Monday Musings...
Welcome to the FIRST Monday in EIGHT here in Fort Wayne that is NOT either cloudy and/or raining...an amazing feat...but it IS 17 degrees Fahrenheit.
I wasn't even aware of this until I saw it on yesterday's weather report.
Maybe we can start a new trend...unlike the hapless COLTS, who NOW stand at 0-13!
A dubious distinction to be sure - helluva "baker's dozen", hmm?
Anywho, let's get busy living and see what's been happening around town in the last 72 hours...
*** A TRIPLE death investigation in Fort Wayne.
Here's the link to the FIRST story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111211/LOCAL07/312119931/1002/LOCAL
This story involves the initial find at the address at 3229 Lima Rd.
(This is that corner house at Edgewood, with the retaining wall that always seems to have cars smacking into it)
What is extremely interesting about this, is that a *911* call was placed regarding the well-being of the occupants after a woman saw a FACEBOOK post alluding to the killings.
The woman that called this in lives in WASHINGTON STATE!
Here's a case of where all this "social media" crap actually WORKS.
While it didn't prevent the crime, it DID put the FWPD wise to obtain a warrant to search the premises and discover the three D/Bs.
Here's the link to the followup story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111211/LOCAL/111219901/1002/LOCAL
The coroner has ID'ed two of the three vics in the triple shooting on Lima Rd.
They are Erin Jehl, 19, and Ryan Tipton, also 19. Both appear to be from Ft. Wayne.
So we are officially up to TWENTY-TWO (that's 22) homicides for the year here, and I said we'd reach 25...not too far off considering we still have over half-month to go.
The third vic is believed to be a SUICIDE and fingerprints should determine his identity.
T.O.D. was believed to about around 1519 hrs, on Saturday, with the facebook posting having a timestamp of 1426 hrs (just prior).
A related story with the woman in Washington state that called 911 is HERE:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/woman-saw-facebook-post-about-lima-dead-bodies-and-called-police-speaks-out
Now, Nancy Lopez was friends with Bart Heller, who was the one who posted to Facebook about the killings.
The coroner is looking into if this man was indeed the one who committed suicide at the house on Lima Rd.
There are no rap sheets for either Jehl OR Tipton, but Bart Heller has a small one, with only minor traffic violations.
What his relationship to EITHER of the other vics was, could be a determining factor as to WHY the crimes were committed.
We do know that Heller came from Coldwater MI.
135 S Behnke (1997)
Coldwater, MI 49036
1207 1/2 Huestis Ave (2000)
Fort Wayne, IN 46807
1123 Bethany Ln (2004)
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
3229 LIMA RD (2011 - scene of the shootings)
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
******************************
76D01-9705-IF-000930 G990656 Heller, Bart L 05/20/1997
Steuben Superior Court IF - Infraction
Decided SEAT BELT VIOLATION
02D04-0005-IF-007936 Heller, Bart L 05/19/2000
Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction
Decided OPERATE WHILE SUSP (INFR)
NO OPR'S LIC. WHEN REQ'D
02D04-0406-IF-006011 Heller, Bart L 06/05/2004
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Decided FAILURE WEAR SAFETY BELT
02D04-0605-IF-007592 Heller, Bart 05/18/2006
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Decided FAILURE WEAR SAFETY BELT
02D05-1111-IF-018573 152765 HELLER, BART L 11/16/2011
Allen Superior Court 5 IF - Infraction
Pending 9-19-10-2/IFD: Failure of Occupant to Use Safety Belt
*******************************
As I said...not much there of note...no drug charges or other felonious actions.
He just didn't like the seat belt laws...and I can understand that, but even I buckle up (with seat belts that don't retract in my car)...it's the stupid law.
I'll follow this as more information becomes available.
In the meantime, there's THIS...
*** Carjacker Drives Off With baby in Back Seat
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111211/LOCAL07/312119932/1002/LOCAL
Now, I hope you read the story, because I'm finding some "flaws" in it, regarding the people involved.
1) The baby's FATHER and a "supposed" friend were in the vehicle when the carjacking occurred at Abbott St. near Rudisill (deep in the heart of the ghettohood, in case anyone was wondering), which is located on the (...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE of Ft. Wayne.
2) The carjacker pulled the driver (father) from the vehicle AT GUNPOINT, and drove off with the "friend" still in the vehicle (and the baby).
3) Less than a hour later, the vehicle was spotted in the 4100 block of Euclid, near McKinnie, again in the (...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE of the city, so it didn't travel all that far.
4) As officers waited for the hook to remove the vehicle to impound (and look for evidence), a woman comes out from a nearby house and asks:
"You looking for a baby?"
She had the baby IN HER HOUSE, and turned it over to officers, according to police.
5) The woman had NOT contacted authorities about the baby.
The woman WAS taken in for questioning...yeah, I'd do that...definitely!
Something here just isn't adding the hell up.
As of yesterday, police had NOT located the carjacker OR the other man in the car (that the driver must have known to some degree).
6) The father did NOT say he knew the carjacker, and police do not know if this crime was targeted or random in nature.
Too many questions here, and not enough answers (typical SE side behavior)
Makes you wanna shake your head in disgust....with an INFANT, for GOD'S SAKE!!!
Life must certainly be CHEAP in the circles THESE people roll with.
*** Lastly today, I got the house all decorated for Christmas. (whew)
It usually takes the better part of a day to get it ALL out and up.
But, the festiveness of it all makes it worthwhile, even if it IS only for Mrs. Bobby G. and myself (and the two cats).
I will grant you that our house is NOTHING like the houses when I was growing up.
(thank the Maker).

So, please permit me to take you all on a brief "tour" of our humble fortress (with pictures, of course)...
As I said in previous posts, Mom would decorate anything and everything NOT MOVING...used to make the place look like a GAUDIO'S, which was a home improvement store chain back in the Philly area...think of it as a precursor to such venues as MENARDS, LOWE'S, or HOME DEPOT.
That store had a "Christmas Wonderland" every year, and it literally DRIPPED CHRISTMAS in those aisles.
Every decoration imaginable...and that's the way my Mom decorated our house.
She even used to do up the FRONT DOOR like a giant CHRISTMAS PACKAGE, complete with ribbons and bow.
I have to admit that was kinda neat.
One year, I poked holes in the wrapping paper for the front door, and added blinking lights.
Now THAT was cool whenever you came up our front steps, along with the blinking front windows and flickering (bulb) candles.
We had ONE block of Jackson St. (on the other side of the cemetery my folks now reside)...about 5-6 blocks from our house, and those folks blew the bankroll every year when it came to decorations.
The whole street was lit up like that wonderland...animated scenes, plenty of bulbs blinking and a very real sense of the holidays.
I don't even think they do that any longer...the neighborhood back east has changed - older folks passed away or moved out, and the newbies never seem to get into it as much as we used to...damn shame.
Still, we do OK, in spite of the general atmosphere all around us (that would be the ghettohood).
And that's why I always have a sign on our back door that reads:
THE GHETTO STOPS HERE!
Because it does...we don't do ghetto...we do NORMAL, and amazingly enough, THAT has become the anomaly around here...the "new minority" if you will. The city has seemed to accept (and even embrace) that which WE used to consider abhorrent, or "out of place", as the new "norm".
Maybe that works well in politics...but NOT for us.
We like TRADITION...we like NORMAL...and we like AMERICAN.
If anyone around us doenn't like it...THEY can move, not us.
If they want ghetto, there's plenty to go around up in Detroit.
In many respects, the days of Christmas past were SO damn much better, and for so many reasons.
All we're trying to do HERE, is keep a small part of THAT SPIRIT alive and breathing.
Nothing at all wrong with that, right?
Have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.