A Walkerton man was arrested Sunday after an allegedly battering his girlfriend.
Starke County Sheriff’s Department deputies and Walkerton police officers arrived at a home in the 8200 block of N. Oak Avenue in Koontz Lake after receiving word that a man was battering his girlfriend and a child was present.
A Plymouth man was arrested in the overnight hours on Tuesday on a preliminary charge of child molestation as a Class C felony.
Timmy Sexton, 42, was taken into custody and he is being held in the Starke County Jail.
The charge stems from an investigation by the Indiana Department of Child Services on June 4 and a subsequent investigation by the Knox City Police Department. No other details are being released at this time as the incident remains under investigation.
A Knox man was arrested on a warrant Wednesday, May 21 after an investigation into an alleged sexual assault incident.
On April 24, officers from the Knox City Police Department were notified of the alleged incident by officials with the Indiana Department of Child Services. It was alleged that the incident involved a female juvenile and an adult family member.
Officers located and arrested 85-year-old Donald L. Bottorff Wednesday morning. He was booked into the Starke County Jail on preliminary charges of Child Molesting and Vicarious Sexual Gratification, both Class C Felonies.
The Starke County Commissioners have proclaimed May 4-10 Correctional Employees Week.
Todd Willis chairs the Starke County Community Corrections Board of Directors. He says keeping the community safe is just part of what the agency does.
The Starke County Building Corporation is expected to get an update from the committee tasked with looking into future uses of the former jail when they meet this morning. Representatives from Skillman Corporation will also discuss the scope of the old jail renovation as well as share information about how construction of the new facility is going. The building east of Knox on State Road 8 is due to open next spring. The Starke County Building Corporation meeting will take place at 8:30 a.m. at the county annex building prior to the commissioners meeting at 9.
The Starke County Building Corporation plans to appoint a committee to discuss future uses for the current jail. They are meeting this morning at 8:30 at the county annex building, prior to the commissioners meeting at 9. Skillman Corporation will also provide an update on how construction of the new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 is going. It’s scheduled for completion in the spring of 2015. The commissioners agenda includes consideration of a proposal from Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski to relocate some precincts. Officials from IU Health Starke Hospital will also discuss the physicians recruitment program. EMA Director Ted Bombagetti and James Coad are on the agenda regarding the county’s emergency preparedness plan. Wendy Elam from CADA has a proclamation for the county to declare April Child Abuse Prevention Month. CADA, CASA and the Indiana Department of Child Services are kicking off the awareness campaign tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Nancy J. Dembowski Convention Center in downtown Knox with a Pinwheels for Prevention candle lighting ceremony. Members of the public are invited to come show their support for children in the community. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place inside.
An employee of the Starke County Jail is now facing charges of Theft and Fraud as Class D felonies, and Trafficking with an Inmate as a Class A misdemeanor after he allegedly used the debit card of an inmate at several locations throughout the area. According to the charging documents, 44-year-old Donald Milbourn used the debit card of inmate Joshua Estok between Feb. 15 and Feb. 25 to withdraw money from the First Farmers Bank and Trust ATM in Knox and the First National Bank of Monterey ATM in North Judson.
An employee of the Starke County Jail is on the other side of the law. Donald Milbourn, 44, of North Judson, was arrested Monday by officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department on charges of theft, fraud and trafficking with an inmate. Milborn has posted a $1,000 bond in Starke Circuit Court. A news release from the sheriff’s office indicates the investigation is still ongoing, and no additional information is being released at this time.
According to Hamlet Town Marshal Frank Lonigro, at 9 p.m. CT on Monday, officers executed the search warrant at 302 Davis St. where they reportedly found methamphetamine-related products. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team was called to clean up the scene and remove the evidence.
After years of planning and development, the time has finally come for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Starke County Sheriffs Department and Detention Center. The county commissioners announced that the groundbreaking will be held today from 10 to 11 a.m. and is open to the public. The ceremony will be held at the 24-acre construction site at the corner of State Road 8 and County Road 550 East in Knox. The proposed 146-bed facility will replace the 63-bed facility currently in use, a necessity according to Sheriff Oscar Cowen. He said the county is currently housing between 15 and 20 prisoners per day in other facilities and officials are desperate to get the facility finished. Continue reading
The Starke County Council approved a transfer of $15,000 to cover the cost of feeding inmates in the county jail through the end of the year. Matron Chris Smith says the county provides no-frills meals that are compliant with the state’s nutritional guidelines at a cost of 92-cents per-inmate, per-day. Breakfast is oatmeal or cereal and toast, and lunch is either a peanut butter and jelly or a lunchmeat sandwich. Sheriff’s department officials say the shortfall is closer to $10,000, but they’re asking for extra money just in case. Anything they don’t use will go back into the county’s rainy day fund at the end of the year. They add the cost of inmate meals is comparable with that of surrounding counties. Additionally the inmates like the food, which in turn means fewer fights and complaints.
The Starke County Commissioners are set to award bids for construction of the new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 when they meet this evening. The commissioners opened the bids on Oct. 10 and took them under advisement so they could be sure they met the specifications outlined in the pre-bid documents. The bids were submitted in 10 different categories: general trades and sitework, masonry, drywall and acoustical, flooring, painting, kitchen equipment, detention equipment and security electronics, fire suppression, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical. A large number of contractors submitted bids for the work, including some who submitted combined bids; that is, a combination of categories, such as masonry, flooring and painting, at a discount.
The work on the project is due to begin next month and wrap up in the spring of 2015. Construction can continue through the winter months since an existing building is being modified.
The attorney for the city of Knox presented an update on the water line issue regarding the construction of the new county jail facility at the meeting of the city council this week. Attorney David Matsey told the council that the project is making progress, and he recently reviewed the final draft of the memorandum of understanding with County Attorney Martin Lucas. In addition, the owners of the property to be used by the county to build the jail are reviewing the documents related to the easement.
Bids are due this week for the Starke County Jail water project.
The Knox Board of Public Works members will open bids Wednesday morning during their regular meeting that is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Knox City Hall.
This project will improve water capacity for the building that will be the site of the Starke County Jail on State Road 8 east of Knox. Larger water lines are needed to increase the width of the pipes from six inches to eight inches. The project is expected to be extended along Henry Drive in Knox. The project should be completed no later than April 1, 2014.
The Starke County Commissioners last night approved the final design and estimate for the new Starke County Jail facility, allowing the bidding process to begin. Representatives from the Skillman Corporation and DLZ presented the commissioners with the documentation for their approval and requested authorization to issue CDs for bidding.
The bids are estimated to come in around $10,225,000, and officials hope to receive the bids on Oct. 10, allowing for a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. CT. The commissioners approved their request, authorizing them to advertise for bids.
