Week in Review for March 26th-30th, 2012

Nathan VanDerAa

Nathan VanDerAa, of Star City, was sentenced to 33 months in the Bureau of Prisons, with two years of supervised release following his plea of guilty to charges of Unlawful User of a Controlled Substance in Possession of a Firearm.

Ione Moore, who was known to some as Mrs. Republican, passed away Friday, March 23rd, at the age of 92. 

Jennie Carter

Jennie Carter was arrested on Wednesday on an Indiana State Police arrest warrant for a charge of Theft. She pleaded not guilty during an initial hearing held yesterday in Starke Circuit Court. She is accused of taking over $7,400 in Starke County Tourism funds for her personal use.

Flora Howard, of North Judson, was injured in a two vehicle accident at the intersection of State Road 39 and U.S. 30 Sunday night. The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department investigated the incident and found that a semi had run a stop sign and hit Flora Howard’s vehicle. Howard received non-life threatening injuries in the accident and was taken to IU Health LaPorte Hospital for treatment.

A request to President Obama from Congressman Joe Donnelly to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was recently made in order to help reduce the price of gasoline. Last year, the President allowed the release of 30 million barrels of oil that helped reduce the price of gas by six percent. Donnelly also asked President Obama to curb oil speculation and expand exploration and drilling for oil in the United States.

Yellow River

The Starke County Commissioners signed contracts with Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission to remove debris on the Yellow River. Commissioner Dan Bridegroom explained that work will start at the Marshall-Starke County line and all of the log jams will be noted by GPS and the work will be bundled and put out for bid.

Weaver and Boos Consultants have been monitoring the groundwater quality at the site of the old Starke County Landfill and they reported to the Starke County Commissioners last week that a recent test showed there is no significant impact on water quality. Another test will be done in June or July and if that test also shows no impact on water quality, the firm will contact state authorities and water quality tests may only be mandated once a year or the tests will cease.

Robert Reed
Murriah Dailey

Robert Reed and Murriah Dailey are expected to plead guilty in Starke Circuit Court to charges stemming from an alleged robbery and attempted murder case in San Pierre on May 22nd, 2011. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Dailey would plead guilty to Attempted Escape, as a Class B Felony and Resisting Law Enforcement, a Class D Felony. Counts of attempted murder would be dropped in the plea agreement. Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese has agreed to this plea agreement. Robert Reed would plead guilty to Receiving Stolen Property and Resisting Law Enforcement. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall will rule whether or not to accept the plea agreement in a future court setting.

The Lincoln Township Volunteer Fire Department in Walkerton received a Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program grant worth $684,864 to be used to enhance the protection of both the public and first-responders.

The Starke County Board of Zoning Appeals recently denied an appeal by George and Betty Dotlich who are claiming that a permit issued to Julia Ford to place a double wide structure on a property is in error. They recently took their appeal to the Starke County Commissioners and they will set up a meeting to discuss the issue.

Darrel Scheuer

Darrel Scheuer was arrested after the Plymouth Police Department received a phone call his wife was being neglected. An arrest warrant was obtained for Scheuer’s arrest and he was taken into custody Wednesday on a charge of Neglect of Dependent, a Class C Felony.

A Police K9 indicated that drugs were present in Kevin D. Miller’s car after he was pulled over in Marshall County last year and he claims the K9 made the indication in error. He has filed a lawsuit asking that all 50 K9s trained at the Vohne-Liche Kennels, including the Knox City K9, be sidelined or undergo further training until the lawsuit is settled.

Several headstones were damaged in an alleged vandalism incident at the Star City West Cemetery. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate this case.