The Mail-Journal, Volume 12, Number 27, Milford, Kosciusko County, 30 July 1975 — Page 1

Indiana State Library | 1110 North Senate Avenue comp « ■ < -A .A, - ..MT ! / Phones. _ I I

VOLUME 12

Goshen rapist confesses to Lakeland offenses

Four rapes in the city of Syracuse, two assaults and seven house burglaries have been cleared up during the past week with the confession of a Goshen man that he had committed similar offenses in Elkhart and Kosciusko county. The statement came from Syracuse chief of police Ron Robinson who had interrogated the perpetrator of the deeds last Thursday afternoon Being held in the Elkhart county jail in Goshen on multiple assault and burglary charges is Dennis Ray Ringler, Sr., a resident of 218 South Tenth street, Goshen, a 28 year-old Goshen factory employee. Along with chief Robinson for the interrogation of Ringler were Ray t'anch. state police detec ' tive of Nappanee and Tom Kitch, Kosciusko county deputy sheriff No Connection Officer Robinson said the case against Ringler has no connection with the charge against 23-year-old Noe Efrain Lozano, lit West Portland street. Syracuse, of raping a 15-year-old Syracuse girl This account appeared in The Mail-Journal on July 9. Lozano is held on a 82,000 bond Robinson said Ringler quit the Syracuse scene when he almost got caught by a private home owner, and when he fled he admitted to running past a local police car. and this frightened him Ringler cleared up a rape case as far back as 1973 The first such case reported to Syracuse police occurred July 24.1974. just a year to the day from the time chief Robinson interrogated Ringler at Goshen He even admitted to rape cases where no report was made to police Signed Statement Ringler gave detective commander Jerry Shanda signed statement admitting to from 39 to 40 cases of burglary and theft dating back to 1972. two unreported rape cases, and eight rape cases and attempted rape cases tn the Goshen area Officer Shand said he admitted to offenses in Warsaw. Nappanee. Elkhart. Goshen. North Webster and Syracuse. Officer Shand said at the moment only formal charges of first degree burglary have been filed against Ringler by Nappanee police, but that his office now has enough evidence to present to Elkhart county deputyprosecutor Max Walker on the ? burglary and rape charges Chief Robinson asked Ringler, during the interrogation how he would advise women to avoid entries and rapes such as he had

_____ —-— » —* ” ~ nJBH2RUR __ * ■ * ■ ifefe *s/&*- **** ... ■>. r .«> - Rfc. RECEIVES KEYS — Mike Umbaugh. president of Barth. Inc.. Milford, shown second from right, is presenting the keys to the new motor home to Robert Kobek of Senator Hartke’s office. On the left is Kosciusko cotmty Democratic chairman Saaley Nice, and on the right is Lincoln Schrock, a New Paris native, also of the Harthe office.

Consolidation of THE MILFORD MAIL (Est. 1888) and THE SYRACUSE-WAWASEE JOURNAL (Est. 1907)

TWO DENNIS RINGLERS tX)MPLICATES THE CASE The apprehension of Dennis Ray Ringler. Sr., 28-year-old Goshen rapist being sought in a number of area communities, was complicated by the fact that there is a second Dennis Ringler The latter is Dennis Eugene Ringler, 26. a resident of r 2 Syracuse. The apprehension of the Goshen rapist has proved painfully embarrassing to the Syracuse man of the same name, and his family At one time the Goshen man also resided on r 2 Syracuse,and the two men often got their mail mixed up He replied they should pull their blinds down and lock their doors 7 He said his offenses were all during the daytime or early evening hours. The first break in the case came at 11:20 p m on Saturday, July 5, when Nappanee patrolman Don Miller answered a complaint concerning a loud automobile. He located the car and its two occupants, a Goshen and Syracuse man They told officers they were waiting on Dennis Ringler from Goshen, whom they had dropped off. The two men left town after being warned by officer Miller. Shortly thereafter Miller was dispatched to a residence near the scene where he spoke to the Goshen and Syracuse men A woman reported someone had broken into her house and attempted to rape her Officer Miller and Nappanee detective sergeant Dan Woelinger continued their investigation and felt they had a strong enough case to arrest Ringler. Ringler was taken into custody while working at a local factory. He commented he was “not piilty ** That was July 8. The case against him was clinched when the Nappanee woman identified Ringler in a police hneup at the Goshen jail. Ringler was given a polygraph test by sergeant Steve Fervida When the results were made known to him he broke down and admitted to numerous rapes and burglaries He told officers he attacked his victims from behind, usually in darkness or under poor lighting conditions Identification was virtually impossible Mear hite. officers from other areas are converging on the Goshen jail to question Ringler in cases involving their respective communities.

Bids to be opened on new bridge A legal notice appears elsewhere in this issue asking for bids for project BRF-119. the ov crhead bridge north of Milford. Said bids will be opened in the Great hall of the Atkinson hotel at 10 a m. on August 12. No evidence of heart attack There was no evidence of a heart attack that caused the wreck on the Cromwell-Kimmell road that resulted in the death of John Hossinger on Sunday. July ». The word came from the Noble county deputy coroner following an autopsy On Monday at Parkview Memorial hospital in Fort Way re. Ca’zse of the death was listed as transection of .spinal cord due to fractured dislocation erf the spine. It was reported that Hossinger was subject to violent sneering and that he may have had a sneering attack which caused him to lose control of his car. Hossinger, 55, a resident of Country Club Hills, Kendallville, was president of Hossinger Refrigeration. Inc., and was well known in the Lakeland area. He died instantly as his auto left the road and crashed into a tree Rites were at 2 p.m. last Wednesday al the BerhalterHutchins funeral home in Kendallville *3,250 damages as car hits fence A total of 53.250 in damages was reported when a car operated by Gregory Secor. 16. r 2 Leesburg, struck a fence on the Chris Schenkel property at Lake Tippecanoe last Saturday afternoon The car. driven by the youth, went out of control on a curve near the Tippecanoe Lake country club on county road 650 N and knocked down 41 feet of fence A total of 81.000 was listed to the vehicle, 82.000 to the fence and $250 to a utility pole.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1975

IFX. r w | I' ' - ‘ i -A Reigning Fair Queen — Valerie Kerlin Reigning over the 1975 Kosciusko county fair will be lovely Valerie Kerlin. daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ted Kerlin of r 2 Silver Lake. Valerie is 18. stands five feet, seven inches tall. She has light brown hair and green eyes. She is expected to be on hand to crown the next queen on Saturday night. The 1975 queen will be the 21st girl to wear the crown. The county fair queen is chosen on a penny per vote basis with the girl who receives the most votes being crowned queen and reigning the following year. The contest is sponsored by the Alpha Beta and Xi Epsilon chapters of Beta Sigma Phi sorority with the cooperation of the county fair board. The money collected is used by the sorority to aid speech and hearing in the county and for the Cardinal Center.

There's something for everyone at the 59th Kosciusko county fair

As always, there will be something for everyone at the 58th annual Kosciusko county fair which opens at Warsaw on August 4. The first grandstand attraction of the fair will be held on Sunday evening. Aug. 3. from 6 to 9 p.m It will be the sixth annual gospel sing with everyone invited to attend. The gospel sing is cosponsored by the fair board and the Burket United Methodist church. The official opening of the fair is Monday night at 7 p.m. when

Sen. Hanke uses Banh, Inc. motor home to contact constituents

MILFORD — The opening of the first Constituent Services Mobile Office to serve Indiana statewide was announced here today bv Senator Vance Hartke (D.-Ind.) The van, to be called the Constituent Services Mobile Office, was made by the Barth Company of Milford. Indiana. It will begin service in Milford and will visit individual communities throughout the 92 counties in the state every six weeks, to answer

queen Valerie Kerlin of Silver Lake and 1975 queen candidates will join in a ribbon cutting ceremony. Also on Monday, at 7:30 p.m. the 4-H fashion show will be held at Warsaw Community high school with the crowning of a new 4-H king and queen and the presentation of 4-H tenure awards. The program on Tuesday will begin at 9 a m. when both the 4-H swine show and the open pony shows will be held. The 4-H poultry, rabbits and pigeons will

constituent questions and help solve problems on the Federal level. “In a society that has become increasingly complex and with the lack of response of bureacrats. 1 simply want my constituents to get the best possible service available." Senator Hartke said. “In opening this Constituent Services Mobile Office, every resident in the State of Indiana will know that someone from my staff will be in their immediate area several

be judged at 1:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. Tuesday evening the 4-H sheep show will be held. The evening attraction in the grandstand will be at 8 p.m. and will be an auto thrill show. The championship event promises many thrilling moments for the auto fan. Wednesday is kiddies day at the fair with reduced prices on all rides. The 4-H beef sale will be held at 8 a m. with the 4-H pony show at 9 a m. Draft horses will be shown at 1 p.m. (Continued on page 9)

times during the year to answer their questions and zero in on their problems,” he added. “We receive hundreds of letters each day. These are letters that are directed to me in the hopes of attaining answers to problems, offering suggestions on legislation, wanting to know how to get Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, small business loans, educational aide, and so forth,” Hartke noted. “This Constituent Services Mobile Office will provide more

Lakeland Levy down 10 cents

The - proposed 1976 budget approved for publication last night (Tuesday) by members of the Lakeland school board has a levy which is 10 cents lower than the current rate. The 1976 budget calls for $3,486,746 for the general fund and $522,025 for the debt service fund. The general fund shows an increase of $336,900 and the debt service fund a decrease of $7,909. The total budget represents an increase of 8.9 per cent over the 1975 budget. The proposed tax rate is $4.74. The present tax levy is $4.84. This is another step in lowering the tax levy in the Lakeland school corporation. It was a high of $5.57 in 1972 and has been decreasing ever since. Comparison A comparison of the 1975 and 1976 budgets follow: Administration — $86,808 in 1975, $93,337 in 1976, a budget increase of $6,529 and a percentage increase of 7.5 Instruction — $2,252,797 in 1975. $2,494,978 in 1976. a budget increase of $242,181 and a percentage increase of 10.7 Attendance — $7,767 in 1975, $7,590 in 1976, a budget decrease of $177 and a minus 2.3 per cent. Health services — $9,389 in 1975, $10,190 in 1976. a budget increase of SBOI and a percentage increase of 8.5 Transportation — $147,078 in 1975, $166,338 in 1976, a budget increase of $19,260 and a percentage increase of 13.1 Operation of plant — $340,511 in 1975, $370,921 in 1976, a budget increase of $30,410 and a percentage increase of 8.9

Bicentennial celebration set for Cromwell Aug. 23-24

A Bicentennial celebration will be held in Cromwell on August 23 and 24. There will be a flag dedication ceremony at the town parking lot at noon on Saturday by the Cromwell American Legion and from then on there will be fun filled activities both days. Events scheduled for Saturday are an ice cream social at 5:30 p.m. sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary; a free dance from 9 p.m. till 12 midnight. There will be movies and softball games running both days. An art exhibit plus booths

State auditors still at work

Auditors from the state board of accounts are still in the Lakeland administrative offices auditing the books of the several schools of the corporation and of the administrative office. An audit was called for by school officials after a discrepancy was found in the extra-curricular funds of the

direct service to the people of Indiana,” he concluded. The schedule of the Constituent Services Mobile Office for the first three days is: Wednesday. July 38 9-10 a.m. Barth Plant, Highway 15, Milford 10:30-11:30 a.m. Warsaw Court House 12:15-1:15 p.m. Columbia City Court House 2-3:00 p.m. Albion Court House 3:30-4:30 p.m. Kendallville City HaU

NUMBER 27

Maintenance — $61,300 in 1975, $63,544 in 1976. for a budget increase of $2,244 and a percentage increase of 3.7 Fixed charges — $128,196 in 1975, $147,848 in 1976, a budget increase of $19,652 and a percentage increase of 15.3 Community services — $24,000 in 1975, $34,000 in 1976, for a budget increase of SIO,OOO and a percentage increase of 41.7 Capital outlay — $40,000 in 1975, $40,000 in 1976, no increase Debt service — $20,000 in 1975, $20,000 in 1976, no increase Transfer account — $33,000 in 1975, $39,000 in 1976. a budget increase of $6,000 and a percentage increase of 18.2 Total General fund — $3,150,846 in 1975. $3,487,746 in 1976, for a budget increase of $336,900 Debt service — $529,934 in 1975, $522,025 in 1976 for a decrease of $7,909 in the budget Total appropriated budget — $3,680,780 in 1975, $4,009,771 in 1976 for an increase of $328,911 and a percentage of 8.9 Levy The proposed levy in the general fund is $3.60. The present levy is $3,765. The proposed levy in the debt service fund is 75 cents. The present rate is .675 cents. The cumulative building fund remains at 40 cents. ■Die tax rate proposed to raise the necessary fund is advertised at $4.74 as compared to $4.84 being collected this year. Fist imates have been used in determining the amount of excise tax to be received and also for an increase in assessed valuation. Final figures in both could reduce the rate further.

will also be both days. An ox roast from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. will be on Sunday. The parade will follow at 2:30 p.m. Featured in the Sunday afternoon parade will be three Shrine units, the Mizpah mounted patrol, which won the International Equestrian award in Toronto, Canada; the Donkey Patrol, one of only three in the United States; also the Little 500 which consists of mini cars. The mounted patrol will perform following the parade. For entry forms for the parade contact Dr. or Mrs. Kenneth Cripe in Cromwell.

Syracuse elementary school. While in the area the auditors are checking all Lakeland books as a matter of routine so they will not have to return to the corporation in the fall for the regularly scheduled audit. Until the audit is completed and the results are known no further information is expected to be released.

Thursday, July 31 9- a.m. Garrett City HaU 10- a.m. Auburn Court House 11:30-12:30 p.m. Angola Court House 1:15-2:30 p.m. LaGrange Court House Friday. August 1 9-10:30 a m Elkhart City Hall 11- noon Goshen Court House l:y-3 p.m. South Bend, River Bend Plaza 3:15-4:00 p.m. South Bend, Comer of Jefferson & Michigan