Allen Moore, 34 of Knox, admitted to Judge Kim Hall that he did possess a Schedule I Controlled Substance, heroin, when he was arrested on April 4 of this year. At first, he tried to deny that heroin was the controlled substance in his possession, but Judge Hall asked him a series of questions and he admitted that it was heroin in his possession.
“First of all, we want to get out the message of individuals that we have warrants on. We have over 1000 outstanding warrants and we do see a lot of the people that we have warrants are for Failure to Appear warrants for their charges, so to help us in law enforcement, the public are our eyes and ears and we just want to enhance that,” said Chamberlin.
Michael Wireman, 30 of Medaryville, was set to plead guilty in a plea agreement with the state, but he did not satisfy a portion of the terms of that agreement before the sentencing hearing. In the agreement, it stated that the defendant shall be evaluated with written notice of acceptance into the Starke County Community Corrections home detention program and he did not set up an appointment for evaluation.
Moses admitted that he received stolen tools and sold them at First Choice Pawn in Knox. He was arrested on March 29 for the crime. The tools were eventually returned so restitution was not requested in this case.
John King, 19 of Hamlet was wanted on a charge of fraud after he and a female suspect had allegedly stolen money out of the account of an acquaintance of the female suspect in LaPorte. That money was reportedly used to buy drugs.
The participants in the Moving Starke County Forward program have officially walked from the Statue of Liberty, past Hawaii, all the way to Beijing, China. That makes 10,677 miles logged by those involved.
The goal is to go all the way around the world by Sept. 2. Make sure you log your steps every week by calling (574) 772-1272.
Members of the FOP will be helping those students who have been selected to benefit from this program. The store will open early specifically for this endeavor and students can find clothes, backpacks, shoes or any other supplies needed for the start of the new school year. The FOP will be helping 60 children in need this year.
“Kids Closet Ministry is all about kids in need in Starke County. It’s a new ministry that began in the spring that just came from an idea, and so we’re kind of working on it and seeing what we can do,” said Lewandowski.
With the sweltering heat of summer beating down on our backs, the Indiana Department of Child Services is reminding parents to stay alert of the dangers posed by extreme heat on infants, young children, and older youth. While heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that hundreds of people die every year from excessive heat exposure across the country. Infants, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to heat, taking only a matter of minutes to develop complications from exposure to extreme heat.
Twinkies lasted less than 24 hours on the shelves at Five Star in the Knox Mall. The Hostess treats are sold out, but more will be in stock next week. The gooey goodies made their return after a hiatus prompted by last year’s Hostess Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo Global Management purchased the bakery in March for $410 million. CEO C. Dean Metropoulos stated at that time that the company would make $60 million in capital investments to reopen locations throughout this summer, with plans to hire at least 1500 employees to get the snacks back on the shelves.
Amber Lain admitted to Judge Kim Hall that she was in a home in which she lived with Johnny Mullens that had an active methamphetamine lab, precursors and drug paraphernalia in the presence of her son at the time a search warrant was executed at that residence on March 1. She admitted that she purchased ingredients for the manufacture of methamphetamine but never participated in the actual cooking of the harmful drug. She stated that she was usually at work when the drug was made and her son was usually in the home when that activity occurred.
Patricia Vega had agreed to plead guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of Possession of a Legend Drug as a Class D felony. As part of the plea agreement, she would serve 24 months in the Department of Corrections with 12 months suspended to be served on home detention.
Starke County Commissioners have chosen the less expensive premium option for insurance to ensure the county has coverage, but they intend to keep shopping for lower cost alternatives. They finally got rate quotes Monday morning and did not have time to explore other options prior to their meeting that night. Doing nothing wasn’t an option, as the county’s existing policy expires this week. After quite a bit of discussion they chose the policy with a $153,000 annual premium and a $50,000 deductible on all claims, including vehicles. The premium for the other policy is $225,000 per year, and the deductible is $10,000. The premium spike is due to the high number of insurance claims filed by the county over the last five years. It’s unclear whether the county will have to pay a penalty if they find a less expensive policy and cancel this one.
NIPSCO has announced that their Reynolds-Topeka Electric System Improvement Project is now in its Routing Phase as they focus on developing a set of potential routes to take to the public and local communities to allow them to get input for the final route selection. Kathleen Szot, spokesperson for NIPSCO, explained the business was approached by a planning group requesting help.
“NIPSCO has been asked by a regional transmission planner group that oversees the whole Midwest area to help construct a project between Reynolds and Topeka, so running through north central Indiana,” said Szot.
Smith had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony in two separate cases. He admitted to stealing a John Deere Gator, a compressor and a welder from a storage shed in Holland, Mich. and attempting to sell those items in Starke County. A potential buyer believed that the item he was about to purchase was stolen and called the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Smith was subsequently arrested. That occurred in January.
