Tuscola man charged Cass City gymnasts Teachers - sign up in break-in, assault shine at home meet now for barn tours Page 4 Sports, pages 9, 10 Page 16 Complete coverage of the Cass City community and surrounding areas since 1899 VOLUME 111, NUMBER 50 CASS CITY, MICHIGAN - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018 .75 CENTS ~ 16 PAGES Questions Man faces outnumber prison in answers in fatal drug Sebewaing overdose Investigation continuing into homicides, suicide in by Tom Montgomery quiet Thumb village. Editor A Saginaw man faces up to life by Tom Montgomery in prison for his role in the heroin Editor, and Mary overdose death of a Caro woman Drier, Freelance Writer last spring at an Elmwood Town - ship residence. More questions than answers re - A Tuscola County Circuit Court main as investigators continue jury rendered verdicts of guilty sorting out the details of what they against Edward Dontae Forte, 38, believe was a double homicide- last week following a four-day suicide that left a couple and their trial. Forte was charged with de - adult daughter dead in the village livery of a controlled substance – of Sebewaing last week. causing death, and delivery of a Sebewaing Police Chief Bill controlled substance (less than 50 Owens identified the victims as grams). Bob Bonini, 61, Margo Bonini, Tuscola 60, and Katelyn Bonini, 21. County Pros - Police were dispatched to a home ecutor Mark in the 500 block of Beach Street – E. Reene said about a block east of M-25 at the Forte faces a north end of town — shortly be - potential sen - fore 1 a.m. Thursday to investi - tence of life gate a reported suspicious or any term situation and conduct a well-being of years be - check, according to Owens. hind bars. Edward Forte “Upon arrival, the officer made Sentencing contact with the caller who was in the case has been scheduled for waiting at the roadside. The caller Monday, April 9. told the officer that he is a family Deputies found the victim – friend and had been unable to CASS CITY High School National Honor Society (NHS) members Emily Lynn Dennis, 26 — de - reach a family member for several ceased during the early morning hours,” Owens stated in a news re - (from left) Seth Roggenbuck, Joseph Skiles and Sayge Cuthrell re- hours of April 20 at a home on lease. He added the friend stated fill backpacks with food that is sent home for the weekends with stu - Dodge Road. Investigators re - he then drove to the residence to ported Dennis died of drug intox - check on the family and found the dents from families that are struggling financially. School officials ication. house to be locked, but the lights Following last week’s verdict, on. say the program is in need of donations to meet the need through the Reene made a point of recogniz - “The caller told the officer that end of this school year. ing what he described as the “ex - he went to the rear of the house traordinary efforts of the Tuscola and looked in a window and saw County Sheriff’s Department, a female lying on the floor,” which worked with elements of Owens continued. “The caller the Thumb Narcotics Unit and the showed the officer this and, upon Donations in demand to ensure Michigan State Police to exhaus - seeing her on the floor, the officer tively investigate this matter. This made entry into the home. The of - office further wishes to recognize ficer found three people deceased youngsters fed on the weekends Please turn to page 6. in the home (from) apparent gun - shot wounds.” by Tom Montgomery family. Right now, we supply school officials established Investigators believe the father Editor 48 families with food for the under the auspices of the Food shot his wife and daughter, then weekend. Bank of Eastern Michigan. AG reminds took his own life. A program designed to pro - “We have approached the The requirement was to ini - An autopsy was scheduled for vide meals and snacks to local Gavel Club and Lions Club for tially raise $5,000, and the first the victims, but police are releas - students who might otherwise funds and they have donated; local fundraiser brought in students to ing few other details. go hungry during the weekends however, it costs $5,000 a year roughly $10,000, according to Sebewaing police were assisted is struggling financially. and the donated money from Bock, who said the local Gavel report any at the scene by the Michigan State “The Cass City Backpack pro - these organizations didn’t last and Lions clubs went on to Police Crime Lab, Huron County gram is in need of funds,” said long,” Hempton added. faithfully support the effort Sheriff’s Department and Sebe - Christin Hempton, dean of stu - “We had quite a surplus (of along with some churches, red flags waing Ambulance. dents at Cass City Junior-Se - funding) for years,” Shari businesses and individuals. Owens said the investigation will nior High School. “It costs Bock, director of food service “We’ve never had to (approach by Tom Montgomery continue and more information is $100 per year to supply week - for school district, said of the the school board) – the commu - Editor Please turn to page 8. end food for each participating backpack program, which Please turn to page 8. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is reminding Michigan students about OK2SAY, a student safety program that enables any - Local Walk for Warmth on tap this weekend one to confidentially report any - thing that they feel threatens their safety or the safety of others. Area residents are invited to walk hosted by the Human Develop - raise money to help local families added. “Last year, with the sup - Tips can be submitted using in the cold in an effort to keep oth - ment Commission (HDC), and the in need, heat their homes,” ex - port of community volunteers and email, mobile app, telephone, text ers warm during the 28th annual agency is once again asking for plained Wendy Jacot, human re - businesses, HDC raised over message, or the OK2SAY website. Walk for Warmth, slated for Sat - community support to make this sources/marketing manager for $55,000 to help struggling fami - “In the majority of violent school urday, Feb. 24. year’s event another success. HDC. lies and senior citizens in Huron, incidents, someone knew about Walk for Warmth, which raises “Walk for Warmth is a statewide “Local citizens gather pledges Lapeer, Sanilac and Tuscola coun - the threat before it was carried funds to assist people with utility event sponsored by Community and walk a one-mile route in the ties. Money raised in each county out, but they failed to report it. emergencies, is organized and Action Agencies, such as HDC, to cold to keep others warm,” she stays in that county.” Often, students choose to keep Walker registration will begin at quiet because they fear retaliation, 9 a.m. on the day of the event, rejection, or stigmatization by which will take place simultane - their peers,” Schuette said Thurs - Cass City Schools lose 17 students ously in all four counties starting day. “The result is a culture of si - at 9:30 a.m. lence in which students suffer harm that could have been pre - by Tom Montgomery ementary grades, a dip of 10 students since last In Tuscola County, the walk will Editor begin at the American Legion Post vented if another had chosen to fall. At the junior-senior high school, there were speak out. OK2SAY empowers 438 students, down seven students compared to 7, 110 W. Frank St., Caro; the The Cass City School District has lost 15 stu - Sanilac County walk will start at students to break the code of si - the fall count. lence.” dents since schools across the state conducted “(Seventeen students) seems like a little more the HDC office, 215 N. Elk St., their official enrollment tallies last fall. Sandusky; and Huron County’s Schuette’s remarks came one day than we would anticipate,” commented Hartel, after one of the nation’s deadliest That’s the bad news. The good news is that the who noted enrollment tends to fluctuate through - walk will begin at the Wilcox Park winter count – conducted last Wednesday – does - Community Center, 650 White - school shootings unfolded in out the school year. “They’re (numbers) not really Parkland, Fla., where a 19-year- n’t have nearly the impact as the statewide count surprising. We’ve seen this trend before. lam St., Bad Axe. completed annually in February. To make a donation to the Walk old former student of Marjory “We’ll use the winter numbers as a starting point Stoneman Douglas High School According to Cass City Schools Supt. Jeff Har - for next fall. That’s really the only financial sig - for Warmth fund, obtain more in - formation on the event, or to have returned to the school and slaugh - tel, the latest tally revealed 530 students in the el - Please turn to page 7. Please turn to page 8. Please turn to page 4. PAGE TWO CASS CITY CHRONICLE - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018 CASS CITY, MICHIGAN !$ !! & %% &$(&'% -'%((!%$",+#( #'!')# -'('!&)!%$(!"" $!(#+ -'(")!%$%'#( - ""),&(%%$))( -%"!$!%"( ### -"((('&!' OWEN-GAGE students who recently finished in the top three spots dur - "$! ing a local National Geographic Bee event are (from left) Isaac Miller ()'%") - "*'%((..&')!!&$) (second place), Allison Haldane (first place) and Madelyn Haldane (third place). $ !%)*!) !""&! !%) #""#& Haldane earns top finish at local competition Nearly 30 Owen-Gage students will provide an all-expenses paid phy knowledge by downloading % in grades six through eight re - trip to Washington, D.C., for state the “National Geographic GeoBee cently participated in a school- winners to participate in the bee Challenge” app, featuring more level competition of the 30th national championship rounds than 1,000 questions culled from annual National Geography Bee.