Wednesday, September 9, 2020 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com $1 Murder cases advance Boyd is formally charged Jones back in Jay County By RAY COONEY According to court doc - By RAY COONEY Jones, the father of Cory The Commercial Review uments, police say Boyd The Commercial Review Jones. A former local law enforcement officer admitted on the scene A Redkey man charged with murder According to court doc - has been formally charged with murder. that he shot Miller. Police is back in Jay County. uments, Ray Jones had Jay County Prosecutor’s Office on Tues - say he told them the Cory M. Jones, 43, 4285 S. 1000 West, told police his son said he day formally charged Roger L. Boyd Jr., shooting was in self Redkey, was transported back to Indi - accidentally shot Shanna 35, Portland, with the murder of James P. defense and that he ana on Tuesday and booked into Jay Jones. Cory Jones then Miller. Boyd had been in police custody believed Miller had a County Jail on a charge of murder left Ray Jones’ home, since shortly after Miller, 49, Montpelier, weapon, though police Boyd early this morning. later sending a text say - Jones was shot in the early hours of Saturday say no such weapon was Jones is charged with the Aug. 22 ing he was “going 110 morning. found. fatal shooting of Shanna Jones, 47, mph toward Illinois.” Boyd, who previously served as K-9 offi - Portland police were called to 1215 S. Dunkirk. He had been in custody in Police spoke with Natashia Jones, cer for Jay County Sheriff’s Office and for Bridge St., Portland, about 1:57 a.m. Sat - Martinsburg, West Virginia, since the daughter of Shanna Jones, upon Dunkirk Police Department, also faces a urday to investigate a possible burglary. Aug. 25 awaiting an extradition hear - arriving at 10402 W. 400 South. They Level 3 felony charge of criminal confine - Dustin Mock was the first officer to ing, which was held last week. then searched the property and found ment while armed with a deadly weapon. arrive, finding Boyd standing at the Jay County Sheriff’s Office respond - Shanna Jones laying face down with He is being held without bond in Jay southwest corner of the property. Boyd ed to 10402 W. 400 South for a welfare apparent injuries to the back of her County Jail. told the officer “my gun is on the step,” check on Shanna Jones, the owner of head. She was pronounced dead at the A pretrial conference in the case is the report says. the property, at 11:45 p.m. Aug. 22. The scene. scheduled for Nov. 13 in Jay Circuit Court. See Boyd page 2 check came after a call from Ray See Jones page 2 Board hires staff, adjusts policies By RAY COONEY The Commercial Review The school year is here, almost. Jay School Board in a special meeting Tuesday got a final update ahead of the start of school and approved policy changes and employment updates. Today was scheduled as the first day of the 2020-21 school year, but classes were called off because of heavy fog. (The year was originally slated to begin Aug. 12 but was postponed to allow staff more time to prepare in the midst of the coronavirus pandem - ic.) Jay Schools superin - tendent Jeremy Gulley informed board members Tuesday that he has inspected each of the cor - poration’s buildings along with nurses, custodians and other staff to make The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney sure they are ready for the school year. “Everything looks good,” said Gulley. Maybe tomorrow He added that he expects Jay County students will have to wait another day. The first day of Jay School Corporation classes for the 2020- transportation to be a bit 21 year — it would have been the first since schools closed March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic — was called slower on the first day of off today because of heavy fog. Pictured above, fog shrouds East Jay Elementary School this morning. school. See Board page 2 Stormwater tax OK’d By RILEY EUBANKS The Commercial Review Portland residents could be paying as much as $6 more per month in utilities starting January. Portland residents could Portland City Council passed an ordinance at its see increase of up to $6 meeting Tuesday estab - beginning in January lishing a stormwater tax beginning next year. How much the tax will be and how the funds will be used is set to be decided term control plan to Money was the only con - in future council meetings. improve the functionality cern council members Council also tabled an of the wastewater treat - mentioned when deciding ordinance that would lead ment plan as justifications to table discussion of to city employees getting a for the tax. awarding employees a 3% 3% raise across the board. “I don’t think there is an raise, citing a concern over A preliminary study ordinance that we could future budget constraints indicates the stormwater pass that would have more caused by the recession The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline tax could be around $5 to $6 impact on the economic earlier this year and a pos - a month, Portland Mayor future of Portland than a sible future recession gas- John Boggs said. It would stormwater utility would,” lit by the ongoing COVID- allow the city to be eligible Boggs said. 19 pandemic. Tribe trivia for as much as $500,000 in Council president Kent “Quite frankly, I can’t Fort Recovery Middle School’s Shawnee tribe members grants from state depart - McClung said the city vote for a 3% increase,” gather in a circle to answer trivia questions for Indian Way Day on ments, he added. should be looking for any said council member Dave Friday. Students came together at Barrenbrugge Athletic Park to Boggs cited the city’s revenue streams it can to Golden, the first member practice teamwork skills for the school year. need to pay for projects to offset economic complica - to speak against the pro - combat downtown flooding tions caused by COVID-19 posal at the meeting. and to abide by its long- as well as tax caps. See Tax page 5 Deaths Weather In review Coming up The high temperature Tues - Portland’s Economic day in Jay County was 87 Development Income Tax Thursday — Coverage of degrees. The low was 65, and Jimmy Miller , 49, Montpe - Advisory Committee will tonight’s Jay County Council there was about a quarter-inch lier meet again at 5 p.m. Thursday meeting. of rain. David Donahoe , 27, Fort to review applications for the Tonight’s low will be in the Wayne city’s Small Business Saturday — Results from low 60s. Expect a high of 75 Details on page 2. Resilience Grant program. Friday’s JCHS football game Thursday under cloudy skies. Applications are available at at Adams Central. See page 2 for an extended bit.ly/2EbHMcC. roundup. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local Wednesday, September 9, 2020 Board ... Continued from page 1 tion, virtual education and pro - mum of eight hours for that ketball coach Marc Bogen - with more than 210,000 miles, to He said that’s usually the case tective face coverings. They work. schutz; girls soccer coach and be obsolete. on the first day and new COVID- were approved 4-1, with Phil Board members OK’d the hir - freshman girls basketball coach •Adopted its policy for teacher 19 procedures and the new Ford, Ron Laux, Donna ing of Jay County Junior-Senior Renae Laux; assistant girls soc - appreciation grants as required school configuration — shifting Geesaman and Jason Phillips in High School tech/business cer coach Abby Theurer; by the state. There were no seventh and eighth graders to favor and Chris Snow against. teacher Ryan Fritze, instruc - archery coach Dwane Ford; and changes from the 2019-20 school Jay County Junior-Senior High (Mike Shannon and Krista tional assistant Sherry Haffner assistant boys soccer coach year. School and converting the for - Muhlenkamp were absent.) and custodian Tim Lewis; East Braulio Ruiz. •Set its adult lunch price at mer East Jay Middle School Snow also cast the lone vote Jay Elementary School fourth In other business, the board: $3.75 to bring it in compliance into an elementary school — against the mask policy at the grade teacher Breea Holdcroft •Heard from Gulley that the with federal guidelines. would likely have a greater board’s July 29 meeting. and sixth grade teacher Emily corporation has a new website •Approved the retirement of impact. The board approved a memo - Back; East Elementary School at jayschoolcorp.org. He added instructional assistant Sheryl To help with any last-minute randum of understanding with instructional assistant Rebecca that the site is now compliant Lawrence and accepted the res - questions, the school’s trans - Jay Classroom Teachers Associ - Rowles; art instructor Kayla with the Americans with Dis - ignations of Westlawn Elemen - portation department was open ation to provide compensation Rowles; and library instruction - abilities Act. It also provides tary School special education until 9 p.m. Tuesday to answer for professional development al assistant Kim Jellison staff with a simplified system teacher Renee Haack and questions. related to virtual instruction. Also approved were the fol - for notifying parents via phone Bloomfield Elementary School The board approved new poli - The policy allows staff to be lowing JCHS extracurricular call, text and social media. American Sign Language inter - cies regarding nondiscrimina - paid $25 per hour for a maxi - assignments: assistant girls bas - •Declared two 2005 buses, each preter Judd Haack.