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Last updated on Friday, December 30, 2016
(UNDATED) - June saw a Seymour Middle School teacher sentenced to prison; Kensi Allen was named the 12th Annual Judah Heritage Festival Queen; a Bloomington man was arrested for the death of a 2-month-old baby; a former minister in Washington was sentenced to 80 years in prison for child molesting and Sadie King was crowned the 2016 Oolitic Festival Queen.
A former Seymour Middle School teacher was sentenced to 27 years after pleading guilty to molesting a 12-year-old student.
41-year-old Aaron Murray of Seymour was arrested in July 2015 after the victim's father contacted police. The father told investigators his daughter's friend called him and told him of his daughter's relationship with Murray.
According to court documents, Murray admitted to kissing and fondling the girl.
He was the girl's math teacher and tutored her outside of school. Murray's teaching contract with Seymour Community Schools was terminated a week after his arrest.
He had pleaded guilty to three felonies of molesting a child under the age of 14.
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Kensi Allen was crowned the 12th Annual Judah Heritage Festival queen. 18-year-old Allen is the daughter of Dustin Allen and Mandy Ramey.
First runner up was Marie Geovani, Second runner up Lauren Woods and Miss Congeniality Katelyn Allen.
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A Bloomington man was arrested for the death of 2-month-old Kanya Rose Smith-Barton. According to a forensic pathologist, the baby died from blunt force trauma after suffering a head injury.
The girl's father, 33-year-old Robierre Jomo Kenya McNeil, was arrested and is facing felony charges of aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent resulting in the child's death.
Forensic pathologist Roland Kohr says the baby suffered two fractures to the back of her skull and subdural hemorrhaging of the brain.
McNeil told police he blamed himself for his daughter's death, but told police that he did not kill her.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police say McNeil failed to physically check on Kenya, did not get her medical care when he thought she was having trouble breathing and left her in a swing without feeding her for more than 7 hours.
An ambulance crew was dispatched to a home in the 100 block of South Curry Pike after a report that an infant was unresponsive.
The baby was taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital where she died 45 minutes after arriving.
Police say, McNeil was watching his daughter while her mother was working. In two interviews with detectives, McNeil described his child as "snoring" in her swing after the baby's mother left for work.
The mother told police that McNeil had gotten angry in the past.
McNeil has pleaded not guilty to the crime. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2017,
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A former minister in Washington was sentenced to 80 years in prison for child molesting.
56-year-old Armando Morales Bruno was convicted by a Daviess County jury in Washington of two Class A and two Class C counts on April 8th.
The victim was a male child. Bruno lived with the family and all of the crimes happened in the boy's home in 2007 through 2008 and again from 2010 to 2013.
Daviess County Judge Dean Sobecki cited several aggravating circumstances in handing down the sentence. They included the child's age of being under 12, damaging and harming the victim significantly and violating the family's trust.
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Sadie King was crowned the 2016 Oolitic Festival Queen. Sadie is the daughter of Sara and Troy King of Bedford.
1st Runner Up was Gabrielle Maldonado and taking the title of Miss Congeniality was Jasmine Heckard.
Crowned Junior Miss Queen was Morgan Harrison. 1st Runner Up was Jordan Rainey and taking the title of Miss Congeniality Italy Lewis.
Crowned Little Miss is Jaivin Prince, 1st Runner Up Marilyn Walls and taking the title of Miss Congeniality Tiara Charon.
Reigning Mini Miss is Kenelyn Craig with First Runner Up Brylee Holguin and winning Miss Congeniality Aralyn Todd.
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