2 men charged after 3 men found slain in rural Kentucky

GLASGOW, Ky. (AP) — Hunters found three men slain in a thicket of pine trees in rural Kentucky, and two men have been charged in connection with the killings, police said Nov. 23.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Charles Swiney said the victims were Hispanic farm workers. The bodies were found Nov. 22 after apparently being dragged into the thicket of trees and left in a field about three miles east of Cave City, Swiney said.

“We can’t even speculate how long they had been out there,” Swiney said, adding that investigators did not know what the motive may have been.

Autopsies were being performed on the three victims, who had not yet been identified.

State police said Miguel A. Velazquez, 20, of Cave City was arrested and charged with three counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence. Also arrested was Marcos Bautista, 18, of Cave City. He was charged with complicity to murder, tampering with physical evidence and possession of marijuana.

One suspect was found by police in Cave City and the other was found in Allen County, police said. State police said other seasonal farm workers were interviewed as part of the investigation.

Mo. woman pleads guilty in grain fraud case
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) — A 45-year-old businesswoman accused of cheating farmers out of at least $27 million in proceeds from grain sales pled guilty to mail fraud Nov. 24 in what prosecutors have said was the largest scheme of its kind in Missouri history.

Cathy Gieseker of Martinsburg pled guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of mail fraud, and admitted to a multimillion-dollar Missouri grain fraud scheme. She faces up to 20 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines and restitution to victims at her sentencing Feb. 25, 2010.

Prosecutors said Gieseker, using a Ponzi scheme, defrauded 180 farmers out of at least $27 million in proceeds from grain sales she made on their behalf. They said Gieseker promised farmers returns 50-100 percent above market through nonexistent contracts with Archer Daniels Midland Co., but instead sold the grain at spot prices and used proceeds from some sales to pay inflated returns to some farmers.

The scheme, which began in October 2002, collapsed in February, and farmers were left with neither grain nor payments for their crops. Gieseker, a former grain dealer and owner of a northeast Missouri trucking company, faced 15 state and federal felony charges.

Nanci Gonder, a spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, said the office is reviewing the federal plea and has started discussions with Gieseker’s attorney about the possibility of her pleading to the state charges.

Dozens of horses found neglected in Tennessee
BRADYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Central Tennessee authorities have rescued 84 neglected horses from a farm in Cannon County and arrested two people.

Also removed from the 100-acre property Nov. 24 were eight dogs, two goats and two chickens. The Humane Society of the United States, which assisted in the rescue, said many of the horses were emaciated and suffering from a variety of medical ailments including overgrown, infected hooves and parasite infestation.
Rescuers also found several dead horses on the scene. The breeds included Tennessee walking horses, spotted saddle horses as well as Quarter Horses.

The horses were transported to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville for stabling. Charged with animal cruelty were Charles Howland and his son, Clint.

Company agrees to fine over northern Indiana fish kill
AMBOY, Ind. (AP) — An agricultural company has agreed to pay a fine to settle a state investigation into a fertilizer spill that killed thousands of fish in a northern Indiana creek.

McGrawsville Feed & Grain, Inc. will pay about $10,300 in penalties and reimbursements to the state over the April 2008 spill from its facility in southern Miami County. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) said about 5,000 gallons of liquid ammonia fertilizer leaked from a rusty hole in a holding tank. The fertilizer drained into a nearby creek, killing an estimated 9,300 fish.

IDEM spokesman Barry Sneed said the agency also is reviewing a spill response plan submitted by the company.

Deer hunter success affected by late corn harvest
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Officials say Illinois hunters shot fewer deer on opening weekend compared to last year – probably related to a late corn harvest.

Standing corn made it harder for hunters to find deer. Paul Shelton of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said wet weather delayed the corn harvest and that affected hunters’ success.
Hunters took more than 66,000 deer two weekends ago. That compares to nearly 72,000 deer killed in opening weekend of the 2008 firearm deer season. The second portion of the firearm season will be Dec. 3-6.

Sixty percent of the deer taken during the first weekend of firearm hunting were bucks. Last year, 59 percent were bucks during the first weekend of the firearm season.

16 Tennessee counties seek federal farm assistance
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Phil Bredesen is seeking federal farm assistance for 16 Tennessee counties hurt by excessive rain and flooding that occurred in September and October.

Bredesen requested a disaster designation for the counties in a letter last week to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. The 16 counties are Bradley, Chester, Cumberland, Hamilton, Hardeman, Lauderdale, Macon, McMinn, McNairy, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Shelby, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson.

A disaster designation would make farmers in these and adjoining counties eligible to apply for assistance through their local USDA Farm Service Agency. Farmers in these counties have reported crop losses ranging from 10-50 percent for major commodities including corn, soybeans, cotton and tobacco.