Thursday, April 10, 2014 16 PAGES | VOLUME 132 | NUMBER 40 NEWSSTAND $1.00 usps 138-260 • marion ky 42064 270.965.3191 | Breaking, local news at the-press.com your home-owned newspaper since 1879 Ex-teacher pleads guilty to sexual charges of use of a minor under 18 in in a position of authority," McGee is the assistant Agreement lessens penalties but could a sexual performance, a he had sexual contact with commonwealth attorney in kynect sign-ups Class C felony; one count of the teen and engaged in the McCracken County. He was see Winders serve up to 5 years in jail first-degree sexual abuse, a creation of obscene photos of assigned to the case when extend to Friday STAFF REPORT months for the misde- Class D felony; one count of the minor. Zac Greenwell, the state Because of high demand, Former school teacher meanor. The prison terms use of an electronic commu- W i n d e r s prosecutor in Marion, asked kynect has scheduled a special Blair Winders pleaded guilty would run concurrently for a nication system to procure a will be re- to be recused. enrollment period to give Ken- Friday to five felony charges total sentence of five years. minor regarding sexual ac- quired to According to court tuckians who had trouble start- and one misdemeanor in Winders originally faced tivities, a Class D felony; complete a records, Winders had in- ing or completing applications connection with a state po- 56 criminal charges, includ- tampering with physical evi- sex-offender criminating photographs during open enrollment a final lice investigation charging ing 51 counts of possession dence, a Class D felony; and t r e a t m e n t and text messages on his him with having an illegal of matter portraying a sexual opportunity to apply for subsi- distribution of obscene ma- p r o g r a m cell phone and tried to de- sexual relationship with a performance by a minor, terial to a minor, a Class A while incar- stroy the evidence by delet- dies and purchase new afford- 16-year-old female student. which are Class D felonies. misdemeanor. c e r a t e d . ing them. Police able health coverage through Winders, 37, has been Those 51 counts were Winders had been a math Winders McGee, the investigators are able to use midnight Friday. jailed since Oct. 31, 2013. merged into just one charge teacher and golf coach at prosecutor special software to recover Kentuckians who completed He will be formally sen- as part of the plea agreement Crittenden County High assigned to the case, said data from phones even their applications by March 31 tenced by Circuit Judge arranged between the com- School before resigning his the program generally takes though messages or photo- can visit the kynect.ky.gov web- Rene Williams on June 12. monwealth and Winders' at- position last fall after the in- two to three years to com- graphs have been trashed. site to select a plan. All individu- Raymond McGee, the special torney, Don Thomas of vestigation had begun. plete. There is a waiting list McGee said the common- als must select a plan by prosecutor for the case, has Benton. According to court docu- to enroll in the program and, wealth will oppose proba- midnight Tuesday, with cover- recommended a five-year Winders pleaded guilty to ments, Winders has admit- Winders will have to be as- tion, and if Winders does not age beginning May 1. sentence on each of the one count of the aforemen- ted that between May and signed to a prison that offers felony charges and 12 tioned charge plus one count August of 2013, "while being it. See PLEA/Page 12 Committee set to vet candidates Crittenden County School District is making progress to- Man shot ward finding a new superin- tendent. The board of education has established a superintend- Road to recovery ent screening committee, con- while hunting sisting of board appointee Pam Collins, principal representative Melissa Tabor, teacher repre- at new WMA sentatives Denis Hodge and Larry Duvall, classified repre- sentative Holly White and par- over weekend ent representative Teresa Foster, who is a former teacher STAFF REPORT A 15-year-old boy turkey hunting on in the school system. the new Big Rivers Wildlife Management The screening committee will Area in Crittenden County accidentally vet all candidates and report its shot an Amish man who was accompa- recommendations to the board nying another youth hunter Saturday. on April 29. The victim was not gravely injured, The application deadline for but was taken to Deaconess Hospital in superintendent candidates is Evansville, Ind. Tuesday. The board hopes to Saturday was the opening day of the make a hire by May 12. youth wild turkey season, and the WMA was open to public hunting. Josh Gunn, a conservation officer Museum set to from Webster County, investigated the shooting accident. He said Chester host open house Beachy, 34, of Marion was alongside his Crittenden County Historical nephew who was taking part in the youth Society will be hosting an open hunt when he was hit in the upper left house from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday shoulder, neck and face with pellets from at the historical museum on a 12-gauge shotgun. East Bellville Street in Marion. The boy who fired the shot was from Crittenden County Middle Henderson and was accompanied by his School Student Technology father. The boy was a step or two in front Leadership Program partici- of the father while stalking a group of pants and instructor Ben turkeys they'd seen earlier that morning. PHOTO BY CHRIS EVANS, THE PRESS Gunn said the father did not see the vic- Thompson will be the tour Five-year-old Isaac James (center) is recovering at his Sheridan home from having his hand caught guides, featuring audio-visual tim before the boy pulled up his shotgun in a lawnmower two weeks ago. Above, he is pictured Monday (from left) with his brother Grayson, and fired one shot. presentations the students have his mother Paula, his father James and his twin sister Becca. put together for different ex- Gunn said the Amish man was not hibits throughout the museum. wearing traditional camouflage clothing. Instead, he was donned in denim and Refreshments will be served. green clothing. Boy on mend from lawnmower accident Gunn said the boy mistook the man Public meetings BY CHRIS EVANS Sheridan home, kicking his happened in the back yard for a turkey. He said the Henderson pair PRESS PUBLISHER feet and waving the hard cast next to the children's swing were walking alongside a field and the - Crittenden Fiscal Court will There is hardly a hint of on his left hand that runs up set. It happened in a flash, a meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Amish man and his nephew were moving pain in 5-year-old Isaac to near his elbow. Isaac shows split second. through a ticket behind the field. the judge’s courthouse office. James' recollection of getting no sign of soreness. "Daddy had just told me to The accident occurred at about 8:30 - Crittenden County Board of his hand caught in a lawn- Despite no apparent dis- stay away," Isaac says, recall- a.m. on a remote stretch of the WMA Education meets for its mower two weeks ago. comfort from nearly losing his ing the moments before he near the Ohio River. Gunn said the man monthly work session at 6 The youngster simply grins fingers, there's a pressure- leaped chest-first onto a swing and his son from Henderson believed p.m. Tuesday at Rocket Arena. and giggles a bit when asked pulse of agony on his father's seat, then dove forward, they were the only people in the immedi- - Salem City Council will about the hurt. He lies on his face. You can hear the distress hands outstretched and right ate area. meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at back in the carpeted living in Chris James' voice as he The victim was picked up by WMA of- Salem City Hall. room floor of his parents’ talks about the accident that See ACCIDENT/Page 16 - The Crittenden County Elec- See INJURY/Page 12 tion Board will meet at 9 a.m. next Thursday in the county clerk's office. Certification of the absentee machine will also take place. School field trips offer invaluable lessons to students School field trips are on What’s your opinion? the decline nationwide, and that's truly a shame. Chris Web poll results There are a variety of rea- sons, but it's largely a finan- Evans For this week’s online poll, cial situation as districts are Publisher of The Crittenden Press we asked, “Which of the pro- under pressure to allocate posed nicknames would you dwindling resources toward choose for this year's Ken- their schools instead of the tucky Wildcats NCAA Final Four broader classroom. A survey About Town team?” by the American Association The results were: of School Administrators that field trips provide. It al- - Redeemers: 18% found that more than half of lows students across a wide - Fiddlin' Freshmen: 12% schools eliminated field trips cultural and economic spec- trum to enjoy and soak in - Believers: 28% in 2010-11. For ages, the field trip has the sites and sounds of mu- - Reversibles: 10% been a hallmark of educa- seums and parks that many - Other: 30% tion. It's learning at its best might otherwise never expe- – children piling onto a yel- rience.