Knox Man Sentenced to 14 Years in DOC

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

A Knox man received his sentence in the Starke Circuit Court this week after he pleaded guilty to Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B felony and two counts of Neglect of a Dependent, Class C felonies.

Police arrested 35-year-old Gregory Tolson on Oct. 2 after an investigation over the course of several months. Police executed a search warrant at the home and found methamphetamine, several precursors, paraphernalia, and several methamphetamine labs, as well as two young children in the home near the toxic fumes. Tolson was arrested alongside Cherie Tolson and Nathan Vermilyer who faced similar charges, and the Indiana Department of Child Services arrived on the scene took possession of the two children.

Tolson was sentenced to 14 years in the Department of Corrections with two years suspended.

Several Police Agencies Arrest Three in Plymouth

Posted on Author WKVI

A joint investigation conducted by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and the Warsaw Drug Task Force resulted in the arrest of three people on methamphetamine.

A search warrant was conducted at 14390 3rd Road just outside LaPaz on Thursday evening by officers from the Undercover Narcotics Investigation Team, Warsaw Drug Task Force, Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police troopers. The search resulted in the discovery of items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

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Knox Council Approves Budget Reductions

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council this week approved two budget reductions in response to cuts from the state. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained that two city budgets suffered from cuts at the state level: the Motor Vehicle Highway Fund, with a balance of $413,131, was cut by $24,536; and the Park Department’s budget was also cut by $11,135 for a total budget amount of $146,358.

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Winamac Woman Arrested on a Possession Charge

Posted on Author WKVI

A Winamac woman was arrested Tuesday after police found her in possession of controlled substances.

A Pulaski County deputy was following a car driven by Teresa McDaniel that was reportedly crossing the center line. She then turned into a driveway until the officer passed and then turned around. The officer did the same thing and followed her again. She was then pulled over for speeding in a 30 mph zone.

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Knox School Board Recognizes Fundraising Efforts by the Cheerleaders

Posted on Author WKVI

Superintendent A.J. Gappa
The Knox Community School Board recognized the Knox cheerleaders during their meeting this week. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the girls raised a good amount of money for charity.

“Mrs. Hazelton brought in five of her cheerleaders who talked about the efforts that they made for the American Cancer Society last fall,” said Gappa. “They made over $1,800 to donate to the cancer fund.”

Gappa added that most of the money was collected in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Culver Community Schools Looking to Buy Two Buses

Posted on Author WKVI

Culver Community School Superintendent, Brad Schuldt
The Culver Community School Board this week gave their approval for the school to advertise for the purchase of two new school buses as part of their routine bus rotation schedule. Superintendent Brad Schuldt explained that this process is generally taken care of in the spring to allow the school to purchase two new buses over the summer.

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Marshall County Police Investigate Hit and Run Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department detectives are looking for a suspect in a hit and run accident on Jan. 16.

Deputies responded to a two vehicle accident at North Michigan Road and 7B Road. A person driving a black Jeep Cherokee made a U turn at 7B Road to go south on Michigan Road when the vehicle hit another driven by Stephen Sabo of South Bend. Damage was done to the right rear of the victim’s SUV.

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Plymouth Manufacturer Closes Doors Suddenly; Employees Terminated

Posted on Author WKVI

A precision tubular product manufacturer in Plymouth released a statement yesterday announcing that they have been forced to close their doors due to a lack of funding from their senior lender.

Whitley Products announced that their lender has refused to provide the necessary funding required for the business to continue operations, forcing the business to terminate operations and all of their employees, passing possession and control of all of their operating assets to Keltic Financial Partners.

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Fire Destroys Home of Winamac Family

Posted on Author WKVI

An early Monday morning fire destroyed the home of a Winamac family and now they’re in need of help.

Winamac Fire Chief Bill Weaver explained that the fire department was called to the Kevin Taylor home at 411 W. Main Street at about 5:50 a.m. ET. Taylor, his wife and two children made it out of the house safely before the fire department arrived at the scene.

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Culver School Board Soon to Make Staffing Cuts

Posted on Author WKVI
Culver Community School Superintendent, Brad Schuldt

The Culver School Board this week went through some tough discussion regarding reductions in force for the end of this year, which Superintendent Brad Schuldt described as a necessity due to funding cuts from the state. Schuldt explained that over the course of time since 2010, $1.7 million has been trimmed back from their General Fund due to cuts from the state and as a result, the board will have to make some staff reductions.

Treasurer Tom Bendy presented financial information to the board that highlighted the cuts and emphasized the need to cut back on spending. As a result, the board began to work on establishing financial goals and how many expenses would have to be reduced; however, Schuldt explained the board did not discuss any details regarding individual buildings or possible positions to be cut.

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Starke County Forester Seeks Reimbursement for Forest Maintenance

Posted on Author WKVI
Bruce Wakeland

The Starke County Commissioners cleared up some confusion regarding expenses and claims for the Starke County Forest. Forester Bruce Wakeland approached the commissioners and asked how he should handle reimbursements when paying out-of-pocket for small maintenance expenses at the forest.

Wakeland previously donated a 129-acre parcel of land to the county that he manages as part of Wakeland Forestry Consultants. The land, located on State Road 8, was designated as the Starke County Forest, funded by selling timber as opposed to gate fees and county funds.

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Pulaski Commissioners Approve Inspection Contract for Monterey Bridge

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Terry Young, and Tracey Shorter

The Pulaski County Commissioners this week signed a revised contract for the inspection of the Monterey Bridge. Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners this week that the original construction cost estimate came in at around $1.55 million, but the bids came in lower than expected, prompting a new revision to the inspection contract with a lower price.

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School Messenger Program Now Running at Knox Schools

Posted on Author WKVI

The Knox Community School Corporation’s School Messenger program is now up and running. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the program will be helpful in alerting students, staff and parents about school emergencies.

“That’s the service that will report, by text message and email, school messages such as school delays or closings or other important information that would come from the school,” said Gappa.

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IACP Names Senator Arnold Legislator of the Year

Posted on Author WKVI
Senator Jim Arnold

Democrat State Senator Jim Arnold of LaPorte was named Legislator of the Year by the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police for providing outstanding service to the law enforcement community while serving as a state senator.

Arnold said that there are several issues that are important to him as he has personal experience serving as the LaPorte County Sheriff and 36 years in law enforcement.

Since joining the State Senate in 2007, Sen. Arnold has pushed several legislative initiatives in support law enforcement. In 2009, he successfully sponsored House Bill 1331 which requires all active duty officers be provided torso body armor regardless of local budget constraints.

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Plymouth Schools Now in Session

Posted on Author WKVI

Plymouth Schools are now in session after being placed on a two-hour delay for an alleged bomb threat that was reported at Plymouth High School.

The alleged threat was found on the wall of the boy’s bathroom yesterday afternoon stating that a bomb would go off in the high school library today at 12:30.

The Superintendent’s office has confirmed that the Plymouth Police Department did not find any evidence of a bomb and a thorough search conducted by the Indiana State Police and their bomb sniffing dogs this morning found nothing.

Additional police officers are present to provide extra security at the school corporation.

LaPorte Police Arrest Three on Drug-Related Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Sebraina Hutson
Adam Tener
Karey Swerdersky

Three people have been charged in a methamphetamine lab operation investigation in LaPorte.

LaPorte Police Department officers and investigators from the Indiana Department of Child Services were called to a mobile home park in reference to a child welfare call. When police arrived at the home, they smelled strong chemical odors which led them to believe a meth lab was in the residence.

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