Youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 and their parents will have a chance to see firsthand the consequences of continued delinquent behavior as part of an upcoming program offered by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Participants in the two-hour “Think Before You Act” program will get a guided tour of Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall’s courtroom and have a chance to talk to him about the problems they are experiencing.
Charges Expected Today Against Carjacking Suspect
Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff hopes to file formal charges today against the Knox man accused of stealing two cars and leading police on a high speed chase Friday afternoon. Police say Gary Chavez, 57, of Knox, commandeered the first car in the Mark Bailey’s Discount Center parking lot at 3:41 p.m. He switched vehicles in English Lake, according to authorities, and left the owner of the first stolen car behind when he took a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Continue reading
Porter County Prosecutor Files Charge Against Chavez
The first of several charges has been filed against the Knox man police say stole two cars in Starke County Friday afternoon, led police on a high-speed chase, stole a third vehicle in Porter County and shot himself after officers in Lake County used stop sticks to flatten the tires of the truck he was driving. Gary Chavez, 57, is still in critical condition at Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill. Continue reading
Prosecutor Waiting for Autopsy Report Before Filing Charges Against Chavez
Starke County Prosecutor Nichoals Bourff does not anticipate filing charges against the Knox man police say stole two cars in Starke County and led them on a high-speed chase through four northwest Indiana counties until at least tomorrow. Gary Chavez, 57, of Knox is still in critical condition at Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill. He’s been there since Friday night after shooting himself in an apparent attempt to avoid arrest by police in Crown Point. They used stop sticks to flatten the tires on the truck Chavez was driving. Continue reading
Accused Carjacker Still Critical, Formal Charges Pending
The Knox man police say stole three vehicles and led officers from multiple departments on a high-speed chase through four counties Friday afternoon is still in critical condition at Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill. The pursuit started in Starke County when Gary Chavez, 57, of Knox, allegedly stole a car at gunpoint from the parking lot at Mark Bailey’s Discount Center. Continue reading
More Information Expected Today on Carjacking, Apparent Homicide
The Starke County Prosecutor’s Office expects to file formal charges today against the Knox man accused of stealing two cars in Starke County and leading police from multiple agencies on a high-speed chase through four counties Friday afternoon. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff’s Department Releases Accused Carjacker’s Name
Officials with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department have released the name of the man accused of stealing three vehicles and leading police from multiple agencies on a high-speed chase through Starke, LaPorte, Porter and Lake Counties Friday afternoon. Continue reading
Coroner Scheduling Autopsy for Apparent Homicide Victim
Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells is scheduling a forensic autopsy for the victim of an apparent homicide at a California Township home. Investigators from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department found the woman late Friday afternoon after a high-speed chase that began with a carjacking at Mark Bailey’s Discount Center on State Road 10at 3:41 p.m. and ended on Interstate 65 in Lake County when the suspect apparently shot himself after police deployed stop sticks to end the pursuit. He is in critical condition at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill. Authorities have not released his name and will not do so until proper next of kin notifications are made. Continue reading
Carjacker Critical at Chicagoland Hospital, Homicide Under Investigation
The Starke County man police say carjacked three vehicles and led police from multiple agencies on a four-county high-speed chase this afternoon is in critical condition at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill. after shooting himself while trying to flee. Information released by the Indiana State Police, Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Starke County Prosecutor’s Office indicates the 57-year-old man was involved in a homicide at a home in Knox. Afterward, he drove his personal vehicle to Mark Bailey’s Discount Center and carjacked a motorist at gunpoint at 3:41 p.m. He then drove to English Lake, dumped his passenger and stole a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Carjackings End With Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound
A Starke County man police say carjacked a motorist at gunpoint at Mark Bailey’s Discount Center Friday afternoon led officers from multiple agencies on a high-speed chase through four counties before turning his gun on himself. Officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department will only say the man is 57-years-old. He took the car from the store at 3:41 p.m., according to authorities, and drove it to English Lake, where he left the owner of the first vehicle, stole a second car and fled. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff’s Office Warns of Scams
Telephone scammers are at it again. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department has received numerous reports from local residents of a variety of suspicious calls from people seeking to have money wired to them for various reasons. These include winning a Publisher’s Clearinghouse sweepstakes or other prize and having a grandchild in jail. Most of the calls seem to be targeting elderly people. Sheriff’s department officials urge anyone who gets such a call not to send money, no matter how persuasive the person on the other end of the phone is. Continue reading
Passengers Injured in Crash at SR 8 and U.S. 35
At least two people were injured in a late morning crash on State Road 8 at U.S. 35. The driver of a red Chevrolet Cavailer was eastbound on 8 and ran the stop sign, according to witnesses and officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. A northbound Chrysler minivan was unable to avoid hitting the car, which came to rest on the northeast corner of the intersection. Firefighters from the Knox-Center Township Fire Department had to cut the female passenger from the wreckage. She complained of neck and back pain but was alert and conscious. She was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital for treatment. Neither driver was injured, but two passengers in the van were hurt.
Driver Airlifted to South Bend After Wednesday Morning Wreck
The driver of a car that ran off the road, struck an embankment and rolled over east of Knox early Wednesday morning is in serious condition at Memorial Hospital of South Bend this morning.
Brandon Owens, 29, was thrown from the car as it was rolling over, according to information released by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicle rolled on top of Owens and back off of him, landing on its top. Owens was apparently in the field for several hours before a passerby noticed the accident and called for help. Starke County EMS and first responders from the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department assisted a deputy from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.
Wreck Sends Driver to IU Health Starke Hospital
A two-vehicle wreck just before 11 a.m. on U.S. 35 just south of U.S. 30 sent the driver of one of the cars to the hospital. According to witnesses, the driver of the green Pontiac Sunfire did not stop when she came off the ramp from U.S. 30 onto U.S. 35. Her car hit the left side of a Chrysler Town and Country minivan owned by Braman and Son Memorial Chapel. It was northbound on 35 when the crash occurred. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Hamlet Police Department and Indiana State Police all responded. The driver of the Pontiac was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital by ambulance. There’s no word yet on the extent of her injuries or her name.
Starke County Emergency Responders Called to Two Accidents Sunday
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department investigated two accidents on Sunday.
At 11:20 a.m., officers responded to a call of a vehicle in a water-filled ditch on State Road 8 and Range Road. The car landed on its roof in the ditch. The driver, Kaitlyn Vukelich of Schererville, and her four-year-old daughter were pulled from the vehicle by a passerby.
James Campbell Pleads Not Guilty to Arson Charge
James Campbell pleaded not guilty to a charge of Arson as a Class A felony in an initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon.
Campbell is accused of intentionally setting a fire on March 20 at his business known as Starke County Recycling at the corner of U.S. 35 and Toto Road south of Knox. A Bass Lake fireman was injured while battling the blaze at the business. Eight fire departments were called to the scene to contain the fire.
Missing Knox Man Found
A Knox man who was reported missing early Friday evening was located a few hours later.
Joshua Simpkins, 32, was reported missing around 5:30 p.m. Friday evening. He was last seen by his home in Knox.
Officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department told WKVI News that he was safely located several hours later.
Knox Man Reported Missing
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department are looking for a 32-year-old Knox man with Down Syndrome who was reported missing Friday night.
Joshua Simpkins was last seen on John Street and 500 East in Knox just east of the cemetery around 5:30 p.m. or 5:45 p.m. CT. He was wearing blue jeans, a black and gray t-shirt, a neon yellow and green coat with a white and red baseball cap. He is just over five feet tall and weighs 120 pounds.
If you see him, call 9-1-1 or the Starke County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 772-3771.
C&C Salvage Owner Jailed Without Bond on Arson, Insurance Fraud Charges
The owner of a Knox business that was destroyed by fire last week is jailed without bond, charged with arson and insurance fraud. James L. Campbell, 46, of Knox, was arrested this afternoon by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Fire Investigation Division. Campbell owns Starke County Recycling, also known as C&C Salvage. The business, located on U.S. 35 just south of Toto Road, caught fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke County dispatchers were notified at 5:17 p.m. The Bass Lake, Knox-Center Township, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, North Judson-Wayne Township, San Pierre and Monterey Fire Departments all responded to the blaze and spent several hours getting it under control. One firefighter was injured. Black smoke was visible for miles, and a brigade of tanker trucks hauled water to the scene. Continue reading
Drop Boxes Available to Discard Prescription Medications
It was recently reported that one of the biggest issues in Starke County is prescription drug abuse. A program sponsored by Moving Starke County Forward will be held in the next couple of months that will give information to community members on how to combat this pressing issue.
If you have unwanted, unused or expired prescription medication, you may take that medication to drop off locations at the Knox City Police Department and at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.
