SCS student drowns in Correll’s pool

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May 26, 2009

By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Tue May 26, 2009, 09:32 PM EDT

Somerset — A teenager was pronounced dead early yesterday morning after he was found in a swimming pool at a prominent local businessman’s residence.

The 18-year-old, identified as Fasika Hayelom Sibehatu, was found early Tuesday morning by Ward Correll at his residence located on Oak Hill Road, where the exchange student from Ethiopia was staying.

Sibehatu, who just finished his junior year at Somerset Christian School, was pronounced dead by Pulaski County Coroner Richard New at 8:25 a.m.

Pulaski County Sheriff Todd Wood said Sibehatu was found wearing swimming trunks, and his flip-flops were also found beside the in-ground pool.

“It appears we have a tragic swimming accident,” Wood said. “He simply went swimming, and from there, we’re not sure.”

Wood could not give an estimate on how long Sibehatu may have been in the pool, which has a diving board with a deeper end and a shallow end, but New said they suspect he may have been in the pool since Monday evening.

Wood said Correll told authorities that he thought Sibehatu had gone out of town with friends over the weekend.

New said it’s unknown whether Sibehatu could swim or not, and he said there are several things that may have happened that led to the teen’s death.

“There are no health problems that we’ve been aware of,” New said.

An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death.

Sibehatu arrived in the country from his hometown of Aseliaoromiya, Ethiopia, in August 2008. New said Sibehatu was an all-A student at Somerset Christian School and he was scheduled to return to Ethiopia next week to finish his education.

SCS Principal John Hale said Sibehatu’s classmates were notified of his death Monday morning while en route to King’s Island for a field trip. The students decided to cancel the trip and return to Somerset.

“They were pretty torn up about it,” Hale said.

Students will hold a small memorial for Sibehatu — who Hale described as a smart, well-liked young man — today, which is the last day of school at SCS.

“Fasika was really a good young man,” Hale said. “Always smiling ... and he was a very intelligent young man. He was just a good kid all the way around.

“We feel he’s secure in God’s hands,” Hale later said about Sibehatu, who Hale said was of the Christian faith.

Sibehatu’s family in Ethiopia was notified of his death on Tuesday afternoon.

Ward Correll and his family issued a statement Tuesday afternoon about Sibehatu’s death:

“Ward Correll and family members express their profound grief in the death of a dear family friend. He was an exchange student from Ethiopia. We feel that we have lost another member of our extended family and our prayers will be offered for his family while we pray for God’s continued comfort at this time.”

An investigation by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is continuing.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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