Fire Destroys Rural Winamac Home, Cause Under Investigation

 
 

Firefighters from three departments spent four-and-a-half hours battling a house fire southwest of Winamac Tuesday afternoon. A neighbor called 911 at 3:30 p.m. and told dispatchers the home at 7948 South 475 West was fully engulfed. The Star City Volunteer Fire Department responded and requested tanker support from the Winamac and Buffalo Fire Departments. They ended up filling their trucks at the boat launch in Pulaski in order to more quickly get water to the scene. Pulaski County REACT also assisted by directing traffic. There’s no word yet on a cause. No injuries were reported. The firefighters left the residence at 8 p.m.

 

Formal Charges Pending Against Accused Child Molester

 

Joshua Sanders
Joshua Sanders

Deputies from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office arrested an accused child molester following a joint investigation with the Department of Child Services. Formal charges are pending against Joshua Sanders. He’s accused of inappropriately touching a juvenile in Marshall County during the past six weeks.

Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Searching for Stolen Truck

Pulaski County SheriffThe Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a truck from a property west of Winamac. A bronze 1994 three-quarter ton Chevrolet truck was stolen from the area of State Road 14 and 400 West sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. Monday, according to a news release. The truck has tube step sides, a sticker on the tailgate that reads “Get Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” and a Bass Master sticker in the window. The truck’s license plate number is TK181MCC. If you see the truck, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office at 574-946-3341 or contact the closest law enforcement agency.

Train Hits Car, Driver Arrested

 
 

A North Liberty woman faces drunk driving charges after her abandoned car was struck by a train Monday night in Marshall County.

The 2001 Honda registered to Malory K. Schmucker, 30, crashed into the tracks on southbound Redwood Road north of 1st Road just after 10 p.m., according to a report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.

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Marshall County Deputies Arrest Knox Residents on Drug Charges

Crystal Singleton
Crystal Singleton
Earl Beem Jr.
Earl Beem Jr.

 A man and woman from Knox face felony drug charges in Marshall County after being pulled over for speeding Tuesday.

A sheriff’s deputy stopped their SUV near the intersection of Harrison Street and Oak Road. The police report indicates Marshall County K9 Jax indicated the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. Officers reportedly found Crystal Singleton of Knox to be in possession of heroin and found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. The officers reportedly found heroin on passenger Earl Beem as well. He also had two outstanding arrest warrants, including one for a felony parole violation.

Singleton and Beem both face numerous charges in Marshall County.

Economic Development Director Says Starke County Still on SYSCO’s Radar

 Houston-based SYSCO Corporation still plans to build a regional hub in Hamlet, according to Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver. He told the county council he talks to SYSCO officials every two months.

“They say this is still part of their plan, as is the facility in Texas, but the people I talk to don’t have any idea when.”

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Pulaski County Commissioners Offer Support for Skate Park

Hunger Skateparks produced this rendering of the proposed Winamac Skatepark.
Hunger Skateparks produced this rendering of the proposed Winamac Skatepark.

A young man from Winamac has the blessing of the Pulaski County Commissioners to make his ambitious Eagle Scout project a reality. Clark Gudas wants to turn Rhinehart Park next to the Pulaski County Family YMCA into a skate park. He says it will give area youth a safe place to participate in activities like skateboarding, rollerblading and BMX biking.

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LaPorte Police Arrest Hamlet Man on Drug Charges

Adam T. Jones
Adam T. Jones

A Hamlet man faces multiple drug charges in LaPorte after his arrest following a Monday morning traffic stop.

Officers from the LaPorte Police Department got a tip that a man in a white car in the 400 block of G Street was possibly using drugs. They responded at 8:41 a.m. and saw a white Pontiac Grand Am leaving the area. The car pulled across 4th Street in front of a vehicle that was northbound on I Street and nearly caused an accident, according to the police report.

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Absentee Voting Still Going Strong

  
 

The May 6 Primary Election is in less than two weeks. If you cannot make it to the polls on election day, you have the option of completing an absentee ballot.

Absentee voting in Starke County is available today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Starke County Courthouse will be open this Thursday night for absentee voting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT. Evening hours will be available Tuesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Voting will take place on the second floor of the courthouse. So far, 245 absentee ballots have been filed in Starke County.

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Additional Heating Help Available for Pulaski County Residents

 
 

Money is still available to help low income Pulaski County residents pay their winter heating bills.

The Energy Assistance Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to households that have not applied for aid yet during this heating season.

Funding is limited, and applications are taken by appointment only at the Pulaski County Human Services office. Call 574-946-6500, email pulaskipchs@embarqmail.com or stop by the office at 115 W. Pearl St. in Winamac to schedule an appointment or to obtain additional information.

Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Swears in New Council Member

Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swears in new council member Corrie Hauptli
Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swears in new council member Corrie Hauptli

The Town of Medaryville has a new council member. Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swore Corrie Hauptli in this morning. She was appointed by the Pulaski County Democratic Party Chairman to replace longtime council president Gene Payne, who recently stepped down. Derrick Stalbaum was recently elected president and was present at the swearing-in ceremony. Carolyn Hagar will serve as vice-president. The appointment was made in accordance with state law. All three Medaryville council seats are up for reelection in 2015.

Starke County Officials Appoint Committee to Study Wheel Tax

 
 

Starke County Council members want more information about proposed wheel tax rates, types of vehicles that would be taxed and how any funds generated would be used for road improvements before making any decision about implementing such a tax. County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler will chair a committee comprised of council members Marvin McLaughlin, Freddie Baker and Bob Sims and Commissioner Kathy Norem. After they discuss the details, a public input meeting will be scheduled to further explain the process. Ritzler has streamlined the highway department’s operations since taking over but says efficiency can only go so far. “Our limiting factor is the oil and stone that we use to improve roads. We have a certain amount of funding sources, we used them all. The only way of increasing is a user tax that is available to us, a user fee. 47 of the 92 counties in Indiana have it. Of the counties that don’t have it, many have an additional source of funding that’s not available to us, and that’s riverboat gambling money. We are in the bottom fifth of road conditions in the state,” Ritzler told the council. Continue reading →

Knox Man Plans to Present Dog Park Plans to Park Board

dog picA Knox man is on a mission to establish an off-the-leash park in the city limits for dogs and their owners. Chuck Richardson has collected 100 or so signatures in support. “People have dogs, and they have to work. These dogs are left in apartments or houses all day long. When people come home, they need a place to take their dogs for exercise, where dogs can exercise and play and get acquainted with other dogs, and people can get acquainted with other people,” Richardson said.

Plymouth has a dog park, and Richardson has spoken extensively with officials there. He says such facilities offer several “Residents can gather and socialize, allow owners to observe their dog with other dogs, allow dogs a space to play and companionship with other dogs, promote responsible pet ownership, give dogs a place to exercise thus reducing barking and other problem behavior, and provide seniors and disabled owners an accessible place to exercise and have companionship.” Continue reading →

Local Detour Available to Bypass U.S. 35 Construction

 
 

Motorists traveling between Knox and Winamac on U.S. 35 can avoid taking the long way around during the next few weeks of road work. INDOT has closed the highway from 850 S. to the Starke/Pulaski County line in order to replace a culvert. The state’s marked detour sends drivers west on 10, south on 39 and back east on 14 because INDOT can only use roads maintained by the state to divert traffic. Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says drivers heading south on 35 can turn left on 800 S., right on 600 East and right on 900 S. to get past the construction and back to U.S. 35. Northbound motorists can follow that route in reverse. Ritzler says those roads are paved and are more suited to heavy traffic. He says several drivers have used 850 S. and 400 E. to get around the construction. Those roads are gravel and are becoming rutted. The project should wrap up by the end of the month, weather permitting.

LaPorte Police Respond to Overdose in Restaurant Parking Lot

 
 

A LaPorte man may face criminal charges after reportedly passing out in the front seat of his car in a restaurant parking lot after apparently overdosing. The police report indicates he had a metal spoon in his lap when first responders arrived at the Buffalo Wild Wings on Pine Lake Avenue. When officers from the LaPorte Police Department got there, he was reportedly conscious but unable to walk without assistance and was sweating heavily. The police report indicates he admitted to ingesting heroin before emergency personnel arrived. Police reportedly found several items of drug paraphernalia inside his car, which was seized as evidence. He was taking by ambulance to IU Health LaPorte Hospital. The LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office is considering charges.

Construction Complete on New Municipal Building in Walkerton

The new Walkerton Municipal Building
The new Walkerton Municipal Building

The new Municipal Building in Walkerton is complete.

According to Walkerton Building Commissioner Phil Buckmaster, the building is situated at 301 Michigan Street and is twice the size of the old office building on Roosevelt Road. The building holds the offices of the clerk-treasurer and the economic development director as well as the town courtroom/city council meeting room and the police department.

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Victims Airlifted After Marshall County Crash, Investigation Continues

 
 

Authorities in Marshall County believe speed and possibly alcohol were factors in a Saturday afternoon wreck that sent the driver and a front seat passenger to South Bend Memorial Hospital via helicopter. A 1995 Mercury driven by Nicholas Walker, 22, of Plymouth was northbound on Tulip Road from 9C road in Plymouth, lost control and hit a tree, according to a crash report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Walker was pinned in the car but conscious when sheriff’s deputies arrived. A passenger, Matthew Gaines, was also in the vehicle and was in and out of consciousness, according to authorities. Both had to be cut from the wreckage. A young girl in the back seat was not hurt. A formal criminal case is being prepared and will be sent to the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office for review.