Kayakers in Marshall County made a grisly discovery last night. They found an adult male’s body in the Yellow River off the end of Lynn Drive in Plymouth, according to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV. Continue reading
Indiana Conservation officers have not been able to locate Ron Wood, Jr. who went missing in Lake Michigan Saturday night.
Sgt. Shawn D. Brown from the DNR Law Enforcement Division said the United States Coast Guard and DNR officers responded to the an a mile off the shore of Mount Baldy in the Valparaiso area after a report came in of struggling swimmers. Knox High School graduate, Ron Wood, Jr., 29, jumped into Lake Michigan after some swimmers became separated from the boat and were struggling to stay afloat. A nearby boat came to help as well as members of the Coast Guard who were able to save all swimmers with the exception of Wood, Jr.
This weekend only, Hoosiers have the opportunity to fish without a fishing license. The Department of Natural Resources has declared all Indiana waters okay to fish in with no license on June 7 and 8. To celebrate free fishing weekend Tippecanoe River State Park in Winamac is hosting a plethora of special events. Continue reading
Indiana Conservation officers are continuing in their search for 29-year-old Ron Wood, Jr.
Wood, a Knox High School graduate, went missing after jumping into Lake Michigan Saturday night to attempt to rescue struggling swimmers who drifted from their boat a mile off shore. All swimmers were rescued by the US Coast Guard and nearby boaters except for Wood who remains missing.
Boater education courses are planned for June 14 and July 19 in Starke County. If you successfully complete the class, you will be given an Indiana ID which allows you to operate motorboats on state waters. These IDs can be obtained by anyone 15 years of age and older.
Indiana Conservation Officers offer the first class on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association (BLPOA) Community Center at 6996 S. State Road 10. The second class will be on Saturday, July 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the Koontz Lake Homeowners Association Clubhouse at 10896 Cherokee in Walkerton.
A Memorial Day accident on Bass Lake sends two people to the hospital. A personal watercraft driven by Jeremy Hershman, 33, of Willets, Calif. hit a watercraft operated by Amanda Marsh, 26, of North Judson, at a right angle, according to a news release from the DNR. Both were thrown into the water. Marsh was able to right her craft and drive it back to the shore. A boater helped Hershman into a pontoon boat and took him to shore for treatment. Starke County EMS took both to IU Health Starke Hospital. Marsh was treated for minor injuries and released. Hershman suffered broken ribs, fractured vertebrae and fluid on the lungs. He was transferred to Memorial Hospital of South Bend for additional treatment. Both Marsh and Hershman were wearing life jackets when the crash occurred. It’s still under investigation.
DNR officials remind boat owners and passengers to stay safe on the water this summer. Lt. Kenton Turner is Indiana’s boating law administrator. He says everybody on board should wear a life jacket. Often accidents can happen too fast to get to a jacket that is stowed away. Also, Turner says passengers should never sit on the sides of a motorboat while it is in motion. If you’re planning to tow a skier or tuber, make sure you have an observer. Always pay attention to marker buoys and idle zone restriction areas. Navigational lights and anchor lights should be used between sunset and sunrise. All inland lakes in Indiana have a nighttime speed limit of 10 miles-per-hour. Alcoholic beverages should be consumed in moderation. Turner says .08 is Indiana’s legal limit.
The Handbook of Indiana Boating Laws and Responsibilities is available online at http://www.boat-ed.com/indiana/handbook/. It can also be downloaded to an eReader.
The Starke County Commissioners ask that any lakefront residents with questions about access rights put their concerns in writing so they can be researched and addressed. Specifically they want to know the problem and proposed resolution so the county attorney can advise whether the options they are considering are viable.
The Department of Natural Resources has disbursed grants totaling nearly $520,000 to fight invasive aquatic vegetation in Indiana’s lakes.
Lake users will benefit from efforts to control or manage aggressive non-native species, including Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, and starry stonewart that can take over and clog lakes.
Indiana conservation officers will teach the free course which is open to all. Students are required to preregister online at www.indianahuntereducation.com.
The photo contest celebrates Historic Preservation Month in May. Photographers are encouraged to take pictures of their favorite historic resource — from buildings, to bridges, to cemeteries and landscapes. Subject matter must be at least 50 years old and in Indiana.
New hunters who want to learn about turkey hunting are invited to sign up for a free workshop put on by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources at the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area. “Hunt, Fish, Eat: Wild Turkey” is part of the ongoing “Hunt, Fish, Eat” program that is run by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife and teaches self-reliance. The program is free.
The season runs Feb. 1-15 in 30 counties: Steuben, LaGrange, Elkhart, St. Joseph, La Porte, Starke, Marshall, Kosciusko, Noble, DeKalb, Allen, Whitley, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Hendricks, Marion, Hancock, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby, Vermillion, Parke, Vigo, Clay, Sullivan and Greene.
A Kewanna man accused of fatally shooting a friend in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun during a 2012 hunting trip in rural Fulton County faces multiple felony charges. Indiana Conservation Officers and Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Matthew Carlson, 25, at his residence Wednesday night. He’s charged with reckless homicide and criminal recklessness as C felonies as well as a D felony offense of criminal recklessness. The charges stem from the Sept. 30, 2012 shooting death of Kenneth Moore, 28, of Rochester. Investigators say the men were hunting together on private property north of Rochester with another adult male and a 12-year-old boy. Information released shortly after the incident occurred indicates the hunting party split into two groups, and Moore and the boy walked into an adjacent cornfield. Shortly afterward, Carlson picked up the gun and shot Moore in the head. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Woodlawn Hospital in Rochester.
A Walkerton man is hospitalized in Indianapolis following an accident involving a grenade launcher at a private shooting range in Marshall County yesterday. Kevin Patterson, 41, of Walkerton, was firing a starburst grenade round from an AR-15 platform rifle when it detonated in the launch tube under the rifle barrel, according to officials with the DNR. Conservation Officer Corporal Ashlee Jackson describes the round as similar to an aerial firework. Patterson was taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment of injuries to his arm. Officers from the DNR, Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police responded.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has announced they will recognize current and former military members, encourage volunteerism and offer nature activities as part of this year’s National Public Lands Day, celebrated on Sept. 28. Active-duty military personnel and veterans can enter Indiana state park and reservoir properties as well as Deam and Starve Hollow state recreation areas for free on that day only. The free admission extends to anyone in the same vehicle.
