BY ASIA AIKINS Palatka Daily News F our Palatka High School students will graduate later this year with engineering experience at one of the world’s leading makers of paper and packaging supplies. Students from Jan Boland’s engineering, design and development class at Palatka High School spent Monday morning sizing up their Capstone project at Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka mill. “They had another project they were going to do but got more excited about this,” Boland said. Four high school seniors and one junior will design a monorail capable of holding and transferring engines in a storage facility used at the mill. Each engine weighs more than 2,000 pounds and is currently moved using a crane. Bill Kane, maintenance and reliability manager at Georgia-Pacific, said mill offi- cials needed the monorail but didn’t have the resources to design the project. “It was something already at the top of my list that needed to get done,” Kane said. “It was good timing.” Boland reached out to mill officials in an effort to organize an advisory board for the students’ Capstone project. The Capstone REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE Georgia-Pacific Maintenance and Reliability Manager Bill Kane works Monday with Palatka High students, who will help engineers develop a system that will transport large electric motors throughout the plant. Photos by CHRIS DEVITTO/Palatka Daily News Palatka High students work with engineers from Georgia-Pacific to help develop a system that will transport large electric motors throughout the plant. Georgia-Pacific teams with Palatka High students on project See PROJECT, Page 10A
Do you think Morgan Amanda Leppert deserves a new sentence in light of the
state Supreme Court’s ruling? Email Letters to the Editor to [email protected]. Letter writers must include
full name, daytime phone number and address. There is a 350-word limit.
BY ALLISON WATERS-MERRITTPalatka Daily News
On Tuesday, convicted murderer Morgan Amanda Leppert’s attorney argued before Judge Patti Christensen the defendant did not “actually kill, intend to kill or attempt to kill,” disabled resident
James Stewart in 2008.The hearing was the first of three hear-
ings planned that the defense hopes will grant a resentencing for Leppert based on new state law passed in 2015 for sentenc-ing of juvenile offenders charged with a capital crime.
Leppert’s attorney, Valarie Linnen,
asked Christensen to impanel a jury or re-sentence Leppert with no mandatory mini-mum.
In 2009, 16-year-old Leppert was convict-ed in a jury trial and given a life sentence
Convicted killer wants new sentencing
Leppert
Morgan Amanda Leppert received life sentence for 2008 murder of disabled man
See KILLER, Page 10A
Board:First dayof school changing
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What do you think about the first day of school changing for Putnam County students? Email Letters to the Editor to [email protected]. Letter writers must include full name, daytime phone number and address. There is a 350-word limit.
District to also fund theater department
with $30,000
BY ASIA AIKINSPalatka Daily News
Putnam County School Board members unanimously approved the 2016-2017 school calendar Tuesday and voted to allocate $30,000 to Palatka High School’s spring production of “Mary Poppins.”
The 2016-2017 school year will begin Aug. 10.
Superintendent Phyllis Criswell said the goal of the earlier start date was to end the first semester before the winter holiday break and give students more time to prepare for spring testing.
“This is just a continuation of what we did last year,” said board member Terry Wright, reminding board members of the earlier start date proposed for the 2015-2016 school year.
Board members ultimately decided to start this schol year only one week earlier than the prior year, and work toward starting school the second week of August next school year.
Wright and board member Jane Crawford said they were concerned about losing the w e e k - l o n g h o l i d a y f o r Thanksgiving, which would be reduced to three days during the coming school year.
Acco rd ing t o Deborah Decubellis, district staff servic-es official, the district needs a
See SCHOOL, Page 10A
WHAT DO YOU THINK?Do you think Putnam County should
switch from a non-charter to a charter county? Email Letters to the Editor to [email protected]. Letter writers must include full name, daytime phone
number and address. There is a 350-word limit.
BY BRANDON D. OLIVERPalatka Daily News
Citing his and other residents’ displeasure with local government, a speaker at the Putnam County Board of Commissioners requested the county overhaul its procedures and adopt a char-ter.
On Tuesday, during the first county commis-sion meeting of the year, Rick Haven told com-missioners he and an unspecified group seeks to
change Putnam from a non-charter to a charter county.
And he said he plans to enlist the help of the county’s local and state legislators to make that change.
“I’m officially asking that a referendum to change the model of Putnam County’s govern-ment from non-charter to a charter government
LearySee COUNTY, Page 10A
Resident says citizens group will push for charter county status
BY ASIA AIKINSPalatka Daily News
Four Palatka High School students will graduate later this year with engineering experience at one of the world’s leading makers of paper and
packaging supplies.Students from Jan Boland’s engineering,
design and development class at Palatka High School spent Monday morning sizing up their Capstone project at Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka mill.
“They had another project they were going to do but got more excited about this,” Boland said.
Four high school seniors and one junior will design a monorail capable of holding and transferring engines in a storage facility used at the mill. Each engine weighs more than 2,000 pounds and is currently moved using a crane.
Bill Kane, maintenance and reliability manager at Georgia-Pacific, said mill offi-cials needed the monorail but didn’t have the resources to design the project.
“It was something already at the top of my list that needed to get done,” Kane said. “It was good timing.”
Boland reached out to mill officials in an effort to organize an advisory board for the students’ Capstone project. The Capstone
R E A L- W O R L D E X P E R I E N C E Georgia-Pacific Maintenance and Reliability Manager Bill Kane works
Monday with Palatka High students, who will help engineers develop a system that will transport large electric motors throughout the plant.
Photos by CHRIS DEVITTO/Palatka Daily News
Palatka High students work with engineers from Georgia-Pacific to help develop a system that will transport large electric motors throughout the plant.
Georgia-Pacific teams with Palatka High
students on project
See PROJECT, Page 10A
G O V . S C O T T D E L I V E R S H I S S T A T E O F T H E S T A T E A D D R E S S , 3 A
011316a1.indd 1 1/12/16 8:55 PM
for the 2008 murder of 66-year-old Stewart.
Leppert was 15 at the time of the murder.
Leppert and her then-22-year-old boyfriend, Toby Lee Lowry, were attempting to flee Putnam County when they happened upon Stewart’s home.
“We know from trial testimo-ny that on April 22, 2008, the defendant ran away from h o m e , ” A s s i s t a n t S t a t e Attorney Chris France said. “They needed some means to get out of Putnam County. The defendant approached the vic-tim’s house under the ruse of needing to use the phone, with the intent to rob him.”
France went on to describe
how the robbery attempt esca-lated into the murder of Stewart.
“It’s at that point the co-defendant (Lowry) attacks the victim. During the attack, Ms. Leppert described her involve-ment in attacking the victim. There were poles used to hit him. There was a knife used. Ms. Leppert by her own state-ment, by her own hand, stabbed him multiple times.”
Linnen described the defen-dant as a young 15-year-old who was raped and bullied into obedience.
“Morgan was 15 years old. She was being statutorily raped by a 22-year-old man,” Linnen said. “So, every time Lowry had sexual intercourse or act (with Leppert) that was a felony.”
Linnen described Leppert as a child afraid of her boyfriend.
“Objectively, looking at the situation, this was a 15-year-old girl who watched a 22-year-
old man in anger beat a help-less victim to death,” Linnen said. “Morgan told detectives she was afraid of Toby.”
Linnen said Lowry then ordered Leppert to hit and stab the victim. However, none of the stab wounds were deep enough to cause death.
However , when Lowry ordered Leppert to kill the vic-tim, she told him, “No.”
“That shows a lack of intent,” Linnen said.
France argued even though Leppert did not kill the victim, she aided in Stewart’s murder to the point of finding the plas-tic bag used by Lowry to asphyxiate him.
“She helped complete the plan,” France said.
Christensen said she would review evidence and transcrip-tions from the original trial since she was not the presiding judge.
In 2015, the state Supreme
Court heard the case of Horsley v. Florida. The ruling found that a juvenile convicted of a capital offense who “actually killed, intended to kill or attempted to kill the victim” must receive life sentence if the trial court determines that sen-tence.
If the court finds life impris-onment is not an appropriate sentence, the person shall be punished by imprisonment of at least 40 years and is entitled to a review of sentencing, the rul-ing said.
woman, said most juvenile offenders would be eligible for judicial review at a later time, such as 25 years.
If the court finds Leppert did not actually kill, intend to kill or attempt to kill the victim, then she could be resentenced to imprisonment for life or equal to life in which she would again be eligible for judicial review.
“This court has the ability to release her tomorrow or sen-tence her to life again,” Linnen said. “We are starting with a clean slate.”
10A PALATKA DAILY NEWS • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13 , 2016
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Killercontinued from PAge 1A
180-day calandar, which is divid-ed into two semesters. If schools are closed for the entire week of Thanksgiving, two days would need to be made up during the first semester.
“If the goal is to end the semes-ter prior to winter break,” Decubellis explained.
Board members discussed when the two days could be made up, but ultimately decided the make-up days would only be available during winter break, causing schools to be open until Dec. 23.
“Then, they’re going to be com-plaining that they get off the day before Christmas Eve,” board member Kathy Jorgensen said. “It’s up to us to decide.”
The board approved the sched-ule as presented Tuesday. The school year will begin Aug. 10. Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 23-25 and winter break will begin Dec. 22.
The second semester will begin Jan. 9, 2017. Spring break will be April 10-18, and the last day of school is May 26.
No one attending the meeting spoke about the calendar propos-al, but there were about 10 people in the audience in support of the Palatka High School Theatre Department.
Board members said Theatre Director Jim Pignato was not at the meeting because he was work-ing in Gainesville.
Criswell said Pignato requested $15,000 from the board to help alleviate the cost of the “Mary Poppins” production April 28-May 8. It is one of the more expensive productions, Criswell said, expect-ed to cost about $78,000.
“I want to give him as much money as we can give him,” board member Jane Crawford said.
Trey Nicholson, a Palatka Theatre Department alumnus who said he was at the meeting on behalf of Pignato, said any amount the board gave would help.
“The original $15,000 agree-ment is a start,” he said, “but we always tend to run into obstacles along the way, and that could add up, and add up, and add up.”
The board contributed $30,000 to the theater program three years ago, but hasn’t funded it since.
Jorgensen motioned the district contribute $30,000 for the spring production, and the board unani-mously agreed.
to be placed on the November 2016 bal-lot,” Haven said during the public com-ment section of the meeting.
“Over the next several months, with the help of (state) Rep. Charles Van Zant and Commissioner Larry Harvey, a citizens’ committee will be able to draft up a charter and a code of ethics and establish a citizens’ ethics council.”
According to the Florida Association of Counties, charter counties have all power of self-government unless they are inconsistent with state law, and the county government specified in the charter is approved by the electorate.
For non-charter counties, the state Constitution and statutes govern their structure. Only amending statutes or the state constitution can change the governmental structure, and the coun-ty has powers of self-government as prescribed by the state Legislature.
Haven said there were numerous problems with local government, with the biggest problem being the high sal-aries paid to commissioners, County Administer Rick Leary, County Attorney Stacey Manning and Deputy County Attorney Russ Castleberry.
Castleberry, who is approaching retirement, is working for the county only on a part-time basis until Manning gets acclimated to the position.
One benefit Haven said a charter would offer Putnam residents is the
electorate could hire and recall commis-sioners, county administrators, county attorneys, school superintendents and school board members, among other officials.
“Elected office was never meant to be a career, but some of you’ve done just that,” Haven said, speaking to commis-sioners. “The median income in Putnam County is barely half the nearly $45,000 that you’re being paid. These salaries are obscene for the poorest county in Florida.
“With the state audit of Putnam County underway, it should be clear to all of you that we no longer trust you. And we desire a different form of gov-ernment for Putnam County.”
Serving as administrator since 2001, Leary said there was a previous attempt to make Putnam a charter county, but it was never carried through.
He said switching from non-charter to charter is lengthy, with a charter commission process that could take up to – if not longer than – 18 months.
“There’s a process there that has to be adhered to,” Leary said. “It’s not as simple as it was portrayed to be.”
Twenty counties, including Alachua, Clay, Duval and Volusia, are charter counties, and Leary said each charter county is governed differently depend-ing on how their charters were con-structed.
Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, Leary said, he didn’t know there were plans to make the county a charter county. But he said he wasn’t surprised to hear Harvey’s and Van Zant’s names men-tioned.
Harvey, Van Zant and a handful of local residents on Nov. 30 went to Tallahassee to request the state Joint Legislative Auditing Committee
approve an operational audit of Putnam and the city of Palatka.
“I think it’s fairly obvious there is a divide among the board,” Leary said. “You work within a system where the majority rules.”
Harvey said Haven might have listed him and Van Zant as supporters of making Putnam a charter county, but Harvey has not put his support behind that cause.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Harvey said Haven emailed him questions about the county making the switch and asked for the commissioner’s sup-port.
Harvey said he would meet with any-one who wanted to make the county a better place, but he hasn’t decided whether adopting a charter would bet-ter the county.
“I told (Haven) I was intrigued in moving the county forward,” Harvey said. “I believe that a charter county does give power to the people.”
Giving power to the electorate is a great thing, Harvey said, but he has not had the chance to research the negative aspects of the county adopting a char-ter.
Both sides of the argument need to be weighed before he makes any deci-sion, Harvey said.
“I think it deserves a look-see, and I think it deserves time and effort,” Harvey said.
Information about non-charter and charter counties can be found at fl-counties.com.
W H AT D O E S I T TA K E ?Steps to becoming a charter county,
according to County Administrator Rick Learyn Charter supporters must submit to the Board of County Commissioners
a petition signed by 15 percent of eligible Putnam voters. The county Elections Office would have to verify whether voters are eligible.
n County commissioners will appoint a charter commission, which could have 11-15 members. The charter commission has 18 months to conduct a comprehensive study of county government and how it could be restructured and then draft a charter.
n The charter commission must host three public hearings – each 10 days apart from each other. Changes to the charter could be made depending on input received at the hearings.
n The charter commission would then vote on the final charter, which, if adopted, would be sent to the Board of County Commissioners.
n The board would call for a special election, which must be held no later than 90 days from when the board received the final charter.
Countycontinued from PAge 1A
project completes the school’s Lead the Way program.
While the program has been offered for five years, Boland said, last year was the first year she had students complete the program with a Capstone project. Last year’s students designed a temporary practice pad for a snare drum and a plate that retains heat while a person eats.
Boland said the class and projects are student-led, with her teaching and oversight. The projects chosen last year had a personal interest, but the Georgia-Pacific project will give them a look at the real world of engineering.
“What’s unique about this is the students are exposed to project man-agement, something you usually don’t get until you get in the field,” said Kevin Curry, Georgia-Pacific Palatka mill manager. “(The project is) mechanical engineering, but they’ll also touch some electrical engineering, industrial engineering and they can see the chemical engineering all
around the mill.”Curry said Georgia-Pacific has had
a difficult time recruiting new engi-neers as employees from the baby
boomer generation continue to retire from the mill and competition increas-es. He hopes opening the mill to more student-led projects will lead to early
interest from local workers. Daniel Bayse, a Palatka High
senior, said he was excited to start the monorail project.
“This is real-world application of what we’ve learned,” he said.
Students spent Monday morning measuring engines, taking photo-graphs and measurements of the stor-age facility and consulting with Georgia-Pacific engineers.
Georgia-Pacific engineers will have oversight of the project, and a contrac-tor will build the monorail.
Senior Ronald Harris said he plans to visit the monorail after it is con-structed. He hopes the experience will lead to more professional opportuni-ties as he completes his education.
Boland said he hopes the students will get a better idea of what field they want to enter as they begin their col-lege educations.
“They’ve got the foundation, but now they’ll know what they’re getting into,” she said.
Students hope to have the design completed within a month or two, but they have until the end of May to com-plete the program.
