The Pulaski County Sheriff’s office will host a trick or treat event tomorrow night. A contest with prizes for the top three costumes will be offered. Continue reading
Trick or Treat Night at Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office
“Murder Victim” Found Alive, Three Arrested on Drug Charges
A report of a possible murder victim stashed underneath a trailer north of Winamac turned out to be a false alarm after the person was found safe in Starke County. Yesterday morning two men went to the Starke County Sheriff’s Office, told officials there they had spent the night at the trailer, and people in the house had discussed the murder. Continue reading
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Searching for Stolen Truck
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a truck from a property west of Winamac. A bronze 1994 three-quarter ton Chevrolet truck was stolen from the area of State Road 14 and 400 West sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. Monday, according to a news release. The truck has tube step sides, a sticker on the tailgate that reads “Get Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” and a Bass Master sticker in the window. The truck’s license plate number is TK181MCC. If you see the truck, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office at 574-946-3341 or contact the closest law enforcement agency.
Driver Misses Curve, Goes to Jail
A Knox woman wound up in the Pulaski County Jail Sunday night after driving off a rural Pulaski County road into a field. The sheriff’s office got a call around 5:30 p.m. of a red Buick in a field near 1450 West and 100 North. The caller was concerned because neither of the people in the car were moving. The deputy who came out to investigate ended up arresting Christene Shepherd, 40, of Knox for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia. Neither she nor her passenger were injured.
LaPorte County Fugitive Faces Charges in Pulaski County
A passenger in a car that was stopped for speeding early Sunday morning on U.S. 421 at 300 South in Pulaski County is wanted in LaPorte County and now faces charges in Pulaski County as well. Manuel Cooper, Jr., 23, of Bauxite, Ark. was picked up on a theft warrant from LaPorte County. Officers at the Pulaski County Jail discovered he was in possession of a Schedule II controlled substance without a prescription. Formal charges are pending. He’s still in the Pulaski County Jail.
Motorist Hospitalized After Head-On Collision
Deputies from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a head-on collision that occurred on 421 near the White County line around 3:30 Sunday morning. A 2007 Infiniti driven by Louis Ramiro of Monon was northbound, apparently swerved left of center and hit a 2008 Dodge driven by Phillip D. Carlson, 49, of Francesville. Carlson and his wife, Lori, 47, both refused treatment at the scene. Ramiro cut his head and was taken to the Jasper County Hospital for treatment. It’s uncertain at this time whether he was driving under the influence.
Pulaski County Fugitive Surrenders After Seeing Facebook Post
A fugitive wanted by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office turned herself in last night after being featured on a wanted poster on the department’s Facebook page. Lisa L. Wilson, 27, was wanted for failure to appear, never a valid license and failure to sign, carry, display registration. Her photo and information were posted on the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana Facebook page on Thursday, March 13 and shared 14 times. Continue reading
Winamac Police Officer Rescues Unconscious Woman from Burning Car
A Winamac woman is alive this morning thanks to the quick response from a Winamac Police Officer on patrol. Mark Hoffman was southbound on U.S. 35 just before midnight last night and saw a vehicle on fire near County Road 50 East. Hoffman called the Pulaski County Dispatch Center and requested fire and EMS assistance and approached the SUV, where he saw an unconscious woman inside. Continue reading
Fire Truck Crashes En Route to Call
Three Medaryville Volunteer Firefighters were taken to Pulaski Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries after their truck hit a patch of black ice Saturday morning on County Road 175 North just west of County Road 1400 West, struck a NIPSCO pole and came to a stop in a field. They were responding to a report of an INDOT snow plow truck that had caught fire on northbound State Road 39 just south of County Road 200 North. Plow driver Jimmy Collins, 26, of Winamac, came upon a large snow drift as he was heading north, and his plow got stuck. Collins got out of the truck to get a tow chain and saw that the rear tandems were on fire. The small fire extinguisher in the cab of the truck was no match for the high wind that was fanning the flames. The plow truck was a total loss, according to the accident report from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. The fire truck sustained repairable damage.
Passenger Injured in Pulaski County Rollover Wreck
A Winamac man was taken to Pulaski Memorial Hospital by ambulance after being involved in a Saturday morning rollover wreck northwest of Winamac. A deputy from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office discovered the crash on County Road 200 North just west of County Road 450 West around 11:30 a.m. Lisa Vonville, 45, of Winamac, reportedly hit a patch of black ice and lost control of her 2005 Buick Rainer sport utility vehicle. It rolled over at least once before landing upright in a field, according to the crash report. Charles Vonville, 59, was a passenger in the truck. He complained of pain in his knee, lower leg, foot and head.
Bank Robbery Suspects Arrested in Pulaski County
The man authorities say robbed the First National Bank of Monterey at gunpoint Monday afternoon and his alleged female accomplice are jailed in Pulaski County. Scott Randall Freeman, 34, and his girlfriend, Michelle Marie Riley, 29, both of rural Winamac, were arrested last night, according to Pulaski County Sheriff Mike Gayer. Officers from the Pulaski, Starke, Marshall and Fulton County Sheriff’s Departments and the Indiana State Police responded to the 1:30 p.m. call. Witnesses told them the gunman was wearing a maroon ski mask and a Carhart jacket when he entered the bank brandishing a long-barreled revolver and demanding cash. He fled north in a silver Chevrolet Impala without a license plate, according to witnesses. Investigators gathered statements and used surveillance recordings to identify the suspects. Formal charges are pending.
Officers Serve Forgery Warrant, Make Three Drug Arrests
A Winamac man who reportedly tried to hide in a closet in order to avoid a trip to jail is behind bars on a $35,000 bond. An officer from the Winamac Police Department responded to a tip that Keith L. Campbell, 44, of Winamac, was at an apartment on Franklin Street last night. Campbell was wanted on two counts of forgery as a C felony. Continue reading
North Judson Man Arrested Following Standoff
An hour-long standoff between police and a wanted man outside a home in Born’s Trailer Park east of North Judson ended peacefully this afternoon. Detective Kenny Pfost with the Starke County Sheriff’s Office says officers tried to serve warrants on Shannon Watts for probation and parole violations. Pfost adds officers were told there were weapons inside the residence. Watts refused to come out of the trailer, so the officer who initially responded requested assistance from the SWAT team. Pfost says six officers surrounded the trailer while other members staged at the rest park on State Road 10 at county road 250 West. Continue reading
Francesville Man Formally Charged in Thursday Shooting Incident
The Francesville man accused of shooting his wife in the arm during an argument late Thursday night is charged with criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon resulting in serious bodily injury. That’s the official charge filed against Barry Danford, 50, by Pulaski County Prosecutor Stacey Mrak. The injury to Rhonda Danford, 55, was not life threatening, and she was treated at Pulaski Memorial Hospital. Barry Danford left the scene of the shooting before the police arrived. Members of the SWAT team fanned out across the area in search of him but were unsuccessful in tracking him down. Danford surrendered Saturday afternoon at the Pulaski County Justice Center and was booked into the jail just after 4 p.m. The charge is a C felony, which is punishable by up to eight years in prison.
Shooting Suspect Turns Himself In
The suspect in Thursday’s late night shooting at a Francesville residence surrendered Saturday afternoon at the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. Barry Danford, 50, of Francesville, was booked into the jail just after 4 p.m. He reportedly shot his wife, Rhonda Danford, 55, in the arm during an argument. She called the police, but her husband left before they showed up. Rhonda Danford’s injury was not life-threatening, and she was taken to Pulaski Memorial Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, SWAT team members fanned out across the area in search of Barry Danford but were unsuccessful in tracking him down. Charges are pending.
Pulaski County Sheriff Says Register Your Valuables Through ReportIt
Pulaski County Commissioners Vote to Support Policy Change for Deputies
The Pulaski County Council and Commissioners will consider a controversial policy change during a joint meeting next week. Deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office contend they lost vacation and personal time when the county switched to calculating them by hours instead of days. That’s because they work 12-hour shifts, while most other county employees work seven hours per day. Continue reading
ISP Touts Success of Drug Take Back Event
Medaryville man arrested on drug charges
A Medaryville man who reportedly left the scene of a property damage accident faces drug charges after authorities caught up with him at a gas station there. The crash occurred on U.S. 421 at County Road 200 North in Pulaski County Monday night. Officers from the Medaryville Police Department and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office found 32-year-old Russell Kevin Risner a short time later at the Family Express Station. His speech was slurred, his balance was poor and he failed several field sobriety tests, according the arrest report. He consented to a portable breath test and a blood draw and was taken to Pulaski Memorial Hospital. While there, a sheriff’s deputy reportedly found a yellow pill in Risner’s inside coat pocket. Hospital staff advise he tested positive for the presence of an anti-anxiety medication and marijuana. Formal charges are pending.
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.
