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A 39-year-old Spencer man was convicted April 24th in connection with the September 14, 2021 death of Elizabeth “Bizzy” Stevens.
An Owen County jury returned verdicts finding Jay White guilty of murder and obstruction of justice, concluding a seven-day jury trial. Special Judge Darcie Fawcett, of Monroe County, entered a judgment of conviction based on the jury’s verdict.
Owen County Prosecutor Benjamin Kim and Deputy Prosecutor Robert Garrett represented the State of Indiana at the trial, where White was accused of shooting Stevens, 26, also of Spencer, while they were both passengers in a vehicle.
“There was a passerby who found a dead body on Texas Pike and called it in [to Owen County Security Center Dispatch],” Owen County Sheriff Ryan White told The Owen News. “When our units arrived, they found who they later identified as Elizabeth Stevens deceased due to extreme head trauma.”
An autopsy conducted the following day in Terre Haute determined Stevens succumbed to a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Sheriff White recalled how his department received a phone call the day after the shooting from an individual who said he wanted to talk to the police.
“Tyler Byers expressed that they were driving in his pickup truck [a Dodge Ram] and he was driving,” Sheriff White said, detailing the conversation authorities had with Byers. “Jay White was the front seat passenger and Elizabeth Stevens was the backseat passenger, behind the driver. Jay White had an AR-15 [rifle] and turned around and shot Elizabeth Stevens in the head. They [then] stopped the truck on Texas Pike and [Byers] says [he] opened the back door and her body fell out.”
Byers and Jay White reportedly drove away from the scene, leaving Stevens’ body lying in the roadway where it would be discovered by a passerby around 9:30 p.m.
The ensuing investigation conducted by OCSD Deputy Mitchell Fleetwood and Detective Brandon Gasparovic led authorities to determine the pair went back to Jay White’s house, where he allegedly started to spray out Byers’ truck after he took his gun inside.
“It was Jay’s AR-15. When we [obtained] a search warrant for Jay’s property, we found brain matter and blood in the driveway, along with a casing from a 223 round, which is consistent with an AR,” Sheriff White explained. “We did a search of the residence – we did not find the rifle. The rifle was actually given to us by Jay’s wife a week later.”
The sheriff's department reached out to the Morgan County Major Crimes Task Force during the initial stages of the investigation to provide assistance.
“They sent a couple of detectives and an evidence tech to help recreate the scene with some sophisticated photographic equipment that we do not have,” Sheriff White said. “They also helped to conduct a search of the truck after [Byers] had told police where the truck was located.”
After Jay White’s AR-15 was given to police, it was tested for DNA at the Indiana State Police forensic laboratory, with Sheriff White explaining that the results showed only Stevens’ and White’s DNA being found on the rifle.
During the course of the investigation, authorities say Jay White gave conflicting stories of what happened that night, none of which were found to be credible. He also reportedly failed a lie detector test he agreed to take after being charged with killing Stevens.
“The lab also tested blood and tissue that was recovered from the truck and the driveway of Jay White,” Sheriff White said. “All of that came back to Elizabeth Stevens. So, we know she was killed in the truck. Jay’s first and second story that he told police was that they dropped her off [alive] at the Circle K in Spencer. We checked surveillance footage and found that was not true… His last story was that she committed suicide with his rifle.”
Jay White has remained incarcerated at the Owen County Security Center since his arrest on September 20, 2021 at the Indianapolis International Airport, after a trip to Arizona to attend a wedding.
“They did do a bond hearing to see if he was going to be eligible for a bond earlier in 2024,” Sheriff White recalled, “and his bond was denied.”
A sentencing hearing for Jay White is slated for Thursday, May 23 at 8 a.m. in the Owen Circuit Court. He faces a prison sentence of 45 to 65 years for murder and two years on the charge of obstruction of justice.
“When multiple agencies work together for the same common goal, justice gets served,” Sheriff White said. “When we try to do things alone or when we try to live on an island, I think the citizens are the ones who get the short straw when we do that. We must work together as law enforcement to achieve our goals, and that’s justice for the victims. You can't do it alone - no agency can work alone.”
Two of the three Owen County Commissioners are new to their positions. Those new commissioners are former sheriff Sam Hobbs and David Risk.
In fact, the only commissioner who isn’t new to the position is Gary Burton, the board's former president.
At the beginning of the commissioners’ first meeting of 2025, held on Jan. 9, Hobbs was unanimously elected president of the board, and Risk was unanimously elected vice president.
Immediately following the reorganization, Hobbs gave a monologue about what can be expected from the board moving forward.
“It’s going to be kind of a lengthy meeting. We got a lot to go through. I’m not here to upset the apple cart with anybody, but I’m going to. It’s just the nature of the beast,” Hobbs began. “I base my faith off of God being in control because He is. We’re just here to do His will and try to make the best of a community that is falling apart.”
After sharing his long-standing attendance at these sorts of public meetings, Hobbs commented on a trend.
“The thing that I’ve seen in the last several years of coming to the meetings and stuff like that is the discord and dislike between the employees, whether you’re elected or appointed or whatever, has turned into a hatred. And it’s going to end. The reason I say that is we’re a team here together,” Hobbs said. “We were elected to serve the people and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. The people have a voice. You’re taxpayers. You’ll have a voice in every commissioners’ meeting. That’s only right. I expect your ideas, your vision, your goals and your solutions to some of the problems that we have.”
Hobbs then quoted Proverbs 23:19.
“This county is going to have a vision for everybody, not just for self-centered seeking thumb-sucking selfish people. I won’t tolerate it. I won’t tolerate rude behavior from nobody,” Hobbs said. “I’m in no way here to tell anybody to pack up and get going. If you’re not doing your job that’s required of you, there’s going to be a problem.”
Hobbs then said that employees are the county’s biggest liability and the county’s biggest asset.
“We’re going to work together as a team,” he said.
He then reiterated that the commissioners do not have any authority over other elected officials. He also said that commissioners should allow for autonomy and leadership from the county’s department heads saying they have a business to run.
Hobbs was clear that department heads could and should ask for guidance and help from the commissioners when needed and said the commissioners will not interfere unless asked or unless there is an issue.
“I’m new at this part [being a commissioner], but I’m not new at being around here. I’ve seen how some people have been treated and mistreated, and rest assured of one thing. That’s coming to an end, like real soon,” Hobbs said.
Then, instead of making the usual first meeting of the year liaison appointments, Hobbs announced that those appointments would not be made until February. He cited a “legal problem” but did not go into details.
“There’s some things facing this county that is going to be revealed in the next 30 to 60 days that could change the whole outlook on certain things,” he said.
One and only one liaison appointment was made, and that was for Risk to serve as the liaison for the highway department.
“Gary cannot do that because his wife works there,” Hobbs said.
Until appointments are made in February, Hobbs said that he would serve as the liaison for the auditor’s office and appointed department heads. He noted that elected officials can go to any of the commissioners that they want.
The commissioners then began with the routine business of approving the meeting minutes and claims.
In both this meeting and the Jan. 23 meeting, the commissioners addressed the extensive and inappropriate amount of out-of-cycle claims.
The board then went on to new business.
“This is where the rubber is going to meet the road for some of you,” Hobbs said, adding that it was unfortunate that not everything was going to be good news.
The first matter that was addressed was the contract with Dana Kerr for his services as county attorney.
“We’ve been through this for a couple of months. The current attorney is not here today. He is sick. We wish him the best in his recovery,” Hobbs began. “Dana is not here today, but we have to proceed with business. This has been discussed briefly in a couple commissioners meetings. The contract that the current attorney has is on a week-to-week basis at the moment.”
“Mr. Kerr’s last day will be Jan. 31. I’m not going to sit here and bad mouth him, run him down or anything like that. He did what he did and done what he’s done for what he thought was right. He’s an attorney. I do feel and I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Kerr was led down a couple roads that he shouldn’t have had to go down. That’s my two cents worth. I think if Mr. Kerr had things to do over again, they would be done different. Again, this is my opinion.”
With that, Hobbs moved to relieve Kerr of his duties as county attorney as of Jan. 31. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
“This is not the end of this story,” Hobbs said.
After allowing him to introduce himself, the commissioners hired Tony Overholt from Frost Brown Todd Attorneys in Indianapolis. Overholt has served as the attorney for the county council. The commissioners hired Overholt, who has been an attorney for 30 years, for six months. Overholt has experience representing local government.
Overholt will be paid between $350 and $375 per hour.
There is $160,000 budgeted for the county attorney. Under Kerr’s extended 2022 contract that served from week to week until the end of January, approximately $13,000 would have been spent from the $160,000 budgeted for county legal expenses.
The council separately has budgeted approximately $40,000 for their legal expenses, as Kerr did not represent the council.
At the high end of Overholt’s rate, the county commissioners would have a total of 392 hours before exceeding the appropriation. This translates to a weekly average of roughly 7.5 hours per week without going to the county council for an additional appropriation.
During the approximately four-hour first meeting, the commissioners also:
The commissioners also held a joint meeting with the Owen County Council on Jan. 23. A story on that meeting will be made available soon on The Owen News website, theowennews.org. The commissioners met again yesterday, Feb. 6, and they will meet again at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20 in the second-floor Commissioners Room of the Owen County Courthouse, 60 S. Main St., Spencer.
In celebration of its 31st anniversary, the Owen County Community Foundation (OCCF) is thrilled to announce the return of the $1 for $1 Anniversary Match Campaign, building on the incredible success of last year’s 30th anniversary event.
In 2024, nearly $200,000 was raised to support local nonprofits serving Owen County. This year, OCCF invites donors and nonprofits to make an even greater impact.
Running from Feb. 1 through Feb. 28, this match campaign offers a $1 for $1 match for donations made to Agency and Designated funds established at OCCF. These funds specifically support the work of nonprofits serving Owen County, providing them with both immediate resources and long-term sustainability.
“Spencer Main Street, Inc., took a big step forward in 2024 by establishing an agency fund with ‘our’ Owen County Community Foundation,” Julie Coffin, President of Spencer Main Street, Inc. said. “I think we don’t even realize yet how this strengthens our organization in terms of keeping us sustainable and giving us longevity. And those are vital qualities to have because we intend to keep working to make sure that Historic Downtown Spencer continues to be the heart and center of our community for another 205 years. The first word of our mission statement is ‘collaboration,’ and we are so grateful for OCCF’s support and collaboration as we all go forward!”
How the Match Works
For every dollar donated to an eligible fund, OCCF will provide a matching gift, which is designed to strengthen nonprofits in two ways:
This model allows nonprofits to meet immediate needs while building a stable financial foundation for the future.Participating Funds
Only Agency and Designated funds are eligible for the match. These funds support a wide range of causes, including youth development, historic preservation, animal welfare, community health, and more. A full list of participating funds is available on the OCCF website or by contacting the OCCF office directly. As of Feb. 5, the following funds were included in the matching campaign:
How to Donate
Organizations can accept donations in the following ways:
Join Us in Building a Brighter Future“The success of last year’s 30th Anniversary Match Campaign was a testament to the generosity and commitment of our community,” Karah Bobeck, OCCF’s Programs and Communications Director said. “We’re excited to offer this opportunity again and look forward to seeing the incredible impact it will have for Owen County nonprofits.”Nonprofits interested in participating in this campaign and establishing a fund at the OCCF, should contact the OCCF’s office at 812-829-1725.
A Gosport home was destroyed by a fast-moving fire that broke out around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
The first wave of firefighters and emergency personnel arrived on the scene a short time later to find heavy smoke billowing from the roof and flames engulfing the front porch of the home at 246 E. South St.
Homeowner Bryan Rogers was at home when the fire broke out and was reportedly unharmed, declining medical treatment at the scene from the Owen County Emergency Medical Service.
The American Red Cross was later contacted to help meet Rogers’ immediate emergency needs.
According to the Gosport Volunteer Fire Department, a cause for the fire was undetermined.
Firefighters estimated around 30,000 gallons of water was used to battle the morning blaze.
The Gosport VFD received mutual aid from the Owen Valley Fire Territory, Bean Blossom Township-Stinesville VFD, Owen County Sheriff’s Department and the Owen County EMS.
Fire personnel were called back to the scene around 12:30 p.m. where they were able to quickly squelch the rekindled debris at the home, located on the southwest corner of East South and South Second streets.
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