GREAT EATS Going vegan 30
Vol. 23, No. 35
SPORTS Sophomore of swat 32
Jefferson County
‘Once a week but never weakly’
Fervent
Family:
‘No justice’
Council hears
impassioned plea
for drug registry
For third time,
death sentence
overturned in
1996 murders
By Steve Taylor
For the Leader
By Kevin Carbery
For the Leader
A federal judge’s decision to overturn
Carman Deck’s death sentence for the
1996 murders of De Soto-area residents
James and Zelma Long – the third time
Deck’s death sentence has been overturned – is greatly disappointing to the
Long family, the couple’s daughter-in-law
said Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Catherine D.
Perry vacated Deck’s death sentence on
April 13, and in the ruling stated, “He
must be sentenced to life in prison without
the possibility of parole.”
Perry pointed to delays in Deck’s appeals cases over the years in influencing
her ruling, blaming the state’s attorneys
rather than Deck’s for slowing the proSee DECK, Page 29
636-931-7560
www.myleaderpaper.com
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Teamwork
Ted Howell photo
Rachel Dolde, a Special Olympics athlete from Grandview School District, holds the
Special Olympics torch with De Soto Police Sgt. Mike McMunn, and Hailey Harlow helps
Dolde circle the track. Dolde was among 360 athletes who participated in the Special
Olympics games held April 12 at De Soto High School. See more details on Page 2.
Two women whose agencies are on
the front lines of fighting drug abuse
in Jefferson County told the County
Council they believe a proposal calling
for a long list of stipulations before the
county could join a regional prescription
drug-monitoring registry is the wrong
approach and could cost lives.
Sue Curfman, president and chief
executive officer of Comtrea, likened
the council’s inaction on the matter to
how the United States reacted to the
Holocaust in Hitler’s Germany in World
War II.
“I know it’s not the same, but we’re
going to have the same results,” she told
the council at its April 3 meeting. “Are
we just going to look the other way while
people are dying? It’s not enough to just
be compassionate. You have to act.”
See FERVENT, Page 28
‘Autism Eats’
Fenton woman organizes restaurant event
for families dealing with autism
By Kim Robertson
For the Leader
Nicholas Arnold, 4, who has autism,
and his brother, Ian, 1, will attend the
meal with their parents, Nick and Sarah
Arnold.
Most families enjoy the occasional
night out at their favorite restaurant, but
dining out can be difficult for families
with children who have autism.
Those children may be sensitive to
excessive noise or commotion and may
become upset at the restaurant, which
may leave the families feeling worried
they’re disturbing other diners.
That’s why Nancy Goeddel, 68, of
Fenton has organized an Autism Eats
dinner for Monday, April 24, at the Pasta
House, 1606 Galemore St., in Festus.
Autism Eats is a nationwide program, but the April 24 event in Festus will
be the first one in the state of Missouri,
Goeddel said.
The event is open to any area families who have children with autism and
See AUTISM, Page 29
Thursday, April 20, 2017
News
Jefferson County Leader
29
Autism: Dinner planned April 24 for families with children with autism
special needs, Sarah said.
She said a family friend told her
about the upcoming Autism Eats dinner
that Goeddel organized.
Continued from Page 1
costs $16 for adults and $10 for children.
At the event, which will be from
6-8 p.m., families will have a buffetstyle dinner, including dessert and soft
drinks, in the private banquet room at
the restaurant.
“It will be a low-sensory atmosphere,” Goeddel said. “The lights will
be dimmed, and there will be no music.
The waiters and waitresses will be aware
(of the children’s special needs). The
families will come in through their own
door to make it easier for the kids.”
She said the room will be decorated with balloons and each child will
receive a “sensory toy” similar to a
stress ball.
Goeddel said she believes the families who attend will enjoy the event.
“Since everyone in our private room
‘gets it,’ there is no need to explain any
behaviors or feel like all eyes are on
us,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way
to have a night out with other families
in an autism-friendly, non-judgmental
environment.”
Goeddel said Windsor and Freer elementary staff members have helped her
organize the dinner, and some Windsor
students and staff are expected to help
out at the event.
The banquet room will accommodate 40 to 50 people.
As of April 14, two families had
signed up, Goeddel said, including
the Nick and Sarah Arnold family of
Barnhart.
Sarah said she and her husband are
looking forward to attending the dinner
with their two sons – Ian, 1, and Nicholas, 4, who has autism.
“I was really excited (to learn abut
the event). It will give us an opportunity
to meet other families who are just like
us,” she said. “I think it will be really
great for Nicholas to socialize with other
children, especially children of the same
age and circumstances. We won’t have
‘Touched her heart’
Nick and Sarah Arnold of Barnhart, with their two sons, Nicholas, 4, who has autism,
and Ian, 1, plan to attend the dinner.
to worry if Nicholas has a meltdown or
if something is bothering him because
people will understand.”
Sarah said she or her parents often
take Nicholas out to eat, but they’re
careful about when and where they go.
“We always pick the same restaurants, such as Imo’s, Cecil Whittaker’s
or Ruby Tuesday,” she said. “Plus, we
go when there is not a lot of people, usually during lunchtime. I don’t think we
ever went out at dinner time when there
were lots of people. We just avoid it.”
Sarah said on her second trip to Ruby
Tuesday with Nicholas, he went straight
to the table where they had sat on their
first visit there.
“This was months apart. I was
amazed he remembered after all this
time,” she said.
The Arnolds live in the Windsor C-1
School District, but Nicholas is enrolled
at Easter Seals Midwest in Creve Coeur,
a nonprofit organization that offers
educational services and specialized
programs for children with autism and
Goeddel said she is a substitute
teacher for the Windsor School District
and has worked with students who have
autism.
She said those students “touched
her heart,” and when she was doing
some research online about autism, she
discovered the Autism Eats program.
Leonard and Delphine Zohn of Massachusetts, who have a son with autism,
started the program in 2014, providing
them and others with the luxury of dining out with their families, but without
the stress that can accompany outings
with children who have autism.
The program’s mission is to provide
“autism-friendly, non-judgmental environments for family dining, socializing
and connecting with others who share
similar joys and challenges,” the organization states on its website.
Autism Eats dinners are now being
held across the country.
Goeddel said there are plans to hold
an Autism Eats dinner each quarter at the
Festus Pasta House, with dinners at other
restaurants to be added later.
Buddy Fresta, one of the Festus
Pasta House co-owners, said he’s happy
to help bring the program to the area.
“Nancy reached out to us and asked
if we’d be interested in doing this with
her, and our banquet room’s perfect for
what they need. We have a back door (into
the banquet room), and we can lower the
lights and turn off the music in there,”
Fresta said. “We’re happy to be a part
of it; it sounds like it’s great for children
with autism. It will be a night out for
them. We’re excited about it.”
Reservations are required for the
April 24 dinner. To make a reservation,
go to www.autismeats.org.
Deck: Victims’ family says prosecution has 30 days to appeal the decision
Continued from Page 1
ceedings. “While the passage of time
does not and cannot lessen the loss and
grief suffered by the victims’ family, it
nevertheless affected the fairness of the
process in this case and the factfinder’s
ability to render a just penalty. Deck was
deprived of a constitutionally fair penalty
trial, the result of which cannot stand,”
Perry said in her ruling.
Deck, 51, is serving his life sentence
without parole at the Potosi Correctional
Center.
Karen Long, who is married to William Long, a son of the victims, said her
family feels justice has not been served.
“I’m going to say (family members)
are very, very disappointed with the
judicial system,” she said. “I’m kind of
disappointed with the judge. There have
been three juries that have come to the
same conclusion: He killed two people.
Two decades later, James and Zelma have
had no justice.”
Karen Long, 62, and William Long,
65, formerly of the De Soto area, now live
in the city of Lake Ozark at the Lake of
the Ozarks. William Long suffers from
Lewy body dementia, his wife said.
She said six of seven of the victims’
children were alive at the time of their
deaths.
“Now, all of James and Zelma’s children are really at the same age of James
and Zelma. (He was 69 and she was 67
when they were shot to death.)
“And there’s still no justice,” Karen
Long said.
Deck’s attorney, Elizabeth Carlyle
of Kansas City, lauded Perry’s decision.
“The judge says it’s been too long,”
Carlyle said of the length of proceedings.
“Obviously, we’re glad the death sentence
has been rescinded.”
According to
accounts published
in the Leader, Deck
of St. Louis County
was convicted in
February 1998 of
two counts of firstdegree murder and
given two death sentences for the July Carman Deck
8, 1996, executionstyle murders of James and Zelma Long
during a robbery at the couple’s home in
the De Soto area.
Deck’s conviction has been held
up on appeal, but twice he successfully
appealed the death sentence. Deck was
sentenced to death for a third time in
November 2008 by Jefferson County
Circuit Judge Gary Kramer, after a jury
recommended a death sentence once
again in September 2008 following a
penalty-phase retrial.
The Missouri Supreme Court upheld
Deck’s death sentence in January 2010.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office handled the case before Perry.
A spokeswoman for the Attorney
General’s Office said she could not comment on the case because there is “pending litigation.”
Karen Long said it is her understanding that the state can appeal Perry’s
ruling.
“They have 30 days to file an appeal
to the decision,” she said.
Deck’s sister, Tonia Cummings, 48,
also of St. Louis County, was convicted
of two counts of second-degree murder
in 1998 in the case and sentenced to
70 years in prison. She is serving her
sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional
Center.