Carjackings End With Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Sheriff's Deputy Bill Dulin and Prosecutor Nick Bourff speak to the media about the June 8, 2014 carjacking and ensuing pursuit.
Starke County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Dulin and Prosecutor Nick Bourff speak to the media about the June 6, 2014 carjacking and ensuing pursuit.

A Starke County man police say carjacked a motorist at gunpoint at Mark Bailey’s Discount Center Friday afternoon led officers from multiple agencies on a high-speed chase through four counties before turning his gun on himself. Officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department will only say the man is 57-years-old. He took the car from the store at 3:41 p.m., according to authorities, and drove it to English Lake, where he left the owner of the first vehicle, stole a second car and fled. Continue reading →

September Trial Date Set for James Campbell

Posted on Author WKVI
James Campbell
James Campbell

An amended date has been set for a trial for James Campbell. A full week will be dedicated for the jury trial beginning Monday, Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. in Starke Circuit Court.

Campbell is charged with arson, a Class A felony, to which he has pleaded not guilty. He is accused of intentionally setting a fire at C&C Salvage at the corner of Toto Road and U.S. 35 south of Knox on Thursday, March 20. Eight fire departments were called to the business to put out the extensive fire.

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Suspected Homemade Explosives Manufacturer Remains at Large

Posted on Author WKVI
Robert L. Ofcky
Robert L. Ofcky

Detectives from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department remain on the lookout for 54-year-old Robert L. Ofcky. He is wanted for possession of an explosive device, a Class C felony.

He fled his home after officers responded to his residence on Monday night regarding a domestic disturbance. Officers reportedly found numerous explosive devices inside the home in the 7200 West block of County Road 125 North in LaPorte County.

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Argos Man Sentenced on Meth Charge

Posted on Author WKVI
John Bobby
John Bobby

An Argos man’s criminal case wrapped up in Marshall County Superior Court 1 after he was sentenced Thursday morning.

John Bobby, 49, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the State to a charge of possession of methamphetamine within a public housing complex. The terms of the agreement called for a ten year sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections on the charge which Judge Robert O. Bowen accepted. Bobby was sentenced to that term with no part of the sentence suspended and he will be able to participate in purposeful incarceration while imprisoned.

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Officers Continue to Search for a Former Knox High School Graduate

Posted on Author WKVI
Crews are searching for Ron Wood, Jr.
Crews are searching for Ron Wood, Jr.

Indiana Conservation officers have not been able to locate Ron Wood, Jr. who went missing in Lake Michigan Saturday night.

Sgt. Shawn D. Brown from the DNR Law Enforcement Division said the United States Coast Guard and DNR officers responded to the an a mile off the shore of Mount Baldy in the Valparaiso area after a report came in of struggling swimmers. Knox High School graduate, Ron Wood, Jr., 29, jumped into Lake Michigan after some swimmers became separated from the boat and were struggling to stay afloat. A nearby boat came to help as well as members of the Coast Guard who were able to save all swimmers with the exception of Wood, Jr.

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Starke County Sheriff’s Office Warns of Scams

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Telephone scammers are at it again. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department has received numerous reports from local residents of a variety of suspicious calls from people seeking to have money wired to them for various reasons. These include winning a Publisher’s Clearinghouse sweepstakes or other prize and having a grandchild in jail. Most of the calls seem to be targeting elderly people. Sheriff’s department officials urge anyone who gets such a call not to send money, no matter how persuasive the person on the other end of the phone is. Continue reading →

Starke County Commissioners Increase Election Meal Allowance

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Starke County Commissioners voted unanimously to increase the meal allowance for Election Day vendors from $25 to $35 per poll worker. That cost covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks. Polls are open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., and workers cannot leave during that time. Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski says she will need an additional $582.14 to cover the expense for the Nov. 4 General Election. She can transfer that money from her postage account. Skronski notes the council will need to consider the added cost when they craft future budgets. Municipal elections will take place next year, and 2016 is a presidential election year.

Repeater Relocation on Hold in Pulaski County

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Pulaski County EMA Director Larry Hoover gave the commissioners an update on the relocation of the county’s repeater.

A repeater is a device that receives radio signals and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power so that the signal can cover longer distances. The repeater is located where the old county highway department building was on the west wide of Winamac on 60 S. That building has since been demolished but the repeater remains there. It was proposed that the repeater be moved to the Pulaski County Justice center to be more centrally located, but as Hoover pointed out to the commissioners the task is a little complicated, lengthy and expensive.

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Home Permits Increase in Marshall County

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Marshall County Commissioners received a positive report from Building Inspector Chuck DeWitt where inspections and permit applications are up.

“We had 105 inspections during April and that is actually more than what he had in the first three months. In May, we did 141. All of the contractors seem to be busy out there and doing well. If you look at the permit values, we were at $1.6 million during April and we are at $3.1 million or $3.2 million for May,” said DeWitt.

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Celebrate Smart This Graduation Season

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Graduation season is in full swing, with more ceremonies tonight and parties throughout the coming weeks to celebrate the class of 2014. Oregon-Davis High School Principal Tim Pletcher is finishing his first year at the school. He recently shared a personal experience with members of the student body about a former student he taught and coached at South Bend Washington High School who was killed by a drunk driver.

“You guys make decisions, you go out, you have a good time, you have fun, and I always tell you the only thing you can control is yourself, your decisions,” Pletcher said. “Well, here’s a kid who was making decent decisions. He was hanging out with his friends. They were enjoying a moment. He was on his way home, but because somebody else made a decision it affected him, and affected his family, his friends, a community and a school.” Continue reading →

Summer Maintenance Scheduled at Knox Schools

Posted on Author WKVI

06-06-14 Summer Renovations for Knox Schools picSince students are finished with classes, summer is the perfect time for renovations at the schools. Particular projects on the agenda for Knox Community Schools are the track repairs and the air conditioners at the middle school. Next week, weather permitting, the Knox High School track will be resurfaced and repainted. During the Monday evening Knox Community School Board meeting the the renewal of the Trane five-year service agreement was unanimously approved. Three air conditioning companies had bids submitted but Trane was the only company that allowed payments to be made over time instead of all at once. The agreement starts June 15. The middle school air conditioners will be shut down for a week in July in order for the compressors for the chillers to be replaced. The board assures this will not interfere with summer school courses.

Mint Festival Pageant Scheduled This Weekend

Posted on Author WKVI

06-06-14 Mint Fest Pageant picNorth Judson-San Pierre High School will be hosting royalty this weekend. The annual Mint Festival Pageant will take place in the auditorium on Sunday, June 8 at 6 p.m. Admission for anyone over preschool age is $5. WKVI General Manager Jerry Curtis will be the master of ceremonies. Local contestants will compete in one of the following categories: Mint King & Queen, Jr. Mint King & Queen, Mint Prince and Princess and Little Miss & Little Mister Mint, depending on their age. The winners will ride in the Mint Festival Parade on Sunday, June 15.

INDOT Reopens State Road 23

Posted on Author WKVI
INDOT closed State Road 23 between Toto Road and Ober yesterday when a sinkhole developed. The Road reopened this morning.
INDOT closed State Road 23 between Toto Road and Ober yesterday when a sinkhole developed. The highway reopened this morning.

State Road 23 between Toto Road and Ober is open to traffic this morning. INDOT closed the highway yesterday afternoon after a sinkhole was discovered in the roadway. Agency officials advise repairs have been made, and the road is once again safe for travel.

Winamac Man Faces Multiple Charges After Domestic Melee

Posted on Author WKVI
Guy Harlan
Guy Harlan

A Winamac man faces multiple charges after police say he beat up his girlfriend and wreaked havoc in the emergency room at Pulaski Memorial Hospital. Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a home in the 600 block of 300 West Monday night by neighbors. When they arrived, they found Guy Harlan, 24, covered in blood splatter standing in the yard, waving his arms and screaming at his girlfriend. According to the police report, Harlan beat and strangled her in front of their young children. She and the kids escaped and ran to the neighbor’s house. Continue reading →

Starke County EMS Finalizing Expansion Proposals

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Starke County EMS Director Paul Matthewson and Council President Dave Pearman hope to have a final recommendation for the county commissioners at their next meeting with regard to expanded paramedic service. They’re still crunching numbers to determine if the county can sustain the additional cost of adding more paramedics and ambulances in order to provide transfers from IU Health Starke Hospital to other facilities. Commissioner Kathy Norem says they need to proceed carefully and make a sound financial decision so as not to incur a huge deficit. She says while offering additional transportation services will increase revenues, overhead costs will go up as well. Money to cover those costs would come from the county’s general fund.

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Payroll Outsourcing Discussion Tabled

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Terry Young and Tracey Shorter
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Terry Young and Tracey Shorter

The Pulaski County Commissioners will hold off on a decision regarding a new method of capturing payroll information.

Auditor Shelia Garling told Commissioners Larry Brady and Terry Young that she’s done a lot of research with outsourcing the payroll. In talking with other auditors, she’s found that it could be a bigger hassle than needed.

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LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department Implements New Phone System

Posted on Author WKVI
LaPorte County Sheriff's Department
La Porte County Sheriff’s Office

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department has made it easier for you to gather information on inmates including charges, bonds, court dates, court locations, and release dates.

The new Automated Information System (AIS) is operational 24 hours a day for any resident to access the information. Inmates are also able to access the same information from jail telephones.

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Local Schools Awarded Money through Secured School Safety Grant Program

Posted on Author WKVI

More than $9 million was approved in grant funding for several local schools through the Secured School Safety Grant Program.

The program gives matching grants to school corporations that request funding to conduct a threat assessment, purchase equipment to restrict access to the school or expedite the notification of first responders, or employ a school resource officer.

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West Central School Board to Meet Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board will meet in regular session tonight where Superintendent Charles Mellon will attend his last regular meeting of the board as superintendent.

Mellon is retiring at the end of the month after many years in the position. High School Principal Don Street will be taking over as superintendent on July 1.

The board members will discuss annual routine items such as book rental fees for the next school year and summer school programs. A discussion on possession of firearms on school property is also on the agenda.

The board will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on at the central office building in downtown Francesville.