36-year-old Adam Sesto. Lafore had been free on bond in that case when he was arrested Nov. 15 in far southern Monroe County for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and on a Randolph County warrant for deceptive practice.

A stipulation as part of Lafore being free on bond, however, was that he not possess a knife. Police said Lafore was in possession of a pocketknife during his Nov. 15 arrest. The bond on Lafore’s Monroe County arrest was $250,000, which kept him at the Monroe County Jail in Waterloo.

His murder trial was set to start Jan. 14, 2019 at the Randolph County Courthouse in Chester.

Several family members and friends of Sesto were in attendance at Friday’s bond hearing, which started at 1 p.m. A long wait ensued as attorneys representing all sides met with various involved parties in side rooms.

Finally, at about 3:30 p.m., Lafore appeared before Judge Doyle with all attorneys present and Judge Doyle announced that an agreement had been reached.

Lafore, appearing in a standard issue orange jail jumpsuit, provided simple “yes” and “no” answers to the judge when questioned about the plea agreement. When asked if he had anything to say prior to his sentencing, Lafore simply answered “Nope.”

He will be transported immediately to Menard Correctional Center in Chester to begin serving his sentence.

Sesto’s mother, Tammy Light, sobbed openly in court when Judge Doyle read a brief account of the murder charge involving her son aloud to Lafore.

“There will be people that say ‘why did you settle?’ There is no amount of time that would be enough,” Light told reporters after the hearing, adding that the Lafore family is hurting along with hers. “I hope that we can now move on to the true grieving for Adam.”

Sesto’s uncle, Tim Reed, agreed.

“Hopefully we can put this behind us now,” he said.

Walker said the weight of an additional case in Monroe County certainly “added pressure” on Lafore to negotiate a plea.

“Certainly I’d say his troubles in Monroe County added to that,” Walker said, adding that “a trial wouldn’t have been pretty” for anyone involved.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann said he was glad to work together with Walker in wrapping up both cases at once.

“If our case ended up bringing justice to the Sesto family… I’m glad we were able to assist,” Hitzemann said.

A young Waterloo man is facing multiple felonies after getting into altercations with medical staff following a DUI arrest in Millstadt last Wednesday.

Millstadt police said that shortly after 1:20 p.m. Dec. 5, an officer discovered a vehicle had gone off the roadway in the area of Werner Road at Saxtown Road. The driver, Kyle S. Kehrer, 18, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI (cannabis).

“While at the police department the subject was transported via Millstadt EMS to a local hospital for a medical issue,” Millstadt police issued in a news release. “While at the hospital, the subject became extremely combative with the emergency room staff and the ambulance crew.”

In addition to the DUI charge, Kehrer was also charged with five counts of felony aggravated battery. St. Clair County court information alleges that Kehrer kicked a computer out of the hand of a Millstadt Ambulance EMT (causing the computer to strike the EMT in the head), kicked a nurse in the arm, struck a Memorial Hospital security guard in the thigh with his hand, and spit in the face of a Memorial Hospital security guard.

“(These) charges are felonies due to the status of the victims, all who were engaged in the performance of their official duties,” Millstadt police said.

Kehrer remains in the St. Clair County Jail in Belleville on $150,000 bond.

A Waterloo man has entered a guilty plea in federal court on a child pornography charge, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Steven D. Weinhoeft announced Monday.

Mark A. Brueggemann, 60, of Waterloo, is convicted of knowingly receiving child porn. Brueggemann pleaded guilty to a one-count federal indictment without a plea agreement.

He now faces a prison sentence of five to 20 years on the charge. Sentencing is set for March 27, 2019, at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The prosecution of Brueggemann came as a result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and United States Secret Service’s Springfield Electronic Crime Unit-Southern Illinois Cyber Group.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Nov. 19
Dominique L. Brown, 30, of St. Louis, was arrested for a St. Clair County warrant on the Route 3 southbound exit ramp at Palmer Road.

Nov. 27
Jaqueline A. Hiebert, 35, of Valmeyer, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant at Sackman Field, 11563 Bluff Road.

Nov. 28
Chelsea Sackman, 31, of Columbia, was arrested in the 500 block of North Main Street on two counts of endangering the life/health of a child after court information states she left two children in car seats in the back seat of her vehicle with a door open for approximately 15 minutes and an outside temperature of 24 degrees. One of the children was in short sleeves. Sackman was also charged with two counts of possessing a controlled substance (diazepam, dextroamphetamine) stemming from a Nov. 11 traffic stop.

Dec. 1
Kelsey T. McClelland, 29, of East St. Louis, was arrested on a Madison County warrant on Palmer Road at Route 3.

Lucas M. Hoffman, 32, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI (drugs), resisting arrest, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash and improper lane usage on Ludman Street near South Rapp Avenue.

Alan M. Bates, 46, of Columbia, was arrested for retail theft at Ace Hardware, 229 N. Main Street. He is alleged to have stolen a 36-ounce Yeti tumbler from the store.

Dec. 2
Keith J. Goeddel, 36, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and improper lane usage on Route 3 at Route 158.

Dec. 3
Austin D. Zimmerman, 27, of Columbia, was charged with criminal sexual assault (use of force), aggravated domestic battery (strangling) and domestic battery following incidents that occurred involving a female victim in the 200 block of West Warnock Street. He remains in custody at the Monroe County Jail on $75,000 bond.

Monroe County Sheriff
Nov. 26
George Stork, 20, of Walsh, was arrested on a St. Clair County warrant and for no insurance on Amberwood Lane at Route 3.

Nov. 28
Brian Fitch, 38, of Columbia, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant. 

Nov. 29
Corey Hays, 43, of New Athens, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl) and obstructing identification on Cathy Drive at South Library Street.

Nov. 30
A two-vehicle crash occurred about 5:35 p.m. in foggy conditions on Route 3 southbound near the YMCA. Police said a 2018 Chevy Traverse driven by Deanna L. Hardgrave, 64, of Columbia, was traveling south on Route 3 when it struck the rear of a Schwan’s truck driven by Luke A. Driscoll, 40, of St. Louis, which had turned onto southbound Route 3 from a side road. Hardgrave was transported to Mercy South in St. Louis County by Columbia EMS for treatment of minor injuries.

Dorcas L. Scott Jr., 26, of Belleville, was arrested for DUI and improper passing on HH Road at Gall Road.

Waterloo Police
Nov. 30
April Hays, 44, of Waterloo, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (heroin), possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended, no insurance and improper lane usage following a traffic stop on Route 3 at South Library Street. Also arrested was Tyler Bergman, 28, of Waterloo, for possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl), possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a hypodermic syringe.

Dec. 2
A 17-year-old Valmeyer girl was arrested on a Monroe County failure to appear warrant.

Brett J. Pinion

A man wanted in connection with a shooting inside an O’Fallon bowling alley late Wednesday night was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Columbia and charged Friday.

Brett J. Pinion, 27, of Fairview Heights, was charged with three counts of felony aggravated battery (discharge of a firearm, deadly weapon and public place) and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. The aggravated battery (discharge of a firearm) charge is a Class X felony.

Pinion is being held at the St. Clair County Jail. Bail is set at $150,000.

O’Fallon police responded to St. Clair Bowl in the 5000 block of Collinsville Road shortly after 10:45 p.m. Wednesday for a report of shots fired. A male victim was shot inside the upstairs bar of the bowling alley. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The shooting suspect, described only as a white male, drove away from the scene in a maroon 2008 Ford Taurus. Illinois State Police alerted area law enforcement to be on the lookout.

At about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, an ISP trooper observed the vehicle driving slowly in the area of Mule Road and Old State Route 3 and followed it into Columbia. Under heavy police presence, the vehicle pulled over at Midwest Petroleum, 1553 N. Main Street, and the suspect was ordered out of his car at gunpoint. Agencies assisting ISP in taking the suspect into custody included the Columbia Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Dupo Police Department, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Fairview Heights Police Department, Shiloh Police Department and Troy Police Department.

A Breese man was charged following a Friday morning robbery at Breadeaux Pizza, 105 S. Jefferson Street, Millstadt.

At 11:14 a.m., police said a man wearing a mask entered Breadeaux and demanded money from a courier maintaining the restaurant’s video gaming machines. Police were on the scene in fewer than two minutes of the initial call and the victim was able to describe the suspect, who got away with an undisclosed sum of money, as a man wearing a mask who left in a small, silver four-door car.

Local police agencies, including Columbia, Dupo, Cahokia and St. Clair County, were notified of the incident shortly after 11:20 a.m. The suspect’s vehicle was identified a short time later and following a brief pursuit, he was taken into custody in the 2800 block of Calvin in Cahokia. Police recovered evidence from the robbery at the scene of the arrest.

On Saturday, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office charged James J. Deiters, 41, of Breese, with armed robbery, possession of stolen title/certificate/plate and resisting arrest.

Court information states that Deiters was armed with a Ruger .45 caliber pistol during the robbery, which is a Class X felony.

Bond for Deiters was set at $150,000 and he remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.

Pictured is the crash scene Tuesday night. (James “Tal” Moss photo)

A Waterloo man was arrested for felony DUI following an early Tuesday evening injury crash in Columbia.

Emergency personnel responded at 5:30 p.m. to a head-on crash at the intersection of Palmer Road/Bluff Road at DD Road with entrapment.

Police said Nicholas Shrum, 36, of Waterloo, was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado approaching the intersection. Janice Aubuchon, 60, of Waterloo, was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt southbound on Palmer Road. The vehicles collided at the intersection.

Columbia police, fire department and EMS personnel responded to the crash site, as did Monroe County EMS. Both drivers were transported to St. Louis hospitals for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.

Shrum was later transported to the Monroe County Jail on charges of DUI, driving in the wrong lane, no insurance, aggravated DUI and driving with a suspended driver’s license.

The traffic investigation  is ongoing.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Dec. 4
Michael J. Kubelka, 39, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and improper parking on the roadway on Todd Center Drive at Route 158.

Dec. 8
Jason E. Greene, 47, of Columbia, was arrested for DUI, possession of a controlled substance, driving while license suspended and improper stopping/parking on the roadway on the southbound Route 3 ramp to eastbound Route 158.

Dec. 9
Jeffery A. Nowak, 37, of Millstadt, was arrested for DUI, speeding, no insurance and driving while license suspended on Route 3 at Bradington Drive. 

Millstadt Police
Nov. 8
Shortly after 10 a.m., police received a complaint of an intoxicated driver in the parking lot of Circle K on West Washington Avenue. Justin E. Blakey, 42, of Millstadt, was arrested for DUI.

Dec. 5
Shortly after 1:20 p.m., an officer discovered a vehicle had gone off the roadway in the area of Werner Road at Saxtown Road. The driver, Kyle S. Kehrer, 18, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI (cannabis). Kehrer was subsequently transported from the police station via Millstadt EMS to a local hospital for a medical issue. While at the hospital, Kehrer became combative with emergency room staff and the ambulance crew. Kehrer was also charged with five counts of felony aggravated battery for kicking a computer out of the hand of a Millstadt Ambulance EMT (causing the computer to strike the EMT in the head), kicking a nurse in the arm, striking a Memorial Hospital security guard in the thigh with his hand and spitting in the face of a Memorial Hospital security guard.

Dec. 10
Damian D. Willoughby, 31, of Belleville, was arrested on a St. Clair County traffic warrant and cited for speeding in the 4700 block of Route 158.

Monroe County Sheriff
Nov. 28
Carrie Talbot, 48, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI after the 2019 Cadillac four-door rental car she was driving about 11 p.m. southbound on Kaskaskia Road went off the road and struck the steps of a home at 5181 Kaskaskia Road. No injuries were reported.

Dec. 4
Derek L. Done, 33,of Prairie du Rocher, and Eric J. Done, 33, of Waterloo, were each arrested for domestic battery following an incident at 1909 G Road.

Dec. 7
No injuries were reported when a 2001 Ford van driven by Hayden D. Baum, 23, of Fults, left the roadway, struck a ditch and overturned in the area of Kaskaskia Road east of Sprankel Road shortly after 5:20 p.m. Baum told police he fell asleep behind the wheel.

Dec. 9
Shaya Shaw, 25, of Baldwin, was arrested for DUI on Route 3 near Hanover Road.

Waterloo Police
Nov. 20
Richard Reed, 39, of Waterloo, was arrested for criminal trespass to residence and obstructing a peace officer at 200 Hardy Avenue.

Dec. 2
Robert Anderson, 24, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI, no insurance and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident on Route 3 at Halifax Drive.

Dec. 6
Susie Vongsaly, 32, of Waterloo, was arrested at Walmart on a Monroe County failure to appear warrant.

Melvin Haney, 50, of East Carondelet, was arrested on a St. Clair County warrant at Sunset Motel, 206 S. Market Street.

Dec. 7
Bailey Lawson, 26, of Columbia, was arrested for DUI and failure to avoid an accident after her vehicle went off the roadway in the 800 block of North Market Street shortly after 11 p.m.

Carol S. Oliver, 19, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and no insurance in the 400 block of Lakeview Drive.

Dressing in their holiday best at Monday’s city council meeting are, from left, front row, accounting director Linda Sharp, ward IV alderman Mary Ellen Niemietz, Columbia EMS director Kim Lamprecht and Columbia Deputy Police Chief Jason Donjon; and back row: ward III alderman Gene Ebersohl, ward III alderman Jeff Huch, city administrator Jimmy Morani, Community and Economic Development director Scott Dunakey, Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul, Mayor Kevin Hutchinson, ward II alderman Kevin Martens and city clerk Wes Hoeffken. (Andrea Saathoff photo)

The Columbia City Council on Monday agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Monroe County Circuit Clerk’s office to implement digiTicket in CPD cars. The two will share the cost of installing an electronic system in 19 vehicles at a cost of $58.037. The county will pay for about two-thirds of the cost.

With digiTICKET, tickets are printed in officers’ cars through the city’s dispatch system, rather than officers hand-writing tickets.

“It is a lot more efficient for the officer,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul told the council in October, when introducing the digital tick

et system. “(It decreases) the amount of time they have to spend on the side of the road, it’s safer, they can conduct their business then pull away from the stop. It’s the same thing for the violator…>>>

Read the rest of the story in the December 19, 2018, newspaper.

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Chris Coleman

In what may finally bring the murder conviction of Chris Coleman to a close, Monroe County State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann filed a motion last week to dismiss a post conviction petition filed in April on Coleman’s behalf.

Coleman, who was convicted in 2011 for the May 5, 2009 murders of his wife, Sheri, and two young sons, Garret, 11, and Gavin, 9, is serving concurrent life terms. Earlier this year, he filed a petition for post conviction relief which, if granted, would afford him a new trial in the same Monroe County court that convicted him.

Coleman stated in his petition that he is due a new trial based on ineffective counsel, denial of due process and a claim of “actual innocence.”

Hitzemann and Appellate Prosecutor Charles R. Zalar responded with a motion to dismiss that addresses each of those claims.

Coleman’s motion for a new trial and his appeal, which differs from a petition for post conviction relief, were already denied. An appeal is limited to considering information from the original trial. A petition for post conviction relief addresses violations of a defendant’s constitutional rights.

The appellate court in its decision found that “circumstantial evidence of guilt was overwhelming. The court additionally found that when all the contentions of errors were considered, the defendant nonetheless received a fundamentally fair trial,” according to Hitzemann’s motion to dismiss.

To read the entire Motion to Dismiss, click here.

Read the rest of the story in the December 19, 2018, newspaper.

If you don’t already receive the Republic-Times newspaper in your mailbox, click here or call 939-3814 to subscribe.

Or consider joining a growing number of readers who receive their news electronically. To view a free demo of the online R-T, click here.

Subscribe to the full-color online edition of the Republic-Times, which is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday by lunchtime and can be accessed anywhere, from any electronic device, for just $25 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Pictured is the CPD Police Interceptor involved in a Christmas Eve crash on Old State Route 3. (submitted photo)

At about 6:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, a Columbia Police Department Ford Explorer Police Interceptor driven by officer Shawn Patton was traveling on Old State Route 3 near the George Weber Chevrolet auto dealership when it was rear-ended by Daniel Haven, 38, of Dupo, who was driving a 2002 Toyota sedan with two young juvenile passengers.

Patton was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Haven and both passengers in his vehicle were transported by ambulance to Mercy South for minor to moderate injuries.

Illinois State Police is investigating the crash.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police

Dec. 10

Brian D. Garcia, 42, of Columbia, was arrested for DUI, illegal transportation of alcohol and improper lane usage in the 100 block of East Plum Street.

Dec. 11

Gabriel W. Teeter, 40, of St. Louis, was arrested on an in-state warrant on North Main Street at Rueck Road.

Dec. 12

The theft of wheels and tires from a Chevy Silverado parked on the lot at Weber Chevrolet, 701 Old State Route 3, is under investigation. An Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services unit assisted in the investigation. Anyone who may have observed suspicious activity outside the dealership is asked to call 281-5151. 

Edward L. Rulo, 35, of Cedar Hill, Mo., was arrested on an in-state warrant on Southport Drive.

Dec. 15

Antoine T. Baker, 28, of East St. Louis, was arrested for DUI, illegal transportation of alcohol, improper lane usage and no insurance on Route 3 at Carl Street.

Steven A. Gauch, 55, of Belleville, was arrested for DUI and improper lane usage on Quarry Road at Laura Court.

Dec. 16

Kevin C. Noerper, 56, of Swansea, was arrested for DUI and illegal transportation of alcohol on Admiral Weinel Boulevard.

Julie M. Eggers, 47, of Columbia, was arrested for DUI on Route 3 at Hilltop Road.

Monroe County Sheriff

Dec. 10

Sean Bagwell, 21, of Litchfield, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Dec. 13

Jamie Marquardt, 47, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and improper lane usage on Kaskaskia Road at Lemen Road.

Dec. 15

The Columbia Fire Department assisted deputies in responding about 3:45 p.m. to a single-vehicle crash involving a Ford Mustang on top of guidewires near a utility pole in the area of Route 158 and Centerville Road. No injuries were reported in the crash.

Tracy Dudley, 47, of Wood River, was arrested on a Monroe County failure to appear warrant on Route 3 at I-255.

Dec. 16

A resident on Chesapeake Trail reported that his bank account was hacked into with several unauthorized transactions totalling $5,000 in missing funds. 

Dec. 17

Javum Love, 20, and Jose Nunez, 20, both of St. Louis, were each arrested on fugitive from justice warrants and for obstructing identification.

Waterloo Police

Dec. 6

City ordinance violations for unlawful possession of e-cigarettes by minors were issued to four Waterloo Junior High School students.

Dec. 10

Steven Fry, 45, of Waterloo, was served a Monroe County warrant for failure to appear on city ordinance violations for failure to restrain dog and failure to vaccinate dog.

Dec. 12

Jamie Zarate, 22, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI, illegal transportation of alcohol, no insurance and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident on Route 3 at David Street.

Leanne Cowell, 33, of Maeystown, was arrested on a Randolph County warrant for deceptive practice and for no insurance at Applebee’s, 923 N. Illinois Route 3.

Dec. 15

Tyler D. Melvin, 19, of Marthasville, Mo., was cited for unlawful consumption of alcohol.

For the second time in a month, a fixture of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department has retired. 

This time, the retiree is Under Sheriff Dan Hannon, who has worked at the MCSD for more than 32 years. 

“It’s been an honor and privilege to be able to serve with the finest men and women in law enforcement, be it patrol, telecommunications, corrections, as well as firefighter and EMS, over the last 35 years,” Hannon said over the police radio when he signed off for the final time Thursday. “Please be safe. Take care of each other. And remember, we are (what) separates good from evil. God bless you all.”

Hannon got his start in law enforcement in 1983 when he worked as a patrol officer with the Columbia Police Department. 

He was hired by former Monroe County Sheriff Dan Kelley to work patrol for the sheriff’s department. Hannon was sworn in on Aug. 18, 1986  by Judge Dennis Jacobsen.

He said he made the transition to be able to serve a larger area. 

“There was a lot more room,” Hannon explained. “With the city, you had 45 miles of roads. With the county you’ve got 600 miles of roads that you can get out and move around in. There’s more activity.”

He said there was a marked difference between the two coverage areas…>>> 

Read the rest of the story in the January 2, 2019, newspaper.

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Subscribe to the full-color online edition of the Republic-Times, which is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday by lunchtime and can be accessed anywhere, from any electronic device, for just $25 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Joe Brauer

Former Waterloo Police Chief Joseph Brauer has written a memoir titled “Gateway Blue: True Life Experiences of a Cop: Bizarre, Raw and Authentic,” which was recently released.

The 170-page book focuses mainly on Brauer’s time as an officer in St. Louis, but it does include a 29-page chapter on Brauer’s four-year tenure as Waterloo’s police chief. 

Brauer began writing the book about 2.5 years ago with the intention of telling how things actually work in law enforcement from his perspective. 

“I thought that I would just put some things out there that are true,” Brauer said. “It’s all documented and true – what really goes on and how the politicians have more or less kind of destroyed the law enforcement profession. I just wanted to get my story out there. Some of it’s funny. Some of it’s sad. Some of it’s unbelievable.”

“What the police deal with day in and day out, the real public has no conception of what really goes on behind the thin blue line,” he added.

Brauer, who served for 33 years as a police officer in various capacities, said it was difficult to condense that experience into the memoir. 

“I had to stop because there’s so much I could have written about,” he noted. “I just had to draw the line and stop somewhere.”

Brauer said the book is an easy read targeted at a particular niche…>>> 

Read the rest of the story in the January 2, 2019, newspaper.

If you don’t already receive the Republic-Times newspaper in your mailbox, click here or call 939-3814 to subscribe.

Or consider joining a growing number of readers who receive their news electronically. To view a free demo of the online R-T, click here.

Subscribe to the full-color online edition of the Republic-Times, which is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday by lunchtime and can be accessed anywhere, from any electronic device, for just $25 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.