Starke County officials have opted to do their own lawn maintenance and snow removal at the new jail in an effort to contain costs. On Monday the county council approved the purchase of a mower with a commercial grade deck for the facility. It will be paid for with tax money set aside for construction of the building east of Knox on State Road 8. Continue reading
Starke County Rolls Out Inmate Work Crew
Inmates from the Starke County Jail are picking up trash today east of Knox. Sheriff Bill Dulin says four low-level offenders are out under the supervision of a jail officer. Orange signs along Culver Road indicate an inmate work crew is in the area and caution motorists to slow down. Crews from the Starke County Highway Department will pick up bagged trash collected by the inmates.
Starke County Sheriff Raising Funds for Second K9
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin hopes to raise enough money through donations to add a second drug and search dog to his department. The county commissioners Monday gave him permission to proceed with fundraisers to cover the cost of a dog, training for the animal and its handler. Money will also go toward veterinary expenses, food and equipment for the county’s existing dog. Continue reading
Surgery Delays Murder Trial, Prompts Reevaluation of Jail Medical Contract
A murder trial scheduled to start April 13 in Starke Circuit Court has been pushed back to at least July so the defendant can have surgery deemed medically necessary by a provider under contract with the county. Gary Chavez is accused of beating his estranged wife, Kimberly Chavez, to death at their rural California Township home last June. From there police say he drove to Mark Bailey’s Discount Center, kidnapped an employee and drove to English Lake where he’s accused of stealing a second vehicle. Chavez then led police on a high-speed chase into LaPorte and Porter Counties, according to court records. He’s accused of stealing a third vehicle in Kouts and continuing into Lake County. Police there say Chavez shot himself in the face when officers in Crown Point managed to stop his vehicle. He was airlifted to a Chicagoland area hospital and released to the custody of the Starke County Sheriff last August. Chavez remains in jail. Continue reading
Commissioners to Consider Starke County Sheriff’s Request for a Second K9
The Starke County Commissioners could consider Sheriff Bill Dulin’s request for a second K9 when they meet this evening. Dulin previously asked the commissioners for their blessing to raise funds through donations to buy a dog capable of detecting drugs and tracking people. He says the dog would only be purchased if enough money was raised to do so. Continue reading
Starke County Council Approves Sheriff’s Vehicle Purchases
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin can buy two 2016 Ford Interceptor Utility Vehicles. The county council Monday evening approved the purchase, which will cost slightly more than $70,000. The money will come from the county adjusted gross income tax, or CAGIT, certified shares. The equipment list for both was whittled down significantly due to budgetary constraints. Dulin says new light bars need to be purchased for the SUV’s, as the ones on the existing Dodge Charger patrol cars will not fit.
Starke County Commissioners Bless Inmate Work Crew, Defer Action on K9
Inmates at the Starke County Jail could soon be picking up trash along county roadways under the supervision of a corrections officer. The Starke County Commissioners last night blessed Sheriff Bill Dulin’s plan to establish an inmate road crew of between three and five people to bag up debris for the county highway department to collect. Superintendent Rik Ritzler says it shouldn’t be a problem if the inmates stay in one area and Dulin coordinates schedules with him in advance. The road crew will not cost the county any additional money. The commissioners agreed it will be beneficial to the county in terms of beautification and making the inmates work. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff to Discuss Request for Second K9
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin will discuss the acquisition of a second K9 with the county commissioners when they meet this evening. Last year the county bought a dog from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department after one of their K9 handlers left for personal reasons. K9 Terror is a certified drug and tracking dog and has already assisted with numerous drug-related investigations since joining the force in December. Dulin will also talk to the commissioners about establishing a county inmate road crew, according to the advance agenda for tonight’s meeting. It starts at 6 p.m. at the annex building. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff’s Department Adds Crime Mapping to County Website
Visitors to the Starke County government website now have access to information about incidents reported to the sheriff’s department. County information technology director Joe Short recently added the Crime Mapper tool to the existing Starke County GIS on the website. Visitors can click the crime button and view calls from the last seven or 30 days or can search a customized date range.
Sheriff Bill Dulin hopes sharing this information will raise awareness of the types of incidents his department deals with on a daily basis. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Planning Jail Grand Opening
Starke County officials are making plans for a May 22nd open house to celebrate the completion of the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center. Contractors are putting final touches on the new facility east of Knox on State Road 8 and will have the building ready to turn over to the county by May 1st. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Approve Jail Hiring, Bless Vehicle Purchases
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin will hire two additional part-time jail officers for now in anticipation of the new jail opening in a few months. They may eventually be promoted to full-time once the facility is online and the county is housing more prisoners.
Dulin is also looking to hire a part-time maintenance person for the new jail soon. The position will require quite a bit of technical expertise to handle the state-of-the-art correctional facility. Applications for that job close Friday. Dulin says he’s already gotten a dozen or so resumes. He plans to review them all with the commissioners in an executive session after the application deadline. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Preparing for Jail Opening
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin will discuss the staffing needs for the new jail with the county commissioners when they meet this evening. The facility east of Knox on State Road 8 is scheduled to open in June and will house nearly twice as many inmates as the existing jail. The advance agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting indicates Dulin will ask for permission to hire two more full-time jail officers. He will also review the revised listing of needed equipment with the commissioners. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff Offers Lobby As Safe Haven for Transactions
Starke County residents who need to complete an online sales agreement or custody exchange can do so safely 24 hours a day in the lobby of the Starke County Sheriff’s Office or the parking lot in front of the building. Sheriff Bill Dulin stresses this is not an offer for the sheriff’s department to participate in or be part of any business transaction but is a public service aimed at keeping citizens safe. He asks that you notify the on-duty communications staff at the jail when you arrive so they can ensure the exchange of property or children goes smoothly. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Bless Addition of Second Shift Detective
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin plans to add a detective sergeant to work second shift Monday through Friday. He told the county commissioners doing so will give the department a third person to respond to calls and will cut down significantly on overtime. Right now any detective calls outside of the day shift incur overtime wages. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Approve Sheriff’s Vehicle Purchase
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department will soon have a 2015 Ford Police Interceptor All-Wheel Drive sport-utility vehicle to add to the fleet. It will replace the Dodge Durango currently used by the Starke County K-9 officer. That truck will be repainted and given to Starke County Coroner Adam Gray to transport bodies. Continue reading
Grand Opening Set for New Starke County Jail
The new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center is still on schedule to open this spring. A public open house is tentatively planned for Friday, May 22, and inmates will be transferred to the facility on June 1. The building is located east of Knox on State Road 8 at County Road 550 East. Continue reading
Extra Patrols Planned for Super Bowl Sunday
Don’t let your Super Bowl celebration end with a trip to jail. Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin says deputies will be on high alert for impaired drivers Sunday.
“There will be increased patrols on the roads. With that comes heavy enforcement in problem areas. Those problems are where the heavy volume of accidents could possibly occur,” Dulin told WKVI News. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Continue Discussion of Vehicle for Coroner
The former Starke County Sheriff’s Department prisoner transportation van may be road-worthy in the mechanical sense, but it doesn’t provide the most dignified means of transportation for the recently deceased. That’s the consensus of the Starke County Commissioners after further discussion Monday night. Recently-elected coroner Adam Gray has access to a Starke County EMS vehicle on an as-needed basis but will eventually need something more permanent. The commissioners want to give him the Dodge Durango used by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department if it has adequate cargo space to meet his needs. Continue reading
Indiana Sheriff’s Association Offers Scholarships
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin says college scholarships are available from the Indiana Sheriff’s Association for qualified high school seniors or college students pursuing a career in criminal justice studies.
The Indiana Sheriff’s Association Scholarship Fund will award approximately 40 $500 scholarships to Indiana residents who are a current member of the association or a dependent child or grandchild of a current member. They must also attend an Indiana college or university, major in a law enforcement field and enroll as a full-time student. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Exploring Vehicle Options for Coroner
Starke County Coroner Adam Gray will either have the old sheriff’s department prisoner transport van or former Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen’s Dodge Durango for use as a body transport vehicle. He broached the subject to the Starke County Commissioners last week. President Kent Danford is checking into whether the van is road-worthy before a decision is made. Continue reading
