09292015 - News Article - Humane Society of Hobart reviewing contracts

Humane Society of Hobart reviewing contracts

NWI Times
September 29, 2015 - 6:30 pm

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/humane-society-of-hobart-reviewing-contracts/article_a2453f22-c53a-556e-b90a-ee68be243286.html

HOBART | The Humane Society of Hobart’s board is in the midst of reviewing contracts it has in place to provide services to three local municipalities.

Through agreements with Hobart, Lake Station and Portage, the organization provides animal control field services and animal housing to the municipalities, Chris Skrenka, Humane Society of Hobart board member, said Monday during the group's meeting.

He said the board is reviewing all of its animal control and housing contracts to determine the role the Humane Society of Hobart will have in the community in the future.

“At this point we feel it is important to continue as an open-admission facility,” Skrenka said. “We will take into consideration the input of our outstanding supporters, trained and licensed animal welfare individuals and national organizations who understand our responsibilities to the community when discussing future direction and operating policy."

Skrenka has explained the Hobart society established its agreement with Portage more than a decade ago, and it was initially intended to be on a temporary basis.

Monday’s board meeting also served as an opportunity to gather feedback from the community about the organization.

Some have asked the Humane Society of Hobart to be more transparent.

In particular, Hobart resident Cate Amador asked for the organization’s performance numbers and protocol.

Amador said “there’s big grants out there” that can assist in animal control efforts, but figures, including euthanasia numbers from the organization, are needed in those applications.

Board member Laura Labadie said euthanasia is a “sensitive” topic, and many animal organizations don’t provide those figures.

She explained the Humane Society of Hobart doesn’t take euthanasia lightly, and at least two employees are involved in decisions regarding euthanasia. She also said the organization on many occasions contacts area veterinarians before making such decisions.

Skrenka also explained the Humane Society of Hobart is an open-admission animal shelter, but it isn’t an animal rescue. He said the organization “doesn’t have the luxury to pick and choose” animals it accepts at the facility, and there are situations in which animals brought to the facility are sick and injured.

“We’re usually the last stop for a lot of people,” Skrenka said.

Euthanasia figures for the Humane Society of Hobart also could be different from other local animal shelters because the organization also performs owner-requested euthanasia.

There also were several at Monday’s meeting supporting the Hobart society.

Hobart resident Bob Krebes was among those who said he attended the session to speak in favor of the organization.

09282015 - News Article - Soderquists seek delay in second trial because of pending post-conviction motions

Soderquists seek delay in second trial because of pending post-conviction motions

NWI Times

September 28, 2015 - 8:15 pm

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/soderquists-seek-delay-in-second-trial-because-of-pending-post/article_d2e6aa76-7836-53c3-b8a3-03d93946a2dd.html

HAMMOND | Attorneys for former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah, asked a judge Monday to recuse himself from their second criminal case and sought a delay in their upcoming trial.

A U.S. District Court jury found the Soderquists guilty Sept. 11 on several charges alleging they improperly used money from Keith Soderquist's campaign fund and the city's food pantry account to gamble.

The couple and the mayor's stepdaughter, Miranda Brakley, are scheduled to stand trial in November on separate charges. In that case, they are accused of knowing Brakley took at least $5,000 from the Lake Station City Court and helping to prevent her apprehension by police.

The Soderquists are seeking a new trial in the first case because they allege Judge Rudy Lozano was asleep during parts of the proceedings. Their attorneys have filed a motion for a new trial, a motion to inspect courtroom security video and a motion for disqualification of Lozano in that case.

The post-conviction motions are unlikely to be resolved before the scheduled trial in the second case involving Brakley, according to a court document filed by Scott King and Lakeisha Murdaugh, the Soderquists' attorneys. The timing in the two cases would subject Lozano's impartiality to reasonable question, the attorneys wrote.

The Soderquists also are seeking to delay their Nov. 9 trial on the charges of accessory after the fact and structuring financial transactions. Brakley in charged in that case with theft from programs receiving federal funds and false bankruptcy declaration.

The cases have been covered extensively by local media, and publicity regarding the resolution of the Soderquists' post-conviction motions is likely to occur near the start of their second trial, court documents say.

"This publicity could compromise the defendants' right to have a fair and impartial jury in this case," the Soderquists' attorneys wrote.

Brakley's attorney, Thomas Vanes, supports the Soderquists' latest motions, court documents say.

09282015 - News Article - Humane society defends practices, considering role in communities

Humane society defends practices, considering role in communities

Chicago Tribune

September 28, 2015 - 7:11 PM

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-hobart-humane-st-0929-20150928-story.html

The board of directors for the embattled Humane Society of Hobart told both supporters and critics attending an open meeting Monday that the board will be deciding soon what role it will be playing in the community in the future.

The center currently acts as animal control for the cities of Hobart, Lake Station and Portage, but various members stated in the past and at the meeting that they believe Porter County, not the shelter, should be taking in animals from Portage.

"This has been going on since the 1990s," longtime board member Carol Konopacki told the approximately 20 people attending the board meeting of Porter County's refusal to take Portage's stray animals.

Board member Chris Skrenka said the shelter will continue to have open admission of animals.

The humane society has come under fire from local animal activists and Portage city officials, prompting Monday night's meeting.

Activists have called for more transparency from the shelter, including being able to see the number of animals it brings in and the number of euthanasias it performs. They also said board meetings haven't been advertised so the public could attend.

Some Portage officials were upset recently when they learned a report that showed 60 percent of the animals picked up by Portage Animal Control and taken to the Hobart facility were euthanized from June 2014 through June of this year. In Hobart, around 40 percent of the animals brought in during all of 2014 were put down, according to statistics provided by the shelter to the city.

Skrenka questioned the accuracy of those numbers and reiterated that the humane society is the only nonprofit in the area that takes in animals from three communities.

"We're not a rescue group. We don't have the luxury of choosing what animals we'll take in," Skrenka said.

"We don't have a sign up front that says bring your animals to us. We're the last stop for most people," he added.

Still, he said, the goal of the shelter is to get as many animals adopted as possible as quickly as possible. He said the average stay before adoption is six days.

Mary Watson, shelter supporter, said the shelter's detractors aren't helping anyone, especially the animals.

"I've adopted animals from here. They need community support," she said.

Cate Amador, one of the activists seeking more transpareny and less euthanasias at the shelter, said she received some numbers from the City of Hobart concerning animals brought in and euthanized at the shelter that came from Hobart, but asked for more detailed numbers.

"The numbers I received were confusing. How many went to rescues? Several organizations are looking for these numbers. There are grants out there for spaying and neutering, but they need the numbers," she said.

Some attending the meeting asked how they could help and offered their support.

"We need to start working together instead of fighting. We need to move forward," said Jamie Peyton, a Union Township resident who said she wanted to be a board member.

Board president Laura Labadie said the board is working on a new website for the shelter that will have more information, including the date and time of board meetings.

She said she thought Monday's meeting was productive.

"We got a great feel of the peoples' thoughts," she said.

09272015 - News Article - Sleeping judges cause for alarm? Experts weigh in on snoozing from the bench - Soderquist trial

Sleeping judges cause for alarm? 
Experts weigh in on snoozing from the bench - Soderquist trial
Post-Tribune (IN)
September 27, 2015
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/1586FE1ED6561038?p=AWNB
An attorney for former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist has argued that a federal judge violated the mayor's right to due process by allegedly falling asleep during his trial.

But legal experts disagreed about just how serious it is for a judge to nod off during a trial.

"There is no question if a judge fell asleep, that is very serious," Minneapolis Judge Kevin Burke, a past president of the American Judges Association, said.

The issue stems from Soderquist's recent public corruption trial, where a federal jury found him and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, guilty of using money from his campaign fund and the city's food pantry to pay for more than 50 gambling trips to Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Mich.

Their attorneys, Scott King and Lakeisha Murdaugh, filed a motion Tuesday for both a new trial and to disqualify U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano, claiming that Lozano fell asleep at least twice during the trial.

At one point toward the end of the trial, the government made an objection, and King responded. However, Lozano, who was looking down, did not appear to hear him. Some people in the courtroom also commented at the time about how it appeared the judge may have been sleeping.

Lozano, who is 73, was appointed to his current position in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and became a senior judge, a type of semiretirement status, in 2007, although he said at the time he planned on keeping a full workload.

In a 2013 poll by the Lake County Bar Association, lawyers gave Lozano the second-lowest marks among all federal judges in the District of Northern Indiana. His lowest mark was for temperament, where attorneys rated him a 5.83 out of 10.

He has also often talked about how he suffers from diabetes.

The judge could not be reached for comment. The motion to disqualify Lozano also said that he had already denied sleeping during the trial.

Although Burke said that he would always be considerate any time a judge fell asleep during a trial, Indiana University Law School professor Charles Geyh said it's a matter of context.

"It's never good, it's not a good idea, and it does raise ethical implications," Geyh said. "But the severity of the infraction can range from utterly trivial to pretty serious."

King said after filing the motion that judges need to be aware of what's going on during a trial so that they can properly rule when someone makes an objection, asks to admit evidence and on other issues.

Geyh said that's true and that a judge falling asleep can interfere with the due process "to the extent that the judge has gone missing," he said.

However, just as context matters for a judge deciding how to rule on issues during a trial, so too does it play a role in deciding how much a defendant is harmed if a judge nods off, Geyh said. How long a judge was asleep and what he or she might have missed all play a role.

The professor said it's not unheard of for judges to sleep during a trial, noting that trials can often last a while and lead to long days for judges. He added that judges will often rest their eyes.

"Trials are long; judges don't need to be on the edge of their seat," he said.

Burke also said that it's common for judges to close their eyes during a trial, especially if it helps them concentrate.

"It's an awkward situation because you do find people who just close their eyes and listen," he said.

However, he maintained that even though it's understandable that trials can get boring, judges still should not fall asleep.

Burke said there's not a lot of case history as far as appeals based on a sleeping judge; appeals based on sleeping jurors or attorneys are more common.

He said, however, that there are some famous cases, including U.S. District Judge Julius Hoffman, who oversaw the 1969 Chicago Seven trial of protesters during the 1968 Democratic Convention. Burke said Hoffman was later forced to retire partly because he was caught sleeping during hearings.

"That ended his career," Burke said.

Geyh said he has heard of judges falling asleep, but the ones he could think of were state capital punishment cases, where the defendant faced the death penalty.

King cited one case in his motion, U.S. vs. White, in which a judge fell asleep during the defense's opening statements. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the defendant's due process had not been violated because it wasn't during presentation of evidence, which King argues was the case during Soderquist's trial.

King has moved that security video from the trial be secured, which Lozano granted, but Geyh said it can be difficult to determine whether a judge truly was sleeping. King also has requested to view the videos; Lozano said Friday he was taking it under advisement and required federal attorneys to respond by Monday.

Burke said that in prior cases, the party has either admitted to sleeping or based a decision on testimony from others. He noted that in the case of Hoffman, video wasn't available.

Geyh added that normally when a judge is removed from a case, it's because the judge has shown he is biased. Falling asleep during a trial, however, could fall under the federal regulations for appointing a new judge, he said.

Lozano is giving federal attorneys until Oct. 28 to respond to the Soderquists' motions for a new trial and to disqualify the judge.

09262015 - Blog Post - Humane Society Of Hobart - Seeking answers and justice for my fur-babies, Abbi and Bailey

On October 07, 2010, my ex-husband - James Clarence Thomas - along with officers from the Portage Indiana Police Department, broke into my Portage home and removed my beloved fur-babies, Abbi Mae and Bailey Su.

Instead of James returning my dogs to me, he took them to the Hobart Humane Society in April 2011 - and signed paperwork to have them euthanized. 

If you have any information about the deaths of Abbi and Bailey, please contact me at:

michigan.oidv@gmail.com

Renee' Harrington

Abbi Mae

Bailey Su

Abbi Mae

Bailey Su

09252015 - News Article - Soderquist deserves new trial if judge was asleep at wheel

Soderquist deserves new trial if judge was asleep at wheel

Post-Tribune (IN) 

Jerry Davich

September 25, 2015

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/1586FE1788EE58B0?p=AWNB

Former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist should be requesting a new court trial as a last-ditch, desperate effort to avoid jail time.

So would you if the federal judge presiding over your jury trial appeared to fall asleep behind the bench during court proceedings.

Soderquist's ever-savvy attorney, Scott King, filed motions this week requesting a new trial and new judge. King claims U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano dozed off multiple times during the eight-day trial for Soderquist who, along with his wife, Deborah, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of false filing.

In Lake County, such courtroom legalese is simply called "public corruption," and Soderquist is the latest public official to get caught with his gambling hands in our cookie jar. I believe he is guilty of wrongdoing. But I also believe he has a valid claim to request a new trial, and a new judge, even if Lozano nodded off once for only a minute.

Lozano's alleged narcoleptic moments are understandable if you've ever attended a lengthy trial where every detail, every fact, every allegation is dissected ad nauseam. These court proceedings are nothing like those portrayed on TV shows, wrapped up all nice and tidy in less than an hour.

They are boring. They are tedious. They attract visitors who only have a vested interest in the defendant, the case and the verdict - such as Kevin Farthling, a long-time Lake Station business owner who has a personal and professional interest in this case, and in Soderquist's fate.

Farthling said he and his wife, Patty, attended every day of that trial and its pretrial proceedings, logging almost 100 hours, according to their figures. He insists that Lozano was never asleep at the wheel of his courtroom.

Yes, Lozano's head was down at times, Farthling told me, but he never nodded off. Lozano was paying attention "very intensely," Farthling said.

"He's a senior judge," he said. "I'm very confident that everybody, including the judge, was on point."

However, I also heard from another daily visitor in that courtroom who claims Lozano did fall asleep more than once. And a security video feed from the trial will prove it, which explains why King's third motion was for that video to be preserved.

Over the past 20 years, judges who I consider friends have admitted to me (off the record) that they've nodded off during trials or hearings. But only for a few seconds until they're snapped awake to continue their duty. The claims against Lozano go beyond this, and Soderquist has every right to request a new trial and judge.

In the court of public opinion, all that matters is that no jurors ever fell asleep because it was the jury, not the judge, that found Soderquist guilty. If another trial is granted, it will be not only a waste of taxpayers' money but also a waste of time, I say.

The Soderquists are guilty as charged, and another jury - with another judge - will render the same verdict, I believe. As we've learned from previous public corruption trials involving the feds, their dogged prosecutors are relentless and thorough.

Heck, if I was a public office holder I wouldn't steal a paper clip for my personal use. But I'm convinced that right now, even amid the aftermath of Soderquist's guilty verdict, another Northwest Indiana public office holder (or holders) is up to no good.

They're either drunken on arrogance or blinded by ignorance. Either way, the feds will explain it all to us in mind-numbing detail in a few weeks or a few months. The front-page headlines will again awake us from our slumber of blind trust in elected officials.

The only question will be whose hand was caught in whose cookie jar.

In the meantime, the Soderquists still have a second trial on their docket, for a separate case involving their daughter, and Lozano again is the presiding judge. Maybe someone should secretly supply the judge's bench with a few cans of Red Bull.

Lake Station continued

"Hey, Jerry, you always write about Lake Station and our problems, but I never see you in our fair city," Carla F., of Lake Station, said in a voice mail. "What gives? Attend a meeting sometime or pay a visit, will ya?"

Hey, Carla, I will be in your fair city on Saturday morning for the Fox Gallery Fall Art and Music Festival at 2901 Dekalb St. Amid the live music, artwork and food vendors, I'll be there from 10 a.m. to noon to chat with visitors about whatever comes up, including Lake Station politics and today's column, if asked. Hope to see you there.

Bernie Sanders supporters unite

As promised in my previous column on local Donald Trump backers, I also am interested in talking with local Bernie Sanders backers. The Democratic presidential candidate is riding a tsunami of support from across the country, including this area.

"When Senator Sanders started his presidential campaign, I knew immediately I wanted to help out in any way I could," said Drew Wenger of Valparaiso. "So I did what any guy from my generation would do. I turned to Facebook and created the Valparaiso for Bernie Sanders page."

"It has spawned groups in Crown Point, Michigan City, Griffith and Highland that are under my purview," he told me. "But the real story is about the people who have never been a part of a grassroots campaign, or even voted before. They are leaving their comfort zones to dedicate their time to raising awareness for Senator Sanders' campaign."

09252015 - News Article - Humane society meeting moved to Hobart facility

Humane society meeting moved to Hobart facility
Chicago Tribune
September 25, 2015 - 5:55 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-humane-meeting-st-0926-20150925-story.html
The Humane Society of Hobart's board of directors has changed the location of its Monday public meeting from Hobart City Hall to the shelter, 2054 E. Indiana 130.

The meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m.

Police Chief Richard Zormier said Friday this was the first he heard of a change in venue and he had no current plans to have police officers on hand for crowd control at the smaller location.

The humane society has come under scrutiny from local animal activists and Portage city officials.

Activists have called for more transparency from the shelter, including being able to see the number of animals its brings in and the number of euthanasias it performs. They also said board meetings haven't been advertised so the public could attend.

Portage officials were upset upon learning that about 60 percent of the animals picked up by Portage Animal Control and taken to the humane society were euthanized from June 2014 through June of this year. In Hobart, which like Portage and Lake Station uses Hobart Humane Society for its animal control, 38 percent of the animals brought in during all of 2014 were put down, according to statistics provided by the shelter to the city.

Chris Skrenka, a board member and volunteer at the shelter, said the meetings have never been advertised, but the board has never stopped anyone from attending.

09242015 - News Article - Federal judge to consider Soderquist motion for new trial

Federal judge to consider Soderquist motion for new trial

Post-Tribune (IN) 

September 24, 2015

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/1586FE14A8B79D50?p=AWNB

The federal judge accused of falling asleep during former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist's recent public corruption trial is considering a request to grant a new judge to oversee the case.

U.S. District Rudy Lozano said in an order issued Wednesday that he would take under advisement two motions by Soderquist, one for a new trial and one for a new judge. He's giving federal attorneys until Monday to respond.

Scott King and Lakeisha Murdaugh, attorneys for Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, filed the motions Tuesday, arguing that Lozano fell asleep at least twice during the recent trial, which violates the Soderquists' right to due process.

King said Tuesday that a judge needs to be aware of everything that occurs during a trial so he can make proper rulings.

King said he was asking for a new judge because Lozano had already denied that he slept during the trial.

Lozano could not be reached for comment.

Lozano did grant a third motion that asked the court to preserve security video recordings from the courtroom during the trial as possible evidence to see whether there were other moments the judge might have fallen asleep. He ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to take over the video.

A federal jury convicted the Soderquists on Sept. 11 of using money from the mayor's campaign fund and money from the city's food pantry to pay for more than 50 gambling trips during 2010 through 2012.

Toward the end of the trial, federal attorneys made an objection, and King responded. Lozano, who was looking down, did not appear to hear, though. King then called for a closed hearing.

The Soderquists also face a second trial in November in a separate case. Deborah Soderquist's daughter, Miranda Brakley, is charged with stealing money from the city when she worked there as a court clerk, and the Soderquists are accused of helping her. Lozano is overseeing that case as well, and King said Tuesday that he did not know if he would ask for a new judge in that case.

09222015 - News Article - Soderquist wants new trial; says judge slept on bench

Soderquist wants new trial; says judge slept on bench

Chicago Tribune

September 22, 2015 - 7:33 PM

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-soderquist-judge-charge-st-0923-20150922-story.html

Attorneys for former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist are asking for a new trial because they say the federal judge fell asleep at least twice during his recent public corruption trial.

A federal jury in Hammond convicted both Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, on Sept. 11 on public corruption charges after an eight-day trial at the U.S. District Court.

Scott King and Lakeisha Murdaugh, attorneys for the Soderquists, filed three motions Tuesday, including a motion for a new trial and a motion for a new judge.

They say in the motions that U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano appeared to fall asleep several times during the trial.

"(There were) several times with my clients when my associate Lakeisha Murdaugh said 'he's asleep, he's asleep,'" King said Tuesday evening.

The attorney added that he heard people in the audience talk during breaks about seeing the judge nod off.

King said it's important for a judge to be aware of everything that's going on during a trial so that he can properly rule on any objections, requests to submit evidence, jury instructions and more.

"This is not pleasant for me to bring up, and I've known Judge Lozano since before he was a judge," he said. "But I have to represent my clients, and I think that due process requires a judge that's fully alert and engaged during the entire process."

He added that although the parties can go back and look at the transcript, that doesn't catch how a witness sounded or looked, for instance.

King said the most egregious moment happened toward the end of the case. The government had made an objection, King responded and the judge, who was looking down, did not appear to hear. King called for a sealed hearing at that point.

The attorneys also argued that Lozano should be removed because he cannot make an impartial ruling on the motion for a new trial, noting that he denied during the trial to have been asleep.

The third motion asks that security video feed from the trial be preserved as evidence of whether the judge slept during the trial and, if so, how much.

King said because he was focused on the case during the trial, he doesn't know how often the judge slept, which is part of the problem because he doesn't know just how much Lozano missed.

"I honestly don't know," he said.

Federal attorneys argued during the trial that the Soderquists used money from his campaign election fund and the city's food pantry to pay for more than 50 gambling trips from 2010 to 2012 to the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Mich. The jury agreed, finding them guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of lying on their income tax returns. Soderquist was automatically removed from office when he was found guilty.

The Soderquists still have a second trial coming up in a separate case. Deborah Soderquist's daughter, Miranda Brakley, is charged with stealing money from the city when she worked there as a court clerk, and the Soderquists are accused of helping her hide the crime. All three have pleaded not guilty in that case.

Lozano is also overseeing that case, and King said Tuesday he did not know yet whether they would also ask for a new judge in that case.

09222015 - News Article - Soderquists' attorneys file motion for new trial

Soderquists' attorneys file motion for new trial

NWI Times

September 22, 2015

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/soderquists-attorneys-file-motion-for-new-trial/article_4051b98f-24c6-5045-a5d4-333096b9de21.html

HAMMOND | The attorneys for former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah, are seeking a new trial on their behalf claiming the federal judge presiding over their case was asleep during portions of their trial.

"The 'interest of justice' requires a new trial because there were a number of occasions when during the trial of this case where the presiding District Judge was observed to have been asleep," said the motion for a new trial. "The defendants submit that these incidents prejudiced their right to a fair trial and to Due Process of Law."

The motion, signed by attorneys Scott King and Lakeisha Murdaugh, was filed Tuesday. U.S. District Senior Judge Rudy Lozano presided over the Soderquist's case.

On Wednesday, Lozano signed an order taking under advisement the defense attorneys' motion for a new trial and a change of judge. The government has until Sept. 28th to respond to the motions.

According to a memorandum of law contained within the filing, the attorneys said "the defendants made a record of two (2) occasions during their trial that the District Judge appeared to be asleep during the presentation of the evidence. The defendants have simultaneously with the filing of this Motion, filed a Motion to Preserve video security surveillance evidence of the courtroom that the trial was conducted in in order to determine if said evidence provides visual proof of the presiding District Judge sleeping at other points in the trial."

The memorandum said the defendants are prepared to present additional evidence regarding observations of Lozano sleeping at various times during the trial. The attorneys also filed a change of judge motion stating that on two occasions during the trial they informed the judge he appeared to be asleep and the judge stated he was not asleep.

Lozano Wednesday granted the defense motion to preserve evidence and ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to preserve surveillance recordings made of the courtroom during the trial.

Jurors on Sept. 11 found the Soderquists guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of false filing. They were accused of improperly using funds from Soderquist's campaign fund and the city's food pantry account to gamble.

King said after the trial that he planned to appeal. He said at the time there were things that happened at the trial that he has never seen before in his career. At the time, he said the motion would address several issues but did not elaborate. 

09212015 - News Article - Animal rights advocates call for change - Humane Society defends practices; more transparency sought

Animal rights advocates call for change 
Humane Society defends practices; more transparency sought 
Post-Tribune (IN)
September 21, 2015
www.newsbank.com
A group of local animal activists has taken its fight for transparency at the Humane Society of Hobart to the Hobart City Council, asking that the number of animals euthanized at the shelter and the shelter's protocols be made public.

"There is no excuse for the people not to know these numbers. The truth will come out eventually," said Cate Amador, a Hobart resident speaking for the activists.

The group approached the council after a Post-Tribune story found that almost 60 percent of the animals picked up by the Portage Animal Control and taken to the Hobart Humane Society were euthanized, according to statistics from June 2014 through June 2015 provided by Portage Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham.

More than 5,000 people have signed an online petition seeking leadership and personnel changes at the shelter.

Attempts to obtain the number of animals brought in and the number euthanized from Hobart and Lake Station have been unsuccessful.

Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor said he hasn't received a report for the past three months, and Lake Station said a public records request had to be made first. The shelter said the numbers were made available to the cities it serves and could be obtained from them.

Portage, Lake Station and Hobart all use the humane society for their animal control, a fact that board members of the shelter say cause their percentages to be higher than other shelters.

Chris Skrenka, a board member and volunteer at the shelter, also attended the council meeting. He said he didn't know the exact numbers of euthanasias, but added they are higher than they would like. He said a joint decision, usually involving two people, is made as to when an animal would be euthanized.

"We're taking in thousands more animals than the other animal shelters every year," he said.

He said the board has never been asked for their protocols.

"We've never advertised our board meetings, but we haven't stopped anyone from coming," Skrenka said.

Snedecor said he met with the shelter's board members and told them the city thought there needed to be an audit done. He said the shelter's board members indicated to him they want to be more transparent to the public and will hold a public meeting at city hall at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 28.

"I agree tax dollars need to be accounted for," Snedecor said. "We can discontinue our contract with the shelter, but what other options are there?"

The shelter's critics have vowed to continue their fight.

"We won't quit until we get them," Michelle Duca, one of the activists and founder and CEO of the Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry in Hobart, said of the numbers.

The activists said they don't want to shut down the humane society; they just want change.

Amador, a volunteer with Kibble Kitchen, which provides free pet food and supplies to pet owners who can't afford them, said the movement among most shelters has been to "no kill," but that's not the case with Hobart.

Board members and the shelter's executive director, Brenda Slavik, said the shelter has never claimed to be no kill. They said the shelter is unique in this area because it is the only one that serves as animal control for three cities.

They also point out that they accept all animals, unlike many of the no-kill shelters, which they say turn some away. The shelter also euthanizes dying pets for people who can't afford to pay a veterinarian for the service. In Portage's case, some of the animals euthanized were feral cats brought in by residents of a mobile home park, officials said.

Board members denied accusations that they keep an animal there only a couple days before euthanizing them. They said the animals are euthanized if they're aggressive, very sick, contagious to other animals or severely injured.

"How can we in good conscience adopt out an animal that could be a public nuisance or a danger to the public?" Skrenka said.

The shelter's critics also pointed out the shelter received a poor rating from the Better Business Bureau of Northwest Indiana because it didn't complete its financial information on its report.

Board president Laura Labadie said the board is attempting to provide the information requested by the Better Business Bureau. The bureau stated on its website that the shelter's report "is in progress."

"We want to move forward putting our policies and procedures on our website," Labadie sad. "We want to be more transparent."

09202015 - News Article - Soderquists' sad, pitiful exit seemed predetermined

Soderquists' sad, pitiful exit seemed predetermined

Post-Tribune (IN) 

September 20, 2015

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/1586FE00DC59C830?p=AWNB

Soderquists' sad, pitiful exit seemed predetermined

Keith and Deborah Soderquist make it difficult to care about the next, unhappy stage in their sad lives.

They stole from political allies and pretended they didn't, but far worse, they stole food from hungry children. They didn't care. With luck, their menus soon will feature federal prison food.

Nothing about the pitiable deception of Lake Station's former mayor and his wife is exceptional. Their joint trial was excruciatingly devoid of intrigue because dull people make for dull criminals.

They could have used some of the $245,334 they lost on a better wardrobe. But for those who prefer Billy the Kid dash or Blagojevich daring in their criminals, the Soderquists were gray CPAs in ill-fitting suits.

They stole money from the local food pantry and campaign supporters to feed their back-saddled slot machine monkey. But they left bright electronic breadcrumb trails.

Federal prosecutors have electronic bloodhounds. So now the Soderquists get federal hoosegow chow.

Their guilt was depressingly preordained.

Indeed, the next time a local official is charged with federal political pickpocketing, you might thumb through our CliffsNotes that reveal how the political version of "Moby Dick" ends without needing to absorb the entire turgid glop.

Here's a hint. Federal prosecutors always win local political prosecutions. They always do.

As evidence, here are Four Theorems of Guilty-as-Sin Jurisprudence.

Theorem 1: They were always guilty. The next Soderquists will be guilty too. And the next.

Proof: Inside Lake County political thermodynamics, any politician charged with a federal crime is always guilty or at least will be convicted 100 percent of the time. History never lies.

Theorem 2: Your God-Given Constitutional Right To Be Presumed Innocent does not always apply to political crooks and, in fact, might be functionally irrelevant.

Proof: Sure, it's the Constitution, but we're only trying to conserve your thinking time. You can choose either Thomas Jefferson or John Calvin to guide your moral pretrial judgments. You didn't actually believe O.J. Simpson and Josef Mengele were innocent, did you?

Federal prosecutors never charge political crooks without a virtual Calvinism-infused predestined conviction. They always have the proof. Piles of it. Always. That's why they are federal prosecutors. This is not as hard as it looks.

Theorem 3: The Soderquists affirmed that gambling junkies are incompetent political crooks.

Proof: Gambling junkies suspend their cerebral discernments. Despite always losing bets, they believe they will win and be resurrected on the next wager.

If you want to bet your child's next meal on a slot machine, casinos will accommodate that logic too. The Soderquists bet the next meal of someone else's child.

Between 2009 and 2012, the Soderquists lost $140,000 at two casinos, mostly the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Mich. Between 2007 and 2013, it was $245,334.

Not only did they throw $40,000 in pantry and campaign contributions into a rising pile of gambling losses, they gave the pilfered loot to Michigan, which should breed its own suckers.

The Soderquists were not only thieves but bad gamblers.

They could have won, couldn't they? The mathematical answer is no. They played slot machines to the virtual exclusion of all other enticements. One-arm bandits are illusions designed specifically for suckers.

Bettors make money in casinos only if they are disciplined, trained poker players or adept at secretly counting cards in blackjack.

Taking your money is what casinos are built to do, and slots constitute 70 percent of all casino revenue.

Gambling experts say there is only one sure way for suckers to win at slots. Hit one big payoff and then leave the casino forever.

Theorem 4: The Scott King Paradigm.

Proof: Calumet Township trustee and former Gary Mayor Dozier Allen Jr., East Chicago Mayor George Pabey, Gary Councilwoman Marilyn Krusas, County Surveyor George Van Til. All Scott King clients. All public defrauders. All convicted.

Add the Soderquists.

King expresses horrified shock and dismay at every outcome.

Krusas didn't file tax returns for 20 years and hid an inheritance so that she wouldn't have to pay back taxes. King called her a person of integrity. Lawyers often lose their dictionary.

King even gave the Gary mayor's office to Allen as a parting gift in 2006. At the time, he seemed the only local politician King knew who wasn't in jail.

King is probably a good lawyer who gets many clients acquitted. But not political crooks.

How much do bus tickets to the federal pen cost crooked local politicians? The bankrupt Soderquists paid King $8,500.

Let's hope he didn't take a debit card.

09202015 - I have had to deal with ...

 Bailey Su

Abbi Mae

I have had to deal with the Portage police officers unlawfully entering my home.

I have had to deal with the Portage PD entering my home with my ex - who had a protection order against him at the time -  and a criminal conviction for violating said order.

I have had to deal with the Portage PD turning my beloved dogs over to my ex - despite his threats to kill them if he ever got his hands on them again.

I have had to deal with my ex taking Abbi and Bailey down to the Hobart Humane Society and having them euthanized.

I have had to deal with the Portage PD refusing to file criminal charges against my ex for having Abbi and Bailey killed.

I have had to deal with accepting the fact that after two years of hounding officials, I am not entitled to answers surrounding the deaths of Abbi and Bailey.

I have had to deal with attorneys refusing to take Abbi's and Bailey's case because of politics.

I have had to deal with the pain and the anguish of losing my beloved fur babies - with no help - no accountability - and no justice.

And now, I am left to deal with the following fact concerning the cruel, unjust, and inhumane deaths of Abbi and Bailey, at the hands of my ex and the Hobart Humane Society:

"The Humane Society of Hobart doesn't own a scale allowing for improper dosing of medications ...when euthanasia’s are performed guessing the weight of an animal, it's anything but a painless experience."[ NW Indiana Animal Advocates ]

Also See:

Why didn't Abbi's and Bailey's lives matter - five years ago?

Hobart Indiana Humane Society Drama [where Abbi and Bailey were euthanized]

NW Indiana Animal Advocates: Petitioning Humane Society of Hobart Board of Directors & Staff

09192015 - News Article - Steps taken to begin new animal shelter project

Steps taken to begin new animal shelter project
Post-Tribune
September 19, 2015 - 4:05 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-porter-animal-shelter-st-0920-20150917-story.html

The Porter County Board of Commissioners has taken two steps forward in building a new animal shelter.

They gave the go-ahead to hire the architectural and engineering firm DLZ to write a request for proposals for the design and build of a new shelter, and they appropriated seed money to start a trap-neuter-release program through the shelter to help control the feral cat population.

County officials have long discussed the need for a new shelter to replace the one at 2056 Heavilin Road, which they agree is outdated and too small to handle the number of animals that come through it.

While they have discussed an assortment of possibilities, most recently a proposal to build a new shelter on Indiana 49 just north of the Porter County Expo Center, no solid plans have come forward.

Commissioners will ask Mike Jabo of DLZ to get figures on the size and cost of a new shelter, Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, said Tuesday. An anonymous donor has offered $1 million toward the project and that offer still stands; earlier estimates for a new building put the cost at around $2.5 million.

"This has not been without roadblocks and hurdles, and there are still more to be cleared," Blaney said, "but the one thing everyone agrees on is that it needs to be done."

One of the unknowns in the size of the shelter is whether the city of Portage, which takes its animals to the Hobart Humane Society, will begin bringing its animals to the county facility once a new one is built.

The facility's cost would depend on its size, the final site for the building, the availability of utilities, and the construction market, Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center, said.

"It is a much-guided and much-guarded process, but I think it's the right way to go," he said.

Commissioners also appropriated $5,000 in unallocated county economic development income tax funds to start the trap-neuter-release program for feral cats.

Through the initiative, feral cats would be trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, and returned to their colony with a notch in one ear to identify that they'd been through the program, interim shelter Director Toni Bianchi said.

Returning the feral cats, which cannot be tamed as house pets, would prevent different cats from moving into an area, she said, adding spaying and neutering the cats will drastically cut their numbers as well as stop destructive behavior.

"If we don't do this, we really do create a significant challenge to animal control in our community," she said. "The best opportunity here is to start a trap-neuter-release program."

Similar efforts have paid off in other communities, she said, and the shelter is flooded with kittens in the spring and fall. "This kind of program is going to reduce that," she said.

The program will realize savings for animal control and the shelter over time, Bianchi said, adding the effort will be volunteer-led and could ultimately be funded with donations.

"I think this is going to save us money in the long run heading into a new shelter," Blaney said.

09182015 - News Article - Humane Society defends practices, aims for greater transparency in Hobart

Humane Society defends practices, aims for greater transparency in Hobart

Chicago Tribune

September 18, 2015 - 7:46 PM

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-hobart-humane-st-0913-20150918-story.html

A group of local animal activists has taken its fight for transparency at the Humane Society of Hobart to the Hobart City Council, asking that the number of animals euthanized at the shelter and the shelter's protocols be made public.

"There is no excuse for the people not to know these numbers. The truth will come out eventually," said Cate Amador, a Hobart resident who was speaking for the activists Wednesday.

The group approached the council after a Post-Tribune story found that almost 60 percent of the animals picked up by the Portage Animal Control and taken to the Hobart Humane Society were euthanized, according to statistics from June 2014 through June 2015 provided by Portage Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham.

More than 5,000 people have signed an online petition seeking leadership and personnel changes at the shelter.

Attempts to obtain the number of animals brought in and the number euthanized from Hobart and Lake Station have been unsuccessful. Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor said he hasn't received a report for the past three months and Lake Station said a public records request had to be made first. The shelter said the numbers were made available to the cities it serves and could be obtained from them.

Portage, Lake Station and Hobart all use the humane society for their animal control, a fact that board members of the shelter say cause their percentages to be higher than other shelters.

Chris Skrenka, a board member and volunteer at the shelter, also attended the council meeting. He said he didn't know the exact numbers of euthanasias, but added they are higher than they would like. He said a joint decision, usually involving two people, is made as to when an animal would be euthanized.

"We're taking in thousands more animals than the other animal shelters every year," he said.

He said the board has never been asked for their protocols.

"We've never advertised our board meetings, but we haven't stopped anyone from coming," Skrenka said.

Snedecor said he met with the shelter's board members and told them the city felt there needed to be an audit done. He said the shelter's board members indicated to him that they want to be more transparent to the public and will hold a public meeting at city hall at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 28.

"I agree tax dollars need to be accounted for," Snedecor said. "We can discontinue our contract with the shelter, but what other options are there?"

The shelter's critics have vowed to continue their fight.

"We won't quit until we get them," Michelle Duca, one of the activists and founder and CEO of the Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry in Hobart, said of the numbers.

The activists said they don't want to shut down the humane society; they just want change.

Amador, a volunteer with Kibble Kitchen, which provides free pet food and supplies to pet owners who can't afford them, said the movement among most shelters has been to "no kill," but that's not the case with Hobart.

Board members and the shelter's executive director, Brenda Slavik, said the shelter has never claimed to be no kill. They said the shelter is unique in this area because it is the only one that serves as animal control for three cities.

They also point out that they accept all animals, unlike many of the no-kill shelters, which they say turn some away. The shelter also euthanizes dying pets for people who can't afford to pay a veterinarian for the service. In Portage's case, some of the animals euthanized were feral cats brought in by residents of a mobile home park, officials said.

Board members denied accusations that they only keep an animal there a couple days before euthanizing them. They said the animals are euthanized if they're aggressive, very sick, contagious to other animals or severely injured.

"How can we in good conscience adopt out an animal that could be a public nuisance or a danger to the public?" Skrenka said.

The shelter's critics also pointed out that the shelter received a poor rating from the Better Business Bureau of Northwest Indiana because it didn't complete its financial information on its report.

Board president Laura Labadie said the board is attempting to provide the information requested by the Better Business Bureau. The bureau stated on its website that the shelter's report "is in progress."

"We want to move forward putting our policies and procedures on our website," Labadie sad. "We want to be more transparent."