The jury found Singleton guilty of Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B felony, and Possession of Precursors, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Maintaining a Common Nuisance as Class D felonies.
Three Sent to the Hospital in Chain Reaction Crash
A chain reaction accident sent three to a Plymouth hospital for evaluation.
The accident happened Wednesday afternoon on Michigan road south of 3rd Road in Plymouth. George Mosley of Plymouth told an officer with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department that he was traveling on the road when the sun got into his eyes and didn’t see an ambulance stopped in front of him. He rearended the ambulance, who in turn rearended another vehicle driven by Suzanne Mauro, also of Plymouth. They had been stopped in the roadway waiting on a school bus that was dropping off children.
The driver of the ambulance, Megan Houston, of Walkerton, a passenger in the ambulance and Mauro were transported to the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth to be evaluated.
Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Investigating Home Burglary
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is currently looking for information regarding a burglary in the 5000 block of Union Road. The department has reported a burglary took place during the day while the owner was away from home, and police suspect one individual was responsible.
Evidence at the scene suggests one suspect broke into the home and was operating an unknown type of full-size vehicle. The suspect forced entry via a patio door and stole items including a flat-screen RCA TV, jewelry, and two firearms.
Police were notified of the incident at 2:37 p.m. ET on Thursday but have not been able to identify the suspect responsible. As a result, police are looking for help in ascertaining the culprit, and is encouraging anyone with information to contact the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 936-3187.
Local Men Honored for Community Service and Leadership
A Knox man was recently honored with the 2013 Certificate of Distinction award that was presented during the Purdue University Agricultural Alumni Association’s annual fish fry at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.
The award honors those who go above and beyond the call of duty in their work and volunteer work and leadership in organizations associated with agriculture and community service.
Knox School Board to Attend Seminar March 14
The Knox Community School Board received information about an upcoming seminar and presentation by Author Patrick Carr. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said he will be discussing his book “Hallowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America”.
“The book is about how many top students in many high schools leave the community and go to college and never return to the local community. They move on to other places and other parts of the country to find jobs elsewhere. That is a brain drain, as he called it, on the local community. If your top students are leaving, then who’s coming in to replace them?”
Local Legislator Authors Bill for Trafficking, Possessing Cell Phones in Prison
LaPorte Republican State Representative Tom Dermody has authored a House Bill that would place a misdemeanor or felony charge and a fine for anyone possessing or trafficking a cell phone in prison.
Under House Bill 1256, inmates would face a Class A Misdemeanor charge for possession of a cell phone and that inmate could face up to an additional year in prison and up to a $5,000 if convicted. If an inmate is trafficking cell phones, a Class C Felony and a $500-$10,000 fine would be imposed.
Dermody suggested that cell phone trafficking puts employees and other inmates at risk. Cell phones can be used by inmates to harass victims, traffic drugs, monitor staff routine procedures or plan prison escapes.
Motorist Uninjured in Friday Night Wreck
A Winamac man turned a little too soon Friday night and wound up driving off the side of the road. Ronald W. Garrett, 76, was southbound on U.S. 35 just south of Winamac and thought he was turning into Casey’s General Store. He was not injured. Deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office called a tow truck to pull Garrett’s Chevrolet S-10 out of the ditch, and he drove it from the scene.
Two-Vehicle Accident Snarls Traffic on U.S. 30
No injuries were reported in an accident that involved two semis in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop in Starke County early this morning.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and fire crews were called to the scene as one semi was fully engulfed in flames. Traffic was backed up on U.S. 30 for more than an hour as crews investigated the accident.
Photo provided.
16-Year Sentence Given to Child Molestation Suspect in Pulaski Circuit Court
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
Richard Garrison Sentenced to Nine Years in DOC
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.
Financial Aid Night Scheduled at NJ-SP 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
