Three people were taken to IU Health Starke Hospital after a two car accident on U.S. 35 in front of the pawn shop in Knox.
Knox City Police Chief, Clint Norem, said that no visible serious injuries were observed. One car overturned as a result of the accident. Traffic is being detoured around the scene on U.S. 35.
Shelby Thomas pleaded guilty to two counts of Intimidation as Class C felonies in the Starke Circuit Court Thursday. Thomas, 57, admitted to threatening to kill Officers James Upsall and Dave Combs while armed with a 10-inch knife.
The possible penalties for these charges are two to eight years in the Department of Corrections on each count, and Prosecutor Nick Bourff is hoping for a 16-year sentence for Thomas. No plea agreement has been filed, but Bourff has indicated he will dismiss the remaining charges against Thomas, including four counts of Attempted Murder, if victims in the case feel 16 years is a sufficient penalty.
27-year-old Duane Longacre appeared in a St. Joseph County Courtroom yesterday and according to the information given in court, the incident for which he was arrested on Tuesday was the end of a week-long crime spree.
Alex Bradley was found guilty in a jury trial on a charge of Receiving Stolen Property in Starke Circuit Court this week.
He was found guilty of being in possession of a stolen golf cart. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall revoked his bond and he was taken back to the Starke County Jail. He will stay in the jail until his sentencing hearing on February 29th at 11:00 a.m.
The land acquisition process has been completed for the Monterey Bridge project, and hopes are high for bids on the project to be let in spring. The project involves the construction of a new bridge to route traffic away from the Monterey Bridge, which is too small and unsafe for regular traffic but cannot be removed because of its historical nature.
This winter has been a mild one and even though there hasn’t been much snow on the ground, Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall says he and the employees are keeping busy
“We’ve still got plenty of work to do out here,” said Siddall. “We’re cutting brush and patching potholes. With no snow, the holes are forming with the raining and the warming and thawing. We also have gravel roads that are taking a beating because of so much rain and moisture in the ground. It’s tearing them up and we’re having to fix them. I really wish we had the snow instead of this because it makes mud and causes more trouble for a lot of things.”
Forty-four-year-old Todd Fischer of Medaryville was arrested on Saturday, Jan. 28 on preliminary charges of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated when police found him passed out in the driver’s seat of a still-running vehicle.
Police received a call concerning a possible drunk driver on County Road 700 South, and when police went to check it out, they were unable to locate the suspect vehicle—that is, until they received more information and soon found the vehicle traveling on State Road 39. The vehicle pulled into a driveway in the 2700 block of South State Road 39, and the police were able to identify the vehicle as the silver Ford Taurus they had been looking for.
Three North Judson residents were arrested on Wednesday, January 28th after an alleged Burglary incident.
Starke County police received a phone call about a truck parked at a house on 300 East that wasn’t supposed to be there. Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Stephen Wood. Wood and his passenger, David Miller, told police that they were on their way to Miller’s house and the police let them go. The officer visited the witness who said that while the officer was conducting the traffic stop, a man, later identified as James Keller, was running southbound on 300 East. The officer got back into his car and found the suspect in the woods by using his thermal imager. A K9 unit was used to find him in the woods and he was taken into custody without further incident. Evidence at the scene suggested that he had stolen some items from a residence nearby.
A new Veterans Therapeutic Center will be opening in Plymouth this summer.
The center will be housed in a 10,000 square foot facility at 2112 Jim Neu Drive and it will be available as a therapeutic outlet for area veterans. Active military guard and reserve members and their immediate families in Starke, Marshall and surrounding areas will be able to utilize the services.
A Plymouth man who lead police on a pursuit in Mishawaka and South Bend Tuesday will be in court today to face several charges.
Duane Longacre, 27, has been charged with two counts of Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of Precursors, Possession of Two or More Precursors, Motor Vehicle Theft and Carrying a Handgun without a Permit. He has two $5,000 bonds and he is in the St. Joseph County Jail.
He will appear in court this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET in South Bend to enter a plea on those charges.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed the right to work bill into law yesterday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. ET.
The bill was passed after 40 hours of testimony, debate and discussion over House Bill 1001. The law prohibits a business and a union from agreeing to charge fees to nonunion employees for union-provided representation and grievance services. Governor Daniels said the bill will bring jobs and opportunity for the young citizens of the state and for all of those looking for a better life.
A tax levy referendum will appear on the May Primary ballot for voters in the Oregon and Davis Townships in Starke County.
The referendum is asking voters to approve a property tax rate increase to help create more funds to keep the school corporation operating the way it is now. The increase will not exceed $.19 on each $100 of assessed valuation and it will be in addition to all other property tax levies imposed by the School Corporation.
Changes in state funded vaccines has changed operations at the Starke County Health Department.
Health Nurse Frank Lynch says that as of February 1st, the Health Department will no longer be able to provide vaccinations for those who have private insurance that covers vaccines.
Golf Carts Midwest, formerly Windy City Golf Carts, is moving out of Knox after being a viable business for over 30 years. Owner, Ed Arnold, talks about the departure of the business.
You have until Tuesday, February 14th to register your landline or cell phone numbers on Indiana’s Do Not Call list.
If you sign up before the deadline, you should see a reduction in calls or texts on April 1.
If you have already registered, you do not need to re-register. To sign up or to confirm a number is already on the list, visit this website or call (888) 834-9969.
The North Judson-San Pierre High School Drama Department is looking for you to participate in this month’s production of Les Miserables.
Choir Director, Donna Ness, is looking for singers of all ages to participate in the Les Miserable chorus. Sign-up will be on Thursday, February 16th at 5:00 p.m. You will be required to give information about yourself and pay $10 for a cast t-shirt. Rehearsal that night will be from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. You will need to attend additional rehearsals February 21st-23rd from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
A Plymouth man is in jail after he led police on a wild chase in South Bend and Mishawaka yesterday.
South Bend police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 27-year-old Duane Longacre at 25th Street and Mishawaka Avenue in South Bend.
South Bend Police said they recognized the car as a stolen vehicle out of Marshall County. Police also found that he was wanted in Marshall County for two stolen cars and a handgun. Longacre didn’t stop and led police on a short police chase.
The Right to Work Bill has come down to one last vote to take place today, and the outcome is all but certain. If the bill is passed, Indiana will be the only state in the industrial Midwest with this kind of law.
The bill, House Bill 1001, is almost guaranteed to pass on Wednesday, since an identical bill was approved by the Senate earlier this year, 28-22, and Senate President Pro Tem David Long is confident he has the votes necessary for the bill to pass.
A Knox man was arrested after a search warrant was conducted at his home Monday.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a call Sunday about a burglary incident in the east 100 block of 400 South. The victim told police that a gun, a television and prescription medication were stolen.
After an investigation, detectives from the Sheriff’s Department applied for a search warrant for Jacob Hanselman’s residence at 309 Ruthie Dr. Apt. A-1 in Knox. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall approved the search warrant. On Monday, officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Knox City Police Department executed the search warrant where they reportedly found items that had been reported stolen.
Facing eleven charges, four of which are Class A felonies, Shelby Thomas appeared in the Starke Circuit Court for a plea hearing. Defense Attorney Richard Ballard and Prosecutor Nick Bourff previously told the court that they plan to resolve the matter without the need of a jury trial, which was set for February 8th.
