16-Year Sentence Given to Child Molestation Suspect in Pulaski Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Courthouse
Pulaski County Courthouse

A 16-year sentence was handed down to a man in Pulaski Circuit Court after pleading guilty in a plea agreement with the state to two amended charges of Child Molesting, as a Class C Felony.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn sentenced Michael Mendez to eight years on both counts and those sentences will be served consecutively. He was credited with 266 days of time served.

Mendez will also serve eight years on probation following his release from the Indiana Department of Corrections. He will be bound to the terms of probation which include the Indiana Recommended Special Probation Conditions for Adult Sex Offenders and he will register as a sex offender. A no contact order with the victim remains in place throughout his probation. All other terms of standard probation rules apply.

Culver Board Eyes Spending Cuts

Posted on Author WKVI

Culver Community School Superintendent, Brad Schuldt
Culver Community School Superintendent, Brad Schuldt
The Culver School Board is looking for way to bridge a $500,000 deficit during the next school year. Superintendent Brad Schuldt says the shortfall is a result of cuts in state funding. He said that might be offset by retirements or people leaving for other reasons. The school board passed a resolution this week to set the target expenditure at $500,000. They also passed a resolution stating they will not offer retirement incentives this year. Of the corporation’s 78 teachers, Schuldt says between 10 and 15 are eligible for retirement. If additional reductions in force are necessary, state law requires the school corporation to notify targeted teachers between May 1 and July 1.

Richard Garrison Sentenced to Nine Years in DOC

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse

A man who had been arrested in September when police discovered a methamphetamine lab operation inside a hotel room in Knox received his sentence in the Starke Circuit Court this week. Richard Garrison, Jr., was arrested alongside several others on Sept. 1, 2012, when police arrived at the Super Value Inn to issue an arrest warrant and stumbled upon a room housing active methamphetamine labs, paraphernalia, methamphetamine, and a slew of other drugs.

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Financial Aid Night Scheduled at NJ-SP High School

Posted on Author WKVI
North Judson-San Pierre High School
North Judson-San Pierre High School

A Financial Aid Night is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 11 at the North Judson-San Pierre High School.

A college rep will be present to discuss the financial aid process. Parents will be able to go through the process of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form that must be done online. The deadline to submit the FAFSA form is Sunday, March 10.

This informational session will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT in the North Judson-San Pierre High School Library. Guidance Director Colleen McCarty can help answer any questions about the session. Call her at (574) 896-2158 ext. 225.

Maxinkuckee Players to Select Summer Production

Posted on Author WKVI

The Maxinkuckee Players will be voting this Sunday on this summer’s annual production.

They will be selecting one musical from the following five choices: Sound of Music, Cinderella, My Fair Lady, Oliver, or Willy Wonka.

The members will be meeting at 2:30 p.m. ET to make the selection and will have a call out for a selection of a director for the summer production. The musical will take to the stage in six performances in late July and early August.

Knox City Police Department Drop-off Site for Unwanted Prescription Drugs

Posted on Author WKVI

Knox City Police Department
Knox City Police Department
You can now dispose of your unwanted prescription medication at the Knox City Police Department.

Officers have installed a drop-off container in the lobby at the police department. If you have any unwanted, unused or expired prescriptions, you can safely dispose of those in this bin. A security camera will be monitoring deposits and police will properly destroy the medications.

The drop-off bin is an attempt to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by removing unused and unwanted prescription medication from homes.

The Knox City Police Department is located at 120 N. Shield Street.

State Budget Agency Releases State Revenue Report

Posted on Author WKVI

State revenue collections were up 8.4 percent from this time last year.

The State Budget Agency indicated that sales tax collections totaled $641.6 million for the month of January which is four percent below target, but up almost four percent in collections for the same period last year.

Individual income tax collections were 18 percent above target. Corporate income tax collections totaled $1.1 million for the month, which is 107 percent above target.

Through the first seven months of fiscal year 2013, state general fund revenues have increased four percent which is more than double the rate projected in the December 2012 forecast. January has a surge in individual income tax revenue due to a delay in acceptance of returns by the IRS.

Argos Woman Arrested on Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor

Posted on Author WKVI
Lisa Tincher
Lisa Tincher

Police have announced the arrest of a 29-year-old Argos woman on Tuesday for alleged sexual acts with a 15-year-old boy.

The Plymouth Police Department released a statement Thursday explaining that the department received information concerning the crime on Jan. 29, and after locating the male juvenile victim, he told police the details of the reported sexual activity with 29-year-old Lisa Tincher, who has since been arrested.

Tincher was placed under arrest on Feb. 5, and she reportedly admitted to committing sexual acts with the 15-year-old in October 2012. Tincher is also on probation for burglary and theft in LaPorte County, and now faces charges of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor as a Class B felony. Her bond has been set at $20,000 and she is currently booked into the Marshall County Jail.

Local school wins Thursday “I Love to Read” Challenge

Posted on Author WKVI
WSBT-TV's Krisin Bien reads to Knox Elementary School students.
WSBT-TV’s Krisin Bien reads to Knox Elementary School students.

A reporter and photographer from a South Bend television station paid a visit to Knox Elementary School this morning.WSBT-TV’s Kristin Bien shared a story with the more than 900 students, teachers, faculty members and staff gathered in the Knox Elementary School gym. The school won the station’s Thursday “I Love to Read” challenge with 13,000 votes. Bien said this is quite impressive, as Wednesday’s winner got 7,000 votes. She read the book “Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing” to the students and stressed the importance of reading. Bien also granted an interview to two reporters from “The Redskin Riot”before returning to South Bend.

 

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Postal service annouces end to Saturday mail delivery

Posted on Author WKVI

Saturday mail delivery is going by the way of the pony express. Beginning the week of Aug. 5, the United States Postal Service will no longer deliver letters on Saturdays to customers with street addresses. Spokeswoman Mary Dondo says the postal service will still deliver packages on Saturdays after the change takes effect. Customers with post office boxes can still pick their first class and periodical mail up at their local post office on Saturdays. Surveys indicate an estimated 70 percent of Americans support the change to five-day delivery. Dondo says the postal service has been mandated by its board of governors to find efficiencies in every way they can.

Pulaski County men arrested on drug charges

Posted on Author WKVI

A pair of Pulaski County men are jailed on drug charges following an early morning traffic stop in Medaryville. Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies Mat Anderson and Tyler Campbell initially spotted the men staring them down as they walked into a local gas station just after 4 a.m. Anderson followed their car when they left and stopped them after they reportedly rolled through a nearby stop sign. The driver, 21-year-old Lance E. Nester said he had stopped at the station to get gas, but Anderson noted his gauge registered empty. Additionally, according to Anderson, the car smelled of marijuana. Nester consented to a search of the car, which turned up bags of marijuana, rolling papers and a smoking pipe. Nester and a passenger, 19-year-old Brandon Lee Smith of Medaryville, were arrested. Formal charges are pending.

Indiana’s Sheriffs Respond to Gun Control Issue

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer
Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer

With the increase in focus on gun control, the Indiana Sheriff’s Association recently issued a statement regarding the controversial topic. The statement explained that while the debate over guns and gun control stirs strong feelings throughout the country, Indiana’s sheriffs have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and remain focused on solutions while not accepting any concept that would separate law-abiding citizens from their second amendment rights without due process.

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LaPorte Deputies Arrest Two in Connection With Residential Burglary

Posted on Author WKVI

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department arrested two people in connection with a residential burglary that took place earlier this week. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, police were called to a possible burglary in progress at a home that had been already been burglarized less than two weeks prior.

Around 12:03 p.m., dispatch received a call reporting the burglary at a home in the 1200 North block of Goldring Road. The homeowner called 911 after returning home and discovering items stacked outside the home. Sheriff’s deputies arrived a short while later and confirmed that a burglary had taken place, and a neighbor told police that they had seen two men run north from the victim’s home and disappear into a wooded area.

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Marshall County Stabbing Suspect Still on the Loose

Posted on Author WKVI

police investigation 2

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department continues to actively pursue a suspect in a stabbing incident Friday night.

Brian Tapia of Plymouth is accused of stabbing Aaron Fear in the abdomen after an altercation at a residence in the 19000 block of Lincoln Highway, west of Plymouth, Friday night. Fear was hospitalized in South Bend Memorial Hospital and was expected to fully recover.

Police have been searching for Tapia ever since the incident and need your help in locating him. If you know of the whereabouts of Tapia, call in an anonymous tip to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 936-3187.

Starke Commissioners Approve Mower, Tractor Purchase

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Commissioners this week approved a bid to purchase a new mower for the highway department, which is in new of two new mowers because the current equipment has become worn out. However, there are only enough funds in the highway department’s budget to afford one of the mowers, and not the second, so the commissioners would be responsible for the cost of the second.

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Knox Police Arrest Alleged Burglary Suspect

Posted on Author WKVI

police lights 2A Wabash man was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 29 after he was allegedly seen stealing scrap from a home in Knox.

A neighbor called police to report a burglary in progress at 0208 S. 500 E. and reported seeing the suspect messing with the gutters at the residence before seeing the suspect try to force the garage door open. He reportedly saw him enter the south garage door and then put some items into his truck before leaving the scene. The witness was able to give a description of the vehicle to police.

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Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce Announces Halleck Award Winner

Posted on Author WKVI

A longtime Winamac businessman who is well-known for his generosity has been announced as the recipient of the 2013 Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce H.J. Halleck Award. Former chamber of commerce president David W. Barr owned and operated Winamac Cleaners and Laundry for many years. The business was Winamac’s first laundromat. While at the Chamber, Barr oversaw the groundbreaking for Control Company’s local plant, worked to recruit additional businesses and helped with Santa’s annual arrival and the sidewalk day sales for Winamac businesses. Barr also reactivated the city hostess program and helped to pay off the note on the swimming pool.

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Knox School Board Hires Teacher for New Program at Elementary School

Posted on Author WKVI

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Superintendent A.J. Gappa
A new teaching position is being created at the Knox Community Elementary School and Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the school board hired a teacher for that position Monday night.

“We’re creating a Title One Preschool program at the Knox Elementary School, so the board did approve the transfer of kindergarten teacher, Jana Hazelton, to become the preschool teacher. They also approved the hire of Robyn Griffith to be the preschool paraprofessional in that classroom. Marla Krulik was hired to be the kindergarten teacher to replace Jana Hazelton for the rest of the current school year,” stated Gappa.

We’ll have more on the upcoming preschool program in a future newscast.

Bible Baptist Church Begins Work on Family Life Center

Posted on Author WKVI

Pastor James Adcock
Pastor James Adcock
Families will soon have a new place to go to exercise and stay warm during the winter months as well as the option of attending various classes or activities. Pastor James Adcock of Bible Baptist Church in Knox said the church is working on building a “family life center,” which he said will offer a gymnasium, classes, office space, nursery area, and a warming kitchen.

Adcock said he was inspired to create the center to help people who are unable to travel to Plymouth for the Lifeplex, and he said he wanted to provide an area for people to walk in a warm environment in the colder months.

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