Medaryville Man Sentenced For Stalking, D Felony

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Courthouse

A Medaryville man was sentenced on an amended charge of Stalking as a Class D Felony in Pulaski Circuit Court on Monday.

Matthew Sizemore pleaded guilty to the charge and Judge Michael Shurn sentenced Sizemore to 18 months in the Pulaski County Jail. Six months of the sentence shall be executed on home detention through the Cass/Pulaski Community Corrections Program as long as Sizemore is eligible for the program. Twelve months of the sentence will then be suspended. He was given credit for 103 days served. He was initially arrested on this charge in July.

As part of his sentence, Sizemore will need to complete an inpatient or outpatient evaluation and was recommended to seek treatment at the Duluth Model Domestic Violence Treatment as directed by probation. A no-contact order remains with the victim in this case. Another count of stalking was dismissed as part of the plea agreement with the state.

Pulaski County Man Arrested On Possession, Residential Entry Charges

Posted on Author WKVI

A Pulaski County man was arrested Tuesday after he reportedly broke into a home in North Judson.

A North Judson police officer followed a suspicious vehicle and it stopped at a trailer on Airstream Drive in North Judson. Police asked the suspect, Daniel Allen, why he was at the trailer and he said he had just gotten done fishing and he was going to his brother’s home that was next door. Allen was asked if he had permission to be in the home. Allen told police that the home is owned by the family and he was in there because it was windy and waiting for a ride. The officer was aware that the home belonged to a person incarcerated in the Starke County Jail. Police called the jail and asked the homeowner if Allen was allowed in the home and the inmate said no.

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DNR Introduces New Online Tool

Posted on Author WKVI

The Department of Natural Resources has introduced a new online tool called Check IN Game program. Conservation Officer Keith Wildeman says hunters can now check in harvested deer and turkeys online.

“They’ll be given a unique number as their tag number. This will alleviate the need to try to find a check station that’s open and the need to drive to another county to find one that’s open to record the metal tag. Those check stations are still currently up and running and the same regulations apply. You need to check a harvested deer within 48 hours and provide the correct information,” said Wildeman.

PCEDF Discusses Business Endeavors in Pulaski County

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County Economic Development Foundation Board earlier this month discussed a number of topics pertaining to business expansion in Pulaski County.

Executive Director Nathan Origer told the board that he had attended the K-IRPC executive commission 2013 budget meeting, and other than a significant decrease to the transportation funds, grant funding would not change much.

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Marshall County Auditor Elected President of AIC Board of Directors

Posted on Author WKVI

Marshall County Auditor Penny Lukenbill is beefing up her resume, this time being elected to the position of President of the Association of Indiana Counties Board of Directors.

The AIC Board of Directors sets rules and regulations as well as legislative goals for the Association of Indiana Counties, a not-for-profit organization established more than 50 years ago to improve county government.

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New State Law Affects Hunting Blinds

Posted on Author WKVI
Keith Wildeman

Several new changes have been put forward this year regarding hunting regulations. Conservation Officer Keith Wildeman says a new law has been enacted concerning hunting out of ground blinds.

“If you’re in a ground blind when hunter orange is required, you need to have a minimum of 144 square inches visible from all sides on a ground blind. That’s just one square foot visible from all sides and this is mainly during the firearms muzzleloader season when you’re required to wear hunter orange,” stated Wildeman.

If you are hunting out of an elevated blind, hunter orange is not required on your blind, but you must still wear hunter orange.

Indiana Schools to Receive Grade Cards Today

Posted on Author WKVI

Hoosier schools will be receiving their grade cards today from the state – this after the release date was pushed back due to questions by school districts as to how the grades were calculated. Public Law 221 requires this grading system for public schools, and an accountability law requires the state to takeover schools that consistently score an “F” on their report card or if they are placed in a probation category for six years in a row.

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Woman Arrested on Warrant for Murder in LaPorte

Posted on Author WKVI

A Crown Point woman was arrested yesterday morning for a murder that happened more than ten years ago. The warrant was issued out of Prescott, Ariz., for first-degree murder.

Indiana State Police Detective Chris Campione worked with the Prescott Police Department to track down Joan Leslie Carpenter, 61 of Crown Point, and located her in LaPorte County. The warrant stems from an investigation into the murder of Carpenter’s husband in June 2002 while the pair resided in Prescott. Shortly after her husband’s murder, Carpenter returned to Indiana, but additional information that had been received by Prescott Police this past year led to the warrant being issued for her arrest.

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Fiery Standoff Comes to Peaceful Close in Marshall County

Posted on Author WKVI

A tense four-hour standoff in Marshall County came to a peaceful conclusion as a man threatened self-immolation in the driveway of his home.

Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, Marshall County police, fire department, and EMS were dispatched to a home on 11B Road just outside of Plymouth, where a man had soaked himself in gasoline before barricading himself in his driveway. He used old lawn mowers and mopeds to form a blockade around himself as he clutched a large lighter, threatening to burn himself alive.

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Knox City Council Approves Five-, Ten-Year Abatements for Reagent

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

Reagent Chemical and Research in Knox will soon be expanding, thanks to a series of tax phase-ins for the company. The Knox City Council at a special meeting last night approved the phase-in for Reagent, allowing the business a five-year deduction for new manufacturing equipment and a ten-year deduction for two real property improvements.

Mayor Rick Chambers explained that this is a mutually-beneficial agreement for both Reagent and the city of Knox.

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Court Hearing For Starke Commissioners, Belork Continued Until Further Notice

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Treasurer Linda Belork assists a customer over the phone

The Starke County Commissioners, Starke County Treasurer Linda Belork and their counsels were to appear in Jasper Circuit Court yesterday for a hearing, but it was continued without a date.

County Attorney Marty Lucas said that the Jasper County prosecuting attorney found that the Starke County Commissioners were in compliance with Judge John Potter’s order when they reopened the Starke County Treasurer’s office and gave Linda Belork full access to all records, computers and keys to the office. The commissioners had previously closed the office because Belork was not working under a surety bond and Judge Potter found that to nullify his order reinstating Belork to office.

Lucas indicated that since Judge Potter’s ruling has been followed, the special hearing was continued.

Three-Vehicle Accident Ends in Arrest of Plymouth Woman

Posted on Author WKVI
Caitlin Masterson

A Plymouth woman was arrested after a three-vehicle accident in Marshall County Saturday afternoon.

Marshall County Sheriff’s officers responded to the scene in downtown Lapaz and found that Caitlin Masterson, 27, was traveling southbound on U.S. 31 and was going to turn left when she pulled into the path of a vehicle driven by 53-year-old Ibro Pucar of South Bend. His car then hit another vehicle exiting the parking lot. He received minor injuries in the accident.

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Starke Co. CADA Celebrates 20 Years of Service

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Coalition Against Domestic Abuse is celebrating its 20th year of service to the community this month. Started in 1992 as a grassroots volunteer organization called the Starke County Alliance Against Domestic Violence, CADA has retained its focus on awareness and education. The group began with staffing information booths at every Starke County fair and festival in an effort to get the word out to residents about the services offered to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

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