Webb, Givens Sentenced to Home Detention For Meth Possession

Kristen Webb

Two Starke County residents were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to methamphetamine-related charges.

Kristen Webb and Joseph Givens pleaded guilty to charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Maintaining a Common Nuisance. They were ordered to serve three years for the charge of Possession of Methamphetamine which will be served on home detention. On the charge of Maintaining a Common Nuisance, the pair were sentenced to three years in the Department of Corrections with all of that sentence suspended to be served on probation. They were ordered to pay court costs and a drug interdiction fee of $250. If they successfully complete probation, they can petition the court for modification for misdemeanor treatment.

Webb and Givens were arrested after an incident on Nov. 23, 2011 when Knox City Police officers executed a search warrant at a home on Portland Street and drug activity was present.

Starke United Partners with the Northern Indiana Community Foundation

Starke United

Starke United this week announced a new partnership with the Northern Indiana Community Foundation in conjunction with the creation of the Starke United Fund.

Starke United Board President Todd Zeltwanger said they’re pleased with this exciting venture, and says they’ll work with the Community Foundation to ensure their organization becomes not only stronger, but more cost-effective as well. He said the partnership will benefit both the organizations that receive funding from Starke United and the donors who faithfully support the organization.

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Christopher Gross Sentenced to 30 Months in DOC

Disregard for following rules of the court was a key factor during Christopher Gross’ sentencing hearing Wednesday morning in Starke Circuit Court.

Gross pleaded guilty to a Class D Felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance in a plea agreement with the State. As Judge Kim Hall reviewed his court file, Hall noted that Gross was negligent in paying child support and Gross had previously violated terms of his pre-trial release to serve home detention. Gross told the court that he couldn’t afford the house arrest fee, but Judge Hall saw in his record that Gross reportedly was found to be under the influence of alcohol which is a probation violation. His record also showed that he was previously arrested for Operating a Vehicle with a Controlled Substance in the Body.

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Fall Foliage Falling – Pickups Planned for North Judson, Knox

The town of North Judson will have fall brush pickup beginning Oct. 1. If you have brush you want picked up, you must have it placed on the side of the alley or street before Monday morning.

The Street Department will be making a one-time only sweep down the streets and alleys of North Judson. This will be the last scheduled brush pick-up for this year. If you happen to miss the deadline, you are encouraged to take brush, grass or leaves to the town dump for disposal. Sign for the key at the Water Works office.

Fall leaf pickup for the city of Knox will begin on Oct. 9. Place all leaves in front of your residence next to the curb on the street in a long row, not in the alley. The garbage contractors will not pick up bagged leaves. Keep all trash out of leaf piles so the vacuum can pick up the leaves. Place any branches and limbs separate from the leaf pile. You may also drop off leaves, grass, garden material, or brush at the city compost pile behind City Hall.

North Judson Earns IPEP Safety Award

North Judson Town Board

The town of North Judson has once again earned a safety award from the Indiana Public Employers’ Plan. The award is achieved by having less than a 50 percent loss ratio plus an acceptable claim incident rate as compared to municipalities statewide. The town earned the award for its excellent worker safety recorded in the 2011 calendar year.

The award not only rewards the prevention of accidents among employees, but also emphasizes the cost savings to governmental agencies by keeping workers safe and on the job.

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Four Arrested after Rolling Meth Lab Found in Vehicle in Marshall County

Four people were arrested Monday in Marshall County after Indiana State Police officers found them to be in a stolen vehicle with a rolling meth lab.

Officers received information of an erratic driver headed eastbound on U.S. 30 near Oak Road in Plymouth. The vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation and during routine questioning of the driver, 49-year-old Bradley Shopoff of Fort Wayne, police learned the vehicle had been stolen out of Fort Wayne and a meth lab was in the car.

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Pulaski County Commissioners Discuss Closure of Gravel Road

Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

The Pulaski County Commissioners this week spoke with resident Jerry Locke regarding a gravel road that he feels should be closed.

According to Locke, he has spoken with several people in the area and he’s not alone in wanting the road closed. He says no one would be affected by its closure as it is a road the he says “goes nowhere,” and he owns the property on both sides of the road. The county doesn’t perform any maintenance on the road, which is across from 500 North in Pulaski County, and Locke feels it would be safer to close the road permanently.

The commissioners spoke with Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker, who confirmed that the county does not perform maintenance on the road, and says Locke will have to make an agreement with nearby property owners to ensure they approve the closure of the road.

Lapaz Firefighters Receive Advanced CPR Certifications

A few members of the Lapaz-North Township Fire Department recently received their advance certification in CPR. They are now instructor certified in CPR and this advanced training will allow the firefighters to help train you in CPR.

The recent acquisition of CPR mannequins, thanks to a grant through the Marshall County Community Foundation, will allow the Lapaz Fire Department to become an American Heart Association training site and assist the public in becoming certified in CPR. The new mannequins will replace current models that have been in service for more than 15 years.

Oregon-Davis High School Awarded Bio-Ag Grant

Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney

Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Steven Disney proudly announced this week that Oregon-Davis High School received a $10,000 grant from Monsanto Fund to help with the school’s bio-agriculture department.

According to Disney, the school will use those funds to purchase necessary equipment for the program and integrate it into the classroom. The BioAg course combines the curriculum of both Biology and the fundamentals of Agriculture, and the grant will help to purchase items like probeware, Proscopes, graphing calculators, and other equipment.

Disney says teacher Debra Awald from the Science Department and Jacob Riley from the Agriculture Department teamed up to apply for the grant. Their project, “Biology and Agriculture Technology for 21st Century Learners,” was awarded the grant alongside ten other schools in Indiana that were awarded grants.

State Rep. Dermody to Hold Two Town Hall Meetings Tonight

State Representative Tom Dermody

Two town hall meetings hosted by State Representative Tom Dermody will be held tonight. Dermody will discuss the taxpayer protection plan he laid in place through the passage of Senate Engrossed Act 19.

The amendment to SEA 19 helps solve the property tax issues in LaPorte County which have been a problem for some time.

The first town hall meeting will be tonight at 6 p.m. at the LaCrosse Public Library and the second meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Kankakee Valley REMC building in Wanatah. A representative from the Department of Local Government and Finance will also field questions.

State Police Weekend Enforcement Campaign Totals 360 Arrests

The Indiana State Police conducted a statewide enforcement campaign over the weekend targeting impaired and dangerous drivers. Troopers throughout the state arrested 346 impaired drivers, issued 4105 tickets, 6646 written warnings and made 360 arrests for various criminal offenses.

Officers from the Lowell Post issued 437 of those tickets and made 38 impaired driving arrests and 22 criminal arrests. Bremen Post officers issued 236 tickets and had 21 impaired driving arrests and 6 criminal arrests.

Local Business Helps To Raise Funds For Starke Co. Food Pantry

Community Services of Starke County
Community Services of Starke County

The Starke County Food Pantry is in need of donations and a local business is helping in the effort.

Economy Auto Sales is donating $30 for each car sold in the month of September to the Starke County Food Pantry. In addition, owner George Mammarella will match any individual customer donations, either cash or food, up to $1,000.

Community Services of Starke County Executive Director Joan Haugh said that the shelves are bare and they are in need of peanut butter, canned items, vegetables, fruits, pancake mixes, soups and a variety of other necessity items. If you need more information, call 772-7070.

Oscar Cowen Golf Outing Planned for Oct. 6

Sheriff Oscar Cowen
Sheriff Oscar Cowen

The Second Annual Oscar Cowen Golf Outing is set for Saturday, Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. at the Hamlet Golf Course.

All proceeds benefit the Christina Rotering and Ashley Derrickson Memorial Fund for Starke County Cancer. This memorial fund was created in October 2011 and since its inception, seven Starke County cancer patients have been assisted. Funds were given to those who needed to purchase cancer treatment medications, transportation to and from doctor appointments and radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Money was given to a cancer patient last year for a housing deposit as he was living in his vehicle.

To participate in this year’s four-person team or to sponsor a hole, contact Oscar Cowen. The first 20 teams to pay will be able to compete on Oct. 6.

Starke County Commissioners Approve Request to Replace Antennas

IT Director Joe Short

Starke County IT Director Joe Short told the commissioners this week that he has met with a few radio tower authorities and showed them around the county’s radio towers, looking for input on how to go about building a new tower.

According to Short, they recommended building a 180-foot tower and a 20-foot antenna. The construction of the tower would require a request for sealed bids, but before the county can request bid proposals, Short says they must determine where the tower will be built.

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Winamac Town Board Denies Payment for Vacationing Homeowner’s Door

The Winamac Town Board voted to reject a claim that would pay for damage in an incident with the police department.

Winamac Chief of Police Mike Buchanan told the board he performed a welfare check at a residence and ended up breaking the door to get into the resident’s home. He said the staff exhausted all efforts in finding the resident and, as a last resort, officers broke down the door to ensure the location and safety of the resident. Police later found out that the homeowner had gotten a place from Farris Kapani: Vancouver Realtor | Luxury Homes | Condos and was son vacation.

The homeowner is now seeking reimbursement of the door.

Chief Buchanan explained to the board that due to the circumstances the town should not be responsible for the door. After a discussion, the board voted to deny payment.

Pulaski County Commissioners Discuss Restoration Of Bridge 268

Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

Efforts to restore bridges in Pulaski County continue as the commissioners this week discussed the possibility of yet another bridge to work on. Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners that he had put together an engineer’s report for Bridge 268, which is in dire need of a new deck. This project, he says, will be a lot cheaper and a bit easier than the complete replacement of Bridge 291 in Monterey.

Larrison says the bridge would be restored rather than completely replaced, and no land acquisition is necessary.

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Two Winamac Men Arrested After Threatening Police

Two Winamac residents were arrested after resisting law enforcement and threatening the police on Sunday.

Pulaski County police received a noise complaint at 310 North and 300 West and, when they arrived at the location, several people fled the area. One officer was approached by a man later identified as Mitchel Shidler and began talking to him about what was going on at that location. As the conversation went on, the officer noted in his report that Shidler became a little more agitated. It got to the point where he was reportedly combative and was tased by the officer to get him to comply to the command of putting his hands behind his back. He was taken into custody.

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Officer Justified In Shooting, Killing Dog That Attacked Him

Hamlet Town Marshal Frank Lonigro III

Hamlet Town Marshal Frank Lonigro III says an officer who shot and killed an attacking dog was justified in his actions. On Sept. 15, an officer with the Hamlet Police Department approached a residence at 218 Railroad St. in search of a wanted subject. When the officer asked the woman who answered the door if the wanted female was home, she said she was not.

The officer then asked to speak with Kenneth Schoff, who was also reported to live at the residence. When Schoff opened the door to come outside, a pit bull ran from the house barking and growling, and lunged at the police officer. The officer tried pushing the dog away, but the pit bull continued trying to bite him, forcing the officer to draw his weapon and fire three shots in an attempt to stop the attacking dog. The dog was struck by the shots, and fell onto the ground before quickly jumping up and attacking the officer once again.

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Plymouth Man Arrested For Battery, Criminal Recklessness

A Plymouth man was arrested Friday after pushing his landlord and burning paper on the property.

Plymouth police officers were called to 215 1/2 W. Adams St. after Jeff Birchmeier called police about an incident with tenant Robert Warner. Birchmeier had gone to the residence to confront Warner about burning paper near the residence and, during the argument, Warner pushed him.

The officer took information for the battery report before leaving the scene. Police were called back to the residence after another fire was reported.

Warner was arrested on preliminary charges of Battery and Criminal Recklessness.

Case Against Former Starke County Treasurer Crawling Along

Linda Belork

The case against former Starke County Treasurer Linda Belork is shambling along in Jasper Circuit Court. The Indiana Supreme Court extended Judge John Potter’s decision deadline to Oct. 22, allowing him 13 more days to decide on the case.

Judge Potter has yet to make his decision regarding the case between Belork and the Starke County Commissioners, who claim Belork misappropriated $900,000 during her time as treasurer. The attorney for the Starke County Commissioners and the attorney for Linda Belork and Ohio Casualty appeared before the judge on June 6 and presented evidence supporting their cases.

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