New Starke County Jail Groundbreaking Ceremony Today

Posted on Author WKVI
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 →

Drug Take Back Event This Saturday

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Indiana State Police is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in a drug take back event.

You are encouraged to take your unwanted, expired and unused prescription medication to any Indiana State Police Post (except for the Toll Road Post in Bristol, IN) for proper disposal. There will be a designated receptacle for you to drop off your medication and no questions will be asked.

Continue reading →

Additional Charges of Child Molestation Filed Against Knox Man

Posted on Author WKVI

Keith Thatcher
Keith Thatcher
Additional charges been lodged against a Knox man after an investigation into a charge of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor.

Indiana State Police detectives received information in August that 36-year-old Keith Thatcher of Knox reportedly engaged in a sexual misconduct incident with a 15-year-old in Michigan City. The incidents reportedly occurred since July 2012. Continue reading →

Another Scam in Full Force in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department has received calls from residents about another scam that has hit the area.

Sheriff Oscar Cowen said the scammer will tell you that a debit card that you have with First Farmers Bank is lost and you need to press numbers on your phone and give out personal information in order to remedy the situation.

Sheriff Cowen noted that many times the person receiving the call will not even have an account with First Farmers. He assured that this is a scam and not to give any untrusted source any personal information, including your debit card, credit card, Social Security Number, or banking information.

Officers Bust Underage Drinking Party in Knox, 16 Arrested

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A report of an underage drinking party at a home on Tribue Drive in Knox early Sunday morning resulted in 16 arrests for illegal possession of alcohol. Deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the North Judson and Knox Police Departments responded just before 2 a.m. In addition to the arrests, a 15-year-old was taken home and released into the custody of his or her parents, according to a news release from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.

Be Alert When Door-to-Door Salesmen Visit Your Home

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a few phone calls Monday from residents who had unsolicited salesmen visit their homes.

These salesmen reportedly acted suspicious in nature. After an investigation, deputies found that the salesmen did not possess a peddler’s permit and were asked to leave. They were reportedly working for the Kirby vacuum company.

If you encounter unsolicited salespeople visiting your home, make sure their business logo is on a vehicle parked nearby or ask for credentials. Officers suggest you ask to see a peddler’s permit that allows them to sell the product they are pitching. If they do not have a permit, ask them to leave and call the Starke County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 772-3771. Be prepared to give a thorough description of the people in question.

Walkerton Man Arrested on Warrant, Drug-Related Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A Walkerton man was arrested in Knox on an outstanding warrant, and a subsequent investigation led to further drug-related charges for John Kwiatkowski. On Wednesday, an officer with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on U.S. 35 in Knox. Kwiatkowski, a passenger in the vehicle, was found to have an outstanding warrant for his arrest through St. Joseph County.

Continue reading →

Four People Arrested on Methamphetamine-Related Charges in North Judson

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Four people were arrested Tuesday after officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department served an arrest warrant on a resident in the 8000 South block of 100 West in the North Judson area.

Officers located the wanted suspect, Michael Mann, in the home along with three other people inside the residence. The officers also reportedly observed several items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Continue reading →

Report of Shots Fired in North Judson Ends in Three Arrests for Battery

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Three people were arrested in Knox following reports of shots fired in the area of Leyton Court in North Judson. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the North Judson Police Department responded to the area on Friday, Sept. 13, where they found a victim that stated she had been battered and tazed and the suspect had also stolen her purse.

Continue reading →

Medaryville Woman Arrested After Failing Field Sobriety Tests

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
A Medaryville woman was arrested Saturday after the Starke County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center received a call of a woman slumped over the steering wheel at the intersection of State Road 10 and U.S. 421 in San Pierre.

The caller attempted to wake up 42-year-old Lori Schultz by speaking loudly and pounding on the car’s window, but she wouldn’t wake up. A deputy with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the scene along with Starke County EMS and the San Pierre Fire Department.

Continue reading →

Police Agencies Continue to Collected Unused, Expired Medications

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Several police agencies in the area have been collecting expired or unused medications at their facilities. The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department is one of those agencies and just recently the sheriff’s department along with the Michigan City Police Department and the LaPorte County TRIAD incinerated 105.5 pounds of medicines that had been collected.

The unused medications had been collected since April 27 and they were incinerated in a licensed facility.

Continue reading →

Three Arrested at Koontz Lake Home

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A three-month investigation led to the arrest of three people in Hamlet on Monday.

Officers from the Hamlet Police Department, with the assistance of the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, executed a search warrant at 7733 N. Kickapoo in Walkerton where they found items from multiple burglaries that occurred in Hamlet.

Continue reading →

Plane Goes Down at Starke County Airport

Posted on Author WKVI
Fire crews remain at the scene of a plane crash just south of the runway at the Starke County Airport
Fire crews remain at the scene of a plane crash just south of the runway at the Starke County Airport

Personnel from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Knox-Center Township Fire Department are on the scene of a fatal plane crash at the Starke County Airport.

The single-engine plane was coming in on the south end of the runway and went down at approximately 3 p.m. Sheriff Oscar Cowen said that the male pilot is deceased but could not elaborate on any more details as the investigation continues.

Continue reading →

Accident on State Road 39 Stops Traffic

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
An accident on State Road 39 at the intersection with Toto Road in North Judson brought traffic to a standstill Thursday as emergency responders rushed to the scene. Fortunately, the accident did not result in any substantial injuries, though one driver was taken to the hospital via ambulance for a small cut to the top of his head.

Continue reading →

Arson at Saylor’s Arena Under Investigation

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The Indiana state fire marshal is investigating an arson at Saylor’s Arena in Grovertown.

Koontz Lake Fire Chief Andy Lawrence told WKVI that the incident occurred Tuesday night where a fire was reportedly intentionally set at a food booth and the announcer’s booth. The food booth was completely destroyed and the announcer’s booth sustained extensive damage.

Continue reading →

Sheriff’s Candidate Faces Charge of Impersonating a Public Servant

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
A North Judson man who hopes to become Starke County’s next sheriff faces a felony charge of impersonation of a public servant. The charge against Gregory R. Wireman, 38, stems from a Feb. 15 incident on CR 200 S. east of SR 39. Court documents indicate Wireman detained a woman and two men in a white van with a Michigan registration who were going door to door in the area claiming to be selling vacuum cleaners and other cleaning supplies. Wireman says several residents called 911 but officers were unable to respond, so his aunt, Donna Wheeler, phoned him for help. Wireman reportedly blocked the van in the driveway at the Wheeler’s home, took the three salespeople’s driver’s licenses and refused to let them leave. They claim Wireman told them he was a corrections officer but did not have his badge with him. Court documents indicate he admitted searching the two male salesmen prior to the arrival of Deputy James Upsall from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. According to the incident report, Upsall turned the case over to Starke County Deputy Kelly Fisher due to a conflict of interest stemming from his plans to also run for sheriff. He also gave the salespeople the address of the Starke County Sheriff’s Office so they could file a formal complaint against Wireman.

Continue reading →

VIN Check Procedure Changes at Starke County Sheriff’s Department

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Sheriff's Department
Starke County Sheriff’s Department
A new policy is in place for Vehicle Identification Number checks at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.

VIN checks will now be conducted at the sheriff’s department from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. You’ll need a police officer inspection form from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and you can take that form, along with your car, to the sheriff’s department for the check to be performed. No fee will be charged.

Indiana state law requires that you obtain a certificate for all vehicles owned within 60 days of becoming an Indiana resident. Indiana residents must title newly acquired vehicles no later than 31 days from the date of purchase. Police officer inspections, or VIN checks, are required if the vehicle was not previously titled in Indiana.

If you need more information, visit www.in.gov and search VIN inspections.