The Starke County Commissioners have approved the purchase of a screen to keep commissary trash from the jail out of the city’s sewer system. Continue reading
Starke Commissioners to Consider CAFO Fees
The Starke County Commissioners will consider amendments to the confined animal feeding ordinance fee schedule when they meet this evening. The Starke County Plan Commission recently approved a flat $500 flat permit, along with a $75 filing fee to offset the cost of processing the application. They also doubled the re-inspection fee to $100 for all permits. It will be charged when the county is called out to conduct an inspection, but the work is deemed to be incomplete. Continue reading
Additional Security Anticipated at Starke County Courthouse
The Starke County Council has tasked Sheriff Bill Dulin with crafting a budget for courthouse security. Renovations currently underway include restricting access to the building and adding a metal detector to ensure the safety of employees and patrons. Continue reading
Starke County Jail Adds Additional Inmate Drug Treatment Program
Starke County Jail inmates who are awaiting trial on drug offenses now have access to a treatment program. It launched last week and is led by Porter-Starke Services substance abuse counselor Leo Smith. Sheriff Bill Dulin says it’s separate from the Department of Corrections Therapeutic Community. Continue reading
City and County Officials Clash Over Jail Commissary Trash
Commissary items being flushed down the toilets at the Starke County Jail are causing problems for the Knox Wastewater Department. Superintendent Kelly Clemons told the county commissioners Monday night the city has lost two pumps since Sept. 6th due to trash like razors, toothbrushes and elastic underwear bands getting into the lines. Continue reading
Council Approves Jail Money After Lengthy Discission
The Starke County Council last week approved funds transfers necessary to shore up the jail operating budget through the end of the year.
During the discussion prior to the vote, Sheriff Bill Dulin was asked why the county has a separate jail warden and jail commander. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff, Jail Staff Donate Produce to Nursing Home Residents
Patients at a local nursing home are enjoying fresh vegetables, thanks to the efforts of the staff and inmates at the Starke County Jail. Their garden is in full bloom with green peppers, zucchini and cabbage. Yesterday Sheriff Bill Dulin and Maintenance Supervisor Tony Mildice brought vegetables to Golden Living Center in Knox. Continue reading
Starke County Gets Grant to Expand Inmate Drug Treatment Offerings
Inmates at the Starke County Jail who are arrested for drug-related offenses will soon be able to seek treatment while they are locked up. The county is already home to the Indiana Department of Correction’s first non-prison based therapeutic community intensive inpatient drug treatment program. Continue reading
Starke Council Tables Sheriff’s Budget Transfer
The Starke County Council this week tabled a request from Sheriff Bill Dulin to move money around within his budget. They opted instead to revisit the transfer between the sheriff’s budget and the jail budget in the fall just in case an expense pops up between now and then. The jail budget is running in the red due to the expense of operating a larger facility. Continue reading
Starke County Officials to Discuss Jail Operating Costs
The Starke County Council and Commissioners will meet in special session this evening to discuss the sheriff department budget. Last month the council deferred Sheriff Bill Dulin’s request for an additional appropriation until they can get a handle on expenses at the justice center. The new jail has been open for about a year, and budgeted operating costs were based on an actuarial study done for the county. Continue reading
Council Wrestles With Jail Expenses
The Starke County Council has scheduled a special meeting to try to get a handle on expenses related to jail operations. They deferred Sheriff Bill Dulin’s request for an additional appropriation until they can take a closer look at things like utility costs for the building. It’s been open for a year, and extensive studies were done beforehand to project costs. The council should have findings from an energy audit in time for their scheduled June 13th meeting. It will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the annex building. Continue reading
Council to Discuss Additional Transportation Funds
The Starke County Council will consider a proposal from the highway superintendent with regard to additional state transportation funds when they meet this evening. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler assembled a road funding committee to discuss options for the one-time appropriation from the state. He also hopes to come up with the required local match to draw down additional funds in order to free up $1 million for additional uses throughout the county over the next five years. Continue reading
Law Enforcement Agencies form Starke County Major Crimes Unit
Law enforcement agencies throughout Starke County are joining forces to combat the local drug epidemic. During last night’s drug symposium hosted by the Knox Police Department and DCS, Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff announced a partnership that’s been two years in the planning. The Starke County Major Crimes Unit is an investigative task force made up of officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, the Knox Police Department and the Hamlet Police Department. Continue reading
Sheriff Launches Inmate Garden at Starke County Jail
Inmates at the Starke County Jail will be learning life skills while putting food on the table this summer. Sheriff Bill Dulin says they’re taking advantage of the 22 acre site east of Knox.
“We’re going to raise some produce and have the inmates work it, plant it, produce it, harvest it, and we’re also going to serve that produce to the population in the jail. We’re going to have potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes and some melons, too.” Continue reading
Starke Inmate Healthcare Compliance Brings Potential Perks
The Starke County Commissioners are taking extra steps to signal their compliance with a state law that looks to provide jail inmates with healthcare benefits.
Continue reading
Sheriff Urges Motorists to Watch for Inmates
Inmates from the Starke County Jail have resumed picking up trash along local roadways. The work crew of between three and five people is under the supervision of a jail employee. Continue reading
K9 Finds Heroin During Traffic Stop
A Monday afternoon traffic stop by a Starke County Sheriff’s Deputy for a registration violation resulted in the arrests of three Knox residents on drug charges. It happened around 1 p.m. at the Bass Lake gas station, according to a news release. Continue reading
Commissioners Eye Funds for Jail Fiber Optic Upgrade
The Starke County Commissioners are looking for money to run fiber optic cable to the jail. It’s the recommended solution to fix communication problems with telephones and radios in the 911 dispatch center. Sheriff Bill Dulin says they’re experiencing dropped calls, which presents a potential safety hazard for officers and the public. Continue reading
Starke County Jail Prepares for D.O.C. Inmates
Officials at the Starke County Jail are preparing for an influx of inmates this week. They are Department of Correction prisoners who have been sentenced to an extensive drug treatment program. Starke County was approved late last year for the state’s first non-prison-based therapeutic community, thanks to the efforts of State Sen. Jim Arnold, Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall and others. Sheriff Bill Dulin says there’s plenty of room in the jail for up to 48 D.O.C. inmates without displacing any local prisoners. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Slash Proposed Expenditures
Budget constraints have forced the Starke County Council and Commissioners to cut back on proposed big ticket expenditures in the coming year. They met jointly Monday to look at items that can be purchased with money in the cumulative capital development fund. That list included a new ambulance for Starke County EMS, two new patrol cars for the sheriff’s office and three new server computers for the IT department. Continue reading
