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Show Steed files new defamation suit A co-owner of Highland Development De-velopment has filed a defamation lawsuit against a cabin owner in her Utah Mini Ranches subdivision. subdivi-sion. Joan Steed is suing Jeanne Knudsen for undetermined damages, accusing the recently widowed woman of making "various false and defamatory statements, both verbally and on the Internet" about Steed, her companies and the Utah Mini Ranches. In a three-page complaint filed last Tuesday, Knudsen is accused of saying that Steed-owned Steed-owned companies build cabins that don't meet building codes, use unlicensed builders to turn out "shoddy workmanship," and that Steed has "absconded with money belonging to the homeowners association." "These statements have been made verbally to individual homeowners hom-eowners and prospective buyers, and in writing on the Internet," the lawsuit states. Knudsen, contacted on Wednesday, expressed shock at news of the lawsuit. "This should be extremely interesting," in-teresting," said Knudsen, whose husband Pete died on Jan. 31. "This is ridiculous! Unbelievable!" Unbeliev-able!" Knudsen said she had been speaking with an attorney about a possible wrongful death lawsuit against the developer. She claims her husband died because the couple was afraid to drive for help due of the unplowed condition of their road in the subdivision. Knudsen suspects Steed's suit is a preemptive move to try to keep her from taking civil action of her own. In October, Steed and her husband hus-band Joe settled a civil lawsuit they'd filed against Duchesne County and several county officials. of-ficials. The $250,000 settlement put an end to a $9.4 lawsuit the couple had filed in August 2003, claiming in part that county leaders' lead-ers' statements had financially damaged the Utah and Duchesne mini ranches developments. No date has been scheduled , for a hearing in the new case. ire victim buried without official ID Funeral services were held Thursday for the man killed in a ..Feb.. 24 house fire in Randlett. Leonard Thompson Sr. was the lone victim of the early morning fire that destroyed his small home on the Uintah-Ouray Reservation. The FBI has not officially re leasee! i homDson s name, saving that the condition of the man's body prevented investigators ; from making a positive identification identifi-cation without checking dental records. "We're trying to track down his dentist," FBI spokesman Juan Becerra said in a telephone interview Wednesday. The FBI investigates all deaths that occur on American Indian reservations, except those resulting from natural causes. The Avalon and Roosevelt fire departments were called out at 4: 16 a.m. last Sunday to Thompson's Thomp-son's home and found it fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters attempted to enter the building to search for occupants, but the intensity of the fire prevented them from doing so. Uintah Fire District Director Di-rector Jeremy Raymond said Wednesday that investigators had determined that the blaze was accidental. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Raymond Ray-mond said based on evidence at the point of ignition near the bed where the Thompson's body was found the fire could have been started by a lit cigarette or a candle. Vernal man faces child sex counts A 21 -year-old Vernal man has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child. Joshu a W Severns is accused of touching the genitals of a 4-year-old boy on two occasions while the child was sleeping. Investigators with the Vernal Police Department became aware of the alleged abuse after the boy was taken to the Uintah County Children's Justice Center. During Dur-ing an interview with police, the boy said "Josh" - whom detectives detec-tives said they later determined was Severns, an acquaintance of the boy's family - had touched him inappropriately. When interviewed by police, ; Severns "advised that he blacks I out and lot and don't sic rember ; things that he has done," Vernal j Police Detective Vance Norton ; wrote in his probable cause state-; state-; ment. i Norton said Severns initially ' told him he'd touched the alleged ;' victim only when charging the ; boy's clothing, but luter cor-t cor-t roborated the child's statements ' of inappropriate touching. The charges filed against Severns are first-degree felonies based on the position of trust he had with the boy. He was due to appear in 8th District Court in Vernal on Monday, Feb. 25, after press time. Neola pair charged with aiding poacher Two brothers from Neola have been charged with helping a Duchesne man poach a trophy elk in October 2006. Russell Leon Casper, 35, and Brandon Scott Casper, 29, are each charged with one count of aiding or assisting with violating state wildlife code and one count of failingto stop or respond at the command of police. The charges are third-degree felonies. Sean Davis, an investigator with the state Division of Wildlife Resources, said that the Caspers helped Maverick Ewing Peterson Peter-son load a trophy elk that was illegally killed on private land in Tabiona. The brothers then fled when officers arrived, said Davis, who added that newly received information led authorities to the pair. Brandon Casper is no stranger to wildlife investigators. Court records show he pleaded guilty in March 2002 to wanton destruction destruc-tion of protected wildlife, a class A misdemeanor, for illegally killing a trophy elk. He was ordered to pay a $400 fine and $3,500 in restitution to the DWR. Peterson, 28, pleaded guilty in November to one count of wanton destruction of protected pro-tected wildlife, a third-degree felony. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice and five other misdemeanor counts pending pend-ing against Peterson. As part of his plea agreement with prosecutors Peterson has agreed to pay $8,000 to the DWR's Help Stop Poaching Fund. Peterson's sentencing hearing is set for March 10. The Caspers are scheduled to make their initial court appearances appear-ances on March 3 in Duchesne. Silva sentenced for '07 shooting A Duchesne County man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for the drive-by drive-by shooting of another man in March 2007. Bruce Silva, 19, will also remain re-main under federal supervision for three years following his release, re-lease, under the sentence handed down Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell. Silva was convicted in December De-cember of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon while within Indian Country following a three-day jury trial in federal court in Salt Lake City. According to court records, Silva shot Quincy Uncasam on March 17. Uncasam is an enrolled en-rolled member of the Ute Indian Tribe and the shooting, which FBI spokesman Juan Becerra said Friday was gang-related, occurred oc-curred within the boundaries of the Uintah-Ouray Reservation. In addition to the federal charges against him, Silva is currently facing a second-degree felony drug possession charge, along with other misdemeanor counts, in 8th District Court following a Jan. 2007 arrest by Roosevelt police. He is due in court on March 6 for a preliminary pre-liminary hearing on the state charges. Sex offender gets jail term A convicted sex offender will spend 20 days in jail and four months on home confinement with an ankle monitor for his latest offense. Derick Dean Philabaum was ordered to report to the Uintah County Jail on Saturday to begin serving time for his December guilty pleas to charges of sexual battery and criminal trespass, both class A misdemeanors. The27-year-oldwasoriginally charged in July 2007 with forcible sex abuse and burglary, both second-degree felonies. The charges were reduced under a plea agreement agree-ment with prosecutors. Investigators said Philabaum, who is a registered sex offender due to a 2004 conviction for sexual abuse of a child, went to the home of a 16-year-old girl on July 19 and asked to be let in. The girl, who knew Philabaum, told him to leave, but eventually let him in "after 10-15 minutes of begging," according to court records. Once inside the home, Philabaum Phila-baum ignored repealed requests that he leave and then took the girl to her bedroom, pushed her down on the bed, and began to kiss her. Philabaum's attorney said his client and the victim were in a relationship, but she didn't want him in her home for Vernal I : wn - ) . M Nurse Tasha Giles at Basin Clinic takes a nasal swab to determine whether Ed Zubruchen is positive for one of the two types of the influenza virus, A or B. Results of his test proved negative for either type, but others have not been so lucky. fear that her parents would find out. In addition to the jail time and home confinement, 8th District Court Judge A. Lynn Payne ordered or-dered Philabaum to pay a $ 1,000 fine, undergo specially-tailored sex offender treatment, and submit sub-mit to a polygraph examination whenever asked during his three years on probation. .Dm 8 SAG! i Wrap y.TTi.TT. I. O ; (DC Uintah Basin Medical Center Designated as a Level IV Trauma Center V Trauma designation demonstrates a commitment by Uintah Basin Medical Center to elevate the quality of care for the Basin. As a Trauma IV hospital we follow developed diagnosis and treatment plans for trauma services reach a patient ly ambulance to the time the is treated in the emergency room. If a trauma patient requires care from a Trauma I hospital, such as the University of Utah Hospital System, we can link with them through a Tele-Trauma connection. The Utah Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services designates hospitals as Trauma Centers after years of achieving high performance ratings. Uintah Bapin Medical Center "Improving Healthcare for the Basin. 250'est 300 North, Roosevelt 435-722-469 1 Express Correction: The caption for the front page photo last week of the fatal fire in Randlett incorrectly identified two people standing near the burned out home. The individual on the left is an unidentified Avalon firefighter. Avalon Fire Chief Joann Winn is standing on the right. Unknown WalMart Flirt Changed My Life,! Just before Thanksgiving, I was in the Vernal WalMart with my daughter and her new baby. At the time, I was here from out of state, just visiting and checking out area real estate, (still looking for the right place here.) As we walked through WalMart I was handed a number from a stranger and he told me that I was beautiful. I was flattered. Iam a tomboy and wear a baseball cap. Of course, my daughter was very rude to him and ran him off. . Then it hit me, I am lonely and don't want my children running my life. I am 40 years old and only have one l 6 year old boy at home. My son says he wants me to find someone to enjoy life with. I work full time. I keep a nice house. I have my own money and no bills. The only things missing are a home and a gentleman in my life. Instead of being shy and missing out on happiness, I am going to hope that any man who believes he is the happiness I am missing will write me at P.O. box 272, Vernal, Utah 84078. patients from the time our Wednesday, Doctors, nurses see increases in flu cases February is flu season. Influenza is a communicable illness," said Dr. Kirk J. Woodward, Wood-ward, of Basin Clinic. "It can affect people of all ages, but it can be dangerous to infants and elderly people. WTe have been fortunate this year, none of the patients at the Uintah Care Center tested positive." Utah's State Department of Health website states symptoms may include "fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, stuffy or runny nose, cough, sore throat and general gen-eral weakness. "In fact, influenza is a respiratory disease transmitted transmit-ted by "contact with droplets from the nose and throat of an . ( 'A In" Tin iii Sf, . emergency patient A3 infected person from coughing or sneezing." Woodward said that many of the patients he has seen recently at the Clinic are suffering flulike flu-like symptoms. Influenza can lead to more serious secondary infections like pneumonia, if 'symptoms intensify. The doctor doc-tor recommends that sufferers should minimize their contact with others and get plenty of rest. In other words, stay home. If you do go out, sufferers should avoid spreading the disease by covering their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. lit --;' ii.ft 54 North Vernal Avenue Vernal, Utah 435-789-3511 www.vernal.com if . - JlNTAHP B ASIN' Medical enter. February 27, 2008 |