Governor Mike Pence issued a statement on Thursday noting that this winter storm will make travel challenging for everyone. Pence assures that all officials will be monitoring road conditions and the weather and will respond with all available resources. The governor encourages all drivers in affected areas to avoid unnecessary travel and allow room for snow plow drivers to work.
Officers responded to 77 accident calls, 128 animal calls, 786 citizen/business/house checks, 35 assault and battery calls, 95 drug and alcohol activity calls, 109 family and juvenile disturbance calls, 69 mischief and vandalism calls, 99 theft/conversion calls, conducted 673 traffic stops and responded to hundreds of various situations. In all, 3,499 calls were handled by the North Judson Police Department.
In other statistics from 2013, 232 total reports were written, 146 ordinance tickets were given to residents, 452 traffic warnings were given to motorists and 110 adults arrests were made.
For weekly information, visit the police reports section on www.wkvi.com.
During cold weather, you should stay indoors as much as possible and limit your exposure to the cold;
dress in layers and keep dry; check on family, friends, and neighbors who are at risk and may need additional assistance; and know the symptoms of cold-related health issues such as frostbite and hypothermia and seek medical attention if health conditions are severe.
Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells has not yet received the preliminary autopsy results in the case of Isaiah Lincoln Grounds. Rannells assured WKVI News that information will be released as soon as he reviews the results.
An autopsy to determine Grounds’ cause of death was conducted Dec. 26. Rannells was able to rule out homicide, but the manner that caused Grounds’ death is under investigation.
Grounds’ body was found in a ditch near his home in Grovertown on Dec. 23. He was last seen on Dec. 9.
According to witness accounts, LaPorte police learned that a man driving a white van jumped a concrete parking stop, ran over the sidewalk and struck the front store windows causing damage.
According to the report, on Saturday, Dec. 28 at around 6:33 p.m., LaPorte police responded to the area of Maple Tree Apartments at 1405 W. 18th St. in response to a request from Michigan City Police to be on the lookout for a red Dodge pickup truck that was involved in a hit-and-run accident in their area.
Judge Robert O. Bowen accepted a plea agreement between Marie Graham’s defense attorney and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Nelson Chipman where Graham will spend 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to a charge of Manufacturing Methamphetamine, a Class B felony. Two years of the sentence was suspended and purposeful incarceration was also included in the final agreement. For her guilty plea, charges of Conspiracy, Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of Paraphernalia were dismissed.
On Wednesday, LaPorte police were responding to a noise complaint when they saw a Chevy Blazer disabled in the snow in front of Red Carpet Liquors. When officers turned around to check the vehicle, the driver was attempting to dislodge the stuck vehicle but was only spinning the vehicle’s tires in the snow. As officers approached the vehicle, the driver, later identified as a 15-year-old male, ran from the vehicle and police gave chase. A perimeter was set and the suspect was located inside Soldier’s Memorial Park and taken into custody.
According to the report, the victim told police she heard a loud noise and the power went out. Shortly afterward, the victim said her children alerted her to a fire in the basement. She went to investigate and said she saw flames coming from the breaker panel and immediately called 911. The family was able to exit the home safely with no reported injuries.
The fire remains under investigation.
The commissioners reappointed the following department heads: Pam Schweizer-Betz as veterans service officer, Jim Wenino as the head of the department of weights and measures, Clyde Avery as Emergency Management Agency director, Doug Masterson as the head of building maintenance, Gary Masterson as head of maintenance at the county jail facility, Michael Marshall as IT director, Linda Rippy as the museum director, and Jim Clevenger as the county attorney.
Chuck DeWitt was reappointed as the building commissioner on a vote of two-to-one with Deb Griewank voting no. Neal Haeck was reappointed as the highway superintendent on a vote of two-to-one with commission president Kevin Overmyer voting no.
Anyone who wishes to dispose of their natural Christmas tree may do so by putting it at the curb where they would normally put any brush in the summer months. Please be sure all ornaments and tinsel are removed.
You can also dispose of your tree in the city’s compost drop-off pile located behind City Hall. The garbage contractors will not pick up disposed natural Christmas trees.
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a 20 year prison sentence for Anthony Eugene Fields.
A Marshall County jury found Fields guilty of several methamphetamine-related charges and Judge Robert O. Bowen sentenced Fields to the maximum sentence allowed under the law. A 20-year sentence was handed down on the charge of Manufacturing Methamphetamine while the sentences for several Class D felonies ran concurrently to the manufacturing methamphetamine charge.
Treasurer Kasey Clark stated that if the taxes aren’t paid, those affected will be eligible for tax sale next year. Some will be turned over to collection in June as they are personal property taxes. 1,599 bills are not paid. According to Clark, around $80,000 a year is turned over to a collection agency where approximately 15 percent is collected on that each year.
