Attorney to Plead Guilty Prez Says Feds: Page Negotiated with Next Week
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A3 + PLUS >> Three hospitalized following ATV accident, 2A GOLF NBA Barber, Hagler Playoff games called swap roles at CHS off amid protest See Page 18A See Page 18A THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE BRIBERY SCANDAL SUW. SCHOOLS Union Attorney to plead guilty prez says Feds: Page negotiated with next week. said. according to court documents Siegmeister on reduced Ernie Page IV, who federal “Mr. Page made a horrible filed last week. charges for tractor deal. investigators mistake of judgement. Totally Page worked as a defense district say facilitated not like him,” said his attorney, attorney until some time last By CARL MCKINNEY a bribe for a David Collins. “And he’s going to year, when he left private practice [email protected] high-ranking make it right.” to join the State Attorney’s Office violated official with- Collins declined to comment under Siegmeister. The former defense attorney in the Third further. Interim State Attorney David central to a federal bribery case Circuit State Page’s case comes in the Phelps fired Page on Aug. 20, the policies that has also implicated former Siegmeister Attorney’s aftermath of a federal probe that same day charges were filed in the Third Circuit State Attorney Jeff Office, is preparing to enter the uncovered high-level corruption Under investigation for Siegmeister plans to plead guilty guilty plea Sept. 3, his attorney in the State Attorney’s Office, SCANDAL continued on 2A video, Rodriguez fires back at school board meeting. By MIKE JONES Special to the Reporter ‘Renaissance man’ LIVE OAK — Eric Rodriguez admits that Suwannee County School Board policy has been violated when it comes to the reopening of schools in the covid- 19 pandemic. However, the Suwannee High School computer lab teacher and president of the United Teachers of Suwannee Rodriguez County alleges the violator is the district itself and not him. Placed on administrative leave Aug. 19 while the district inves- tigates possible policy violations related to him shooting video of crowded hallways at SHS during the first week of school that aired on NBC News, Rodriguez claimed the district has violated its own policy on procedures concerning communicable diseases. That policy, 3.201, states that staff members should practice and promote recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rodriguez said when it comes to wearing face coverings as well as promoting social distancing of six feet, whether on school buses or in school buildings, the district has fallen short. CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter “There’s certainly more Reeve Abraben, a Lake City dentist, holds a copy of ‘Rift Valley,’ the novel he wrote and published. In addition to dentistry and writ- that could be done,” he said ing, Abraben also is a gunsmith and is building a boat. Wednesday. Ted Roush, the superintendent of Suwannee County Schools, agreed that the district hasn’t met every Lake City dentist publishes novel, ‘Rift Valley’ guideline or recommendation put By CARL MCKINNEY who embarks on a safari through Africa after with safari culture. He still has a collection of out by the CDC. But, Roush argued, [email protected] struggling to cope with the aftermath of a vintage safari-related magazines. it’s simply not feasible to do so. devastating failure. That formed the inspiration for the basic “When a policy is written, I Dentist by profession but novelist by heart, “It allows this man to sort of redeem him- premise. don’t know that you can always Reeve Abraben can now say he’s cut his teeth self and come back to life,” Abraben said. Abraben has always felt he had a talent for factor in every single scenario as an author. Some of the issues Abraben has dealt with writing. that is unforeseen,” Roush said During some down-time at his Lake City in his own life are reflected in those pages, “I figured I had a gift even though I don’t Wednesday, adding the state’s practice on Tuesday, Abraben clutched a especially emotions he struggled with as a know an adjective from an adverb,” he said. 152-page guideline issued during copy of “Rift Valley.” After spending 30 years young man. “Rift Valley” started out with an idea for a the summer even noted that working on the book, he was finally holding a “I just wasn’t at peace, so I started peeling screenplay, later evolving into a novel. buses and most school buildings professionally printed finished copy. back the layers of the onion,” he said. “Now, “Wrote it on legal pads,” Abraben said. “I were not designed to combat the “I cried when I finished writing it,” he said. I see the beauty in things.” “Rift Valley” tells the story of a surgeon From a young age, Abraben was fascinated NOVEL continued on 2A UNION continued on 3A Suwannee CI guard charged with sexual misconduct inmate in the prison pantry. according to a probable cause be seen closing the doors and according to the affidavit. By CARL MCKINNEY April Kilwanna Sessions, 45, affidavit from the Florida heading into the same blind When another guard [email protected] of Southeast Craig Avenue, Department of Corrections spot, according to the affidavit. entered the area, Sessions A Lake City woman was booked in the Suwannee Office of Inspector General. They were there for 12 “quickly started performing who worked as a guard at County jail on a sexual mis- Cameras recorded the minutes before emerging. The work” to avoid coming off as Suwannee Correctional conduct charge. inmate moving food to the cor- inmate, who appeared to be suspicious, the affidavit says. Institution was arrested Both Sessions and the ner of the storage area around sweaty, checked the doors. Sessions was later inter- Tuesday after state prison inmate were working in 8:09 a.m. The corner is a blind Sessions then walked in viewed, during which time she Sessions officials say she engaged the dry-food storage area a spot in the surveillance system. view of the camera and could made one or more admissions in sexual activities with an little after 8 a.m. Tuesday, Minutes later, Sessions could be seen adjusting her clothes, that are redacted in the affidavit. Vol. 146, No. 115 Obituaries . 3A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Opinion . 4A Advice & Comics . 5A SUBSCRIBE TO THE REPORTER: 93 74 Classifieds . 6A-15A Voice: 755-5445 Sports . 18A Fax: 752-9400 Partly cloudy, 2A 2A THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER Three locals QUICK HITS DeSantis receives Scripture of the Day hospitalized “For as we have many members in one body, and blueprint for visits all members have not the same office: So we, be- ing many, are one body in Christ, and every one following members one of another.” to nursing homes — Romans 12:4-5 (KJV) News Service of Florida the governor, the task force ATV accident agreed to add “emotional sup- TALLAHASSEE — Florida port” to a list of activities of daily Thought for Today By TONY BRITT should allow the resumption living that essential caregivers The best way out is always through. [email protected] of face-to-face visits in nursing would be allowed to provide — Robert Frost, 1874-1963, American poet homes — and let certain visi- to long-term care residents, Three Lake City residents, including an tors touch residents — under a change opposed by state 11-year-old child, were hospitalized Tuesday recommendations approved Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, evening after the ATV vehicle they were rid- Wednesday by a task force and a member of the panel. ing on ran into a sports utility vehicle. sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Before the inclusion of emo- Winning Lottery Numbers The mishap occurred around 7 p.m. The recommendations, adopt- tional support, only caregivers Tuesday on County Road 246 at the intersec- ed by the Task Force on the who fed, bathed or clothed Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 1-1-5 tion of County Road 131. Safe and Limited Re-Opening of residents could be considered Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 3-8-8-1 According to a Florida Highway Patrol Long Term Care Facilities, still “essential” under the proposal. Fantasy 5: (Tuesday) 13-21-24-32-36 report, the ATV was traveling north on must be approved by DeSantis, Agency for Health Care County Road 131 in order to cross County who has been looking for ways Administration Secretary Mary Road 246. to reopen facilities to visitors Mayhew, who chaired the panel, See an error? The report states that the ATV, which was during the covid-19 pandemic. helped champion the change, The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news driven by a 29-year-old Lake City man with a The recommendations, in saying residents’ mental health items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, 49-year-old Lake City man and an 11-year-old part, set up guidelines for gen- needs to be supported. please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will girl from Lake City riding as his passengers, eral visitation at nursing homes “Dr. Rivkees, we’ve got a lot run in this space. Thanks for reading. came to a stop at the stop sign at County Road and assisted living facilities and of people in our nursing homes 131. Then, while proceeding north through would allow visitors to enter and assisted living facilities who Submissions the intersection, the ATV collided with the buildings without being tested are suffering from significant The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption SUV which was driven by a 52-year-old man for covid-19, a move that was depression,” Mayhew said.