The truck’s discovery marks the sixth vehicle recovered as a result of record low lake levels, although only three contained human remains.

The first, a 1990 Toyota Camry, was found on July 4 during the Independence Cast-Off fishing contest. The body found inside was recently identified as that of 58 year old Juan Ramirez. His wife, Becky Ramirez, was arrested and arraigned shortly thereafter. Investigators have not revealed a motive for the murder and the case has not yet gone to trial.

Investigators are still stumped as to the identities of individuals found in a 1977 Buick, discovered in early August as the rapidly lowering lake revealed a portion of the front bumper. Two badly decomposed bodies in the front may never be identified, but Sheriff Anderson holds hope that the identify of a third body found remarkably well preserved in the car’s trunk may still hold the keys to breaking the case. If anyone has information about the identity of the human remains, please contact the Sheriff’s Department. Golan County Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

“I love it. I can bike there in 15 minutes from my dorm. I’ll jump in to cool off, then lay out on the sand with my textbook,” says junior Erika Leeds.

Whereas Lake Greystone and Kestle Lake require a relatively short drive and are thus frequented by a more adult crowd, the Old Swimming Hole is a family-friendly destination just minutes from anywhere in Pinebox. While accidents still sometimes occur, it is considered a relatively safe, cool alternative to the oppressive Pinebox heat.

“It’s great. The water is so cool and refreshing. I just feel rejuvenated after swimming here. I’ve started coming here every morning for a quick swim before class. It just clears my mind. My grades this summer have been the best so far!” says senior Dania Johnston.

When spending time outdoors:

• Drink water every hour you are in the sun. Avoid carbonated beverages, alcohol, and even sports drinks.
• Wear light colored, loose fitting clothing.
• Wear sunscreen.
• If you feel lightheaded, nauseous, or stop sweating, stop your activity immediately and seek a cool place to rest and rehydrate.

It is unknown how the wells became contaminated, although recent rains may have allowed contaminated material into the water. Gus Richardson, general manager of Pinebox city’s water utility, declined to say when the wells would no longer be dangerous. However, he did state that the city would attempt to disinfect the wells.

Eschericia coli is a natural bacteria that causes food poisoning and flu-like symptoms in those who drink contaminated water. The severity of the illness varies, but can be fatal to young children, the elderly, and those people with compromised immune systems.

Sangonstime contacted Pinebox Police when attempts to remove Moore and Pinid from the motel room were unsuccessful. “My key didn’t work, and they weren’t answering to my yelling at them through the door,” said Sangonstime.

When Pinebox PD arrived they found that all doors and windows leading out of the room had been nailed shut. Police broke down the door to find Moore huddled in the far corner of the room. In a statement issued earlier this afternoon police noted that the room had several empty bottles of alcohol and no sign of where Pinid had gone. Moore was said to have been clutching a scrap of paper upon which he had written, “She went through the door and never came back” over and over again.

After speaking with the nighttime janitor of the motel, I was allowed a few minutes in the motel room. As reported by the police, all doors and windows had been nailed shut, but for some reason the door leading to the rooms bathroom had also been sealed similarly. Additionally, the cabinets and shelves were also nailed closed. The only door not sealed shut was the one leading into the room’s closet.

Jerome Johnson

The individual arrested for his alleged involvement in an identity theft scandal that affected several ETU students and faculty was released today during his arraignment. In a closed courtroom, Jerome Johnson gave a brief statement before the judge and other courtroom officials. Shortly thereafter, Johnson was seen walking out of the courtroom without escort and permitted to leave the building.

After the hearing, public defender Louis Rainer spoke to the press outside the courthouse, “We simply had the wrong individual. Jerome Johnson was as much a victim of the recent identity theft scheme as many other Pinebox citizens were.” As it turns out, Jerome Johnson had had his identity infiltrated allowing  the real criminal to plant a substantial amount of evidence leading Pinebox authorities to believe Johnson was responsible for the entire illegal operation. Rainer also noted that Johnson requested that he himself speak to the court in order to prove his innocence.

“Johnson’s presentation of his case was remarkable,” noted Rainer. “For a cryptography expert, Johnson was personable and easy to empathize with. In 14 minutes Judge Lindsay had ruled in Johnson’s favor and released him with the apologies of the court.”

While a transcript of the case was requested, court reporter David Bridges notified the Report that his electronic record was corrupted shortly after Judge Lindsay had made his ruling due to a power surge that ran through the building. Security recordings within the courthouse were also affected by the power surge causing their storage drives to be irreversibly damaged. The attached image is one of the few frames recovered from the damaged drives.

Johnson is believed to have returned to ETU to resume his graduate work. Pinebox authorities have resumed their investigations into the true identities of the thieves.