Marshall County Man Arrested on Child Molestation Charge

 
 

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.

Knox Man Arrested in an Alleged Sexual Assault

 
 

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.

Building Corporation to get Reports on Old, New Jails

Starke County Sheriff's Department
A committee is looking into possible uses for the current Starke County Jail when a new facility east of Knox is completed.

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.

 

Starke County Building Corporation, Commissioners Meeting This Morning

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse

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.

Starke County Jail Employee Faces Theft, Fraud, Trafficking Charges

Starke County Sheriff's Department
Starke County Sheriff’s Department

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.

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Starke County Jail Employee Arrested Following Investigation

  
 

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.

Methamphetamine Reportedly Found in Hamlet Residence, Occupants Arrested

Joshua Hansen
Joshua Hansen
Melissa Hansen
Melissa Hansen
Two Hamlet residents were arrested Monday after a search warrant was conducted by Hamlet police officers.

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.

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Starke County Officials Discuss Coroner Space

Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem
Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem
Starke County officials are going to have to find morgue space within the next year. A committee comprised of council president Dave Pearman, auditor Kay Chaffins and president of the commissioners Kathy Norem met recently with coroner Kris Rannells and former coroners directors Doug O’Donnell and Mark Smith to discuss the needs of the office. President of the Commissioners Kathy Norem says that was one of the big issues they raised.

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New Courtroom May Be Added to Jail Project

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
Plans for the new Starke County Jail call for the eventual addition of a courtroom at the facility east of Knox on State Road 8, but the county may opt to include that project in the initial construction. President of the Commissioners Kathy Norem says the favorable financing terms the county received for the project combined with the sentencing reform that’s set to take effect make the new courtroom a higher priority. In order to accommodate this addition to the initial project, change orders will need to be turned in. Norem told the commissioners that the changes will result in some extra design costs. For instance, the video arraignment room in the current plans will be turned into a jury room, and an additional exterior door to accommodate a juror smoking area will be added. The office space for the detectives with the sheriff’s office would be moved upstairs in order to accommodate the circuit court clerks on the building’s first floor. The commissioners discussed the matter and voted to authorize DLZ to make the necessary changes to the plans in order to revisit the proposal with a better idea of the cost involved.

Starke County Officials Break Ground on New Jail

 
 
Work will start next week on the new Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center. County officials turned ceremonial shovels of dirt yesterday during the official groundbreaking for the $14 million project. The 146 bed jail will replace the existing 63 bed facility across from the courthouse. It opened in 1976, and Sheriff Oscar Cowen says a lot has changed since he joined the department in May of 1980.

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New Starke County Jail Groundbreaking Ceremony Today

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

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

Starke County Council Approves Funds Transfer to Feed Inmates

 
 

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.

Starke County Commissioners Set to Award Jail Bid

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

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.

Starke Commissioners Review County Jail Bids; Decision to Be Made Later

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
A large number of people attended yesterday morning’s opening of the bids for the new Starke County Jail facility, including representatives for DLZ, Skillman Corporation and the Building Corporation. The county commissioners officially stopped accepting bids for the work shortly after opening the meeting, but it was noted that one contractor is filing a protest because he felt “excluded” from the bid process.

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Knox Council Receives Update on Jail Water Line Issue

Knox City Council
Knox City Council

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.

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Starke County Commissioners Schedule Jail Bid Opening Meeting

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
The Starke County Commissioners are set to open bids for construction of the new jail this week. They’ve scheduled a special meeting for that purpose Thursday at 10 a.m. in the commissioners room at the county annex building. The estimated cost for the project is $10.2 million. The bids will likely be taken under advisement so they can be reviewed to make sure they conform to the project specifications. A previously announced timeline for the project calls for the bid to be awarded on Monday, Oct. 21 and a groundbreaking ceremony to be held on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. at the project site east of Knox on State Road 8. Construction is slated to start on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Work on the project can continue through the winter since an existing building is being modified.

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Bids to be Opened Wednesday for Starke County Jail Water Project

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

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.

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Starke Commissioners Approve Final Design, Estimate for Starke County Jail

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

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.

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