Knox CVS Robbed

Knox CVS

The identity of a suspect arrested in connection with the robbery at CVS in Knox last night is still being withheld by Knox City Police.

Knox City Police responded to an armed robbery call at CVS at 9:18 p.m. An officer saw a vehicle leaving the scene at a high rate of speed and a traffic stop was initiated. The driver stopped, then backed into the police cruiser in an attempt to disable the vehicle. A pursuit began which lead into Marshall County. Both suspects abandoned the vehicle on Upas Road in Marshall County and one suspect was arrested. No further information was released by the Knox City Police Department and the robbery remains under investigation.

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Plymouth Man Pleads Not Guilty to Eight Charges in Starke Circuit Court

Dale Hite

A Plymouth resident plead not guilty to eight charges in an incident that occurred in Starke County on October 16th, 2009.

Dale Hite appeared for his initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court Monday morning where he plead not guilty to two counts of Resisting Law Enforcement Resulting in Death, two counts of Reckless Homicide, and one count each of Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of Methamphetamine, Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign and Failure to use Headlights from Sunset to Sunrise. His bond was set at $100,000 surety.

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Knox Man Indicted on Federal Charges

A Knox man was charged in an indictment with accessing with the intent to view child pornography in South Bend’s U.S. District Court last week.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department investigated allegations that 40-year-old Jeffrey Farmer was involved in a child molestation incident and officers obtained a federal search warrant to search his computer. Agents discovered images depicting child pornography. Charges were brought about as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Custom Office of Homeland Security Investigations, Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Hammand Police Department.

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Starke County Man Arrested on Warrant for Child Solicitation

Stanford Baker

A Starke County man was arrested on a warrant for child solicitation on Monday.

Stanford Baker allegedly pulled up to his young female neighbor while in his pickup truck and she on her bike in October in the Grovertown area. He reportedly handed her a letter that contained sexual content. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department was contacted and a report was given to the Starke County Prosecutor where a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Knox Man Ejected From Vehicle During Crash

Starke County Police responded to an accident call at 1:00 a.m. Monday morning that occurred at 4570 South and 100 East. Upon arrival, officers found a single vehicle and determined that the driver was 43-year-old Thomas Guy of Knox.

Guy had been ejected from the vehicle during the crash and was transported to I.U. Health-Starke Hospital where his condition was unknown yesterday.

It appeared to the responding officer that Guy was northbound on County Road 100 East when he came over a hill and lost control of his vehicle, leaving the roadway and striking a tree. Assisting the Sheriff’s Department were the Knox Police Department, Bass Lake-California Township Fire Department and Starke County EMS. Alcohol results are pending at this time.

Arson Suspected in Garage and House Fire in Knox

An arson incident is being investigated in Knox.

Knox-Center Township Fire Department firefighters were called to a garage fire at 0020 N. 500 E. in Knox on Thursday, November 22nd. Firefighters discovered a fire along the back wall of the garage and it was quickly extinguished. The fire was ruled electrical/accidental. Firefighters were called to the same residence the next day and extinguished another fire that was located on the back wall of the garage near the location of the previous fire.

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Michael Allen Arrested after Making Alleged Threats

Michael Allen

Michael Allen, of Winamac, was arrested on Friday, November 25th after he allegedly threatened a female victim and a police officer over the phone.

The victim was at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department making a complaint against Allen saying that he keeps calling her phone and harassing her. While she was talking to the Jail Deputy, the phone rang and the victim said it was Allen calling. The Jail Deputy answered the phone and identified himself as an employee of the Sheriff’s Department and Allen continued to speak to the jail deputy using vulgar language and threatening the life of the jail deputy. The victim then spoke with a police officer who explained the situation. The phone rang again and the officer answered, identified himself and Allen allegedly swore and threatened the life of the victim and her family. He threatened the officer when he called her phone again. The officer called him from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and asked if he could speak with Michael Allen and he said that he wasn’t there, but he sounded just like the suspect. The officer asked for his address and he gave it to him, but when police arrived at the residence, he was gone.

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Counterfeit Money Found in Starke County

Counterfeit $20 bills are circulating around the Starke County area.

Carla Musial from Demotte State Bank told WKVI that they’re the best that she’s seen. A Starke County merchant got one this weekend. While the bills look real, they will mark brown, not yellow, and the hologram is missing along with glitter on the bottom of the bills and a strip.

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Plymouth Man Arrested on Starke County Warrant

Jason Cooke

Jason Cooke, of Plymouth, was recently arrested by Starke County police on a warrant and has been charged with Resisting Law Enforcement and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, all Class D Felonies.

The offense occurred on August 31st when Cooke allegedly fled from police after he initially told police to go around him while exiting the Grovertown Truck Stop. He reportedly waved the police to go around him and the officer decided that the driver didn’t want the officer to follow him and criminal activity may be involved. The driver then pulled away and drove east through the parking lot. The officer followed and started traveling east on U.S. 30 behind the vehicle. The car turned south on 1100 East and started to drive faster. The vehicle crossed the railroad tracks and went off the side of the road. The officer activated his emergency lights and attempted a traffic stop but the car kept going. The officer stated in his report that he followed the car until the car swerved into a corn field and went down the road until he saw the vehicle come out on the south end of the field. The vehicle stopped and the driver and passenger ran from the vehicle on foot. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Knox City Police Department were unable to find the suspects.

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Two Arrested after Police Find Meth Labs

Traci Jacobs
Richard Warner

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department arrested two after one pot method meth labs were found in a residence in North Judson on Thursday.

Officers received information about the whereabouts of Traci Jacobs who was wanted on two warrants for Failure to Appear. A detective from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department contacted the bonds company and sent agents to 6190 S. 250 W. in North Judson. The agents said that they had Jacobs in custody as well as Richard Warner, of North Judson. They also notified the Sheriff’s Department that there were several pop bottles in the bedroom closet that appeared to be one pot meth labs.

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Starke County Woman Arrested after Lying to Police about Report

Heather Wilson

Heather Wilson was arrested by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday after she allegedly filed a false police report.

On November 11th, Wilson reportedly told police that a male subject asked her for jewelry and other items. She said that he came into the house, grabbed her, hit her in the face, and held up a knife to her before taking prescription medication that belonged to her mother. Wilson gave police a description of the suspect and said that he left the scene on foot. Wilson was later taken by ambulance to IU Health Starke Hospital for having a panic attack.

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Retired Cell Phones Still Activate 9-1-1 Calls

Dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department want to remind you that even if you retire a cell phone and cancel service, often times that phone can still call out to 9-1-1 centers.

Some parents give their retired cell phone to children to play with but if that phone still has a functioning battery and that child “pretends” to call 9-1-1, chances are that phone call will ring into the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department often receives these types of 9-1-1 calls and dispatchers can hear children and other people talking on the other end of the phone, but the caller is often not aware that they have actually dialed an emergency center. Dispatchers can not call the person back to determine if there is a real emergency because the phone has been disconnected from service and the number is not registered.

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Starke County Safety Traffic Partnership to Conduct Traffic Blitz

police badge

The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership will be conducting a Safe Family Travel patrol beginning this Friday and it will continue through November 27th.

This blitz is a grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and will focus on impaired drivers and seat belt enforcement. This grant will allow additional officers to enforce these laws and they will not be giving out warnings. They will be issuing tickets to those who are in violation of these laws.

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Demotte Man Injured in Single Vehicle Accident in Starke County

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and emergency personnel were called to a personal injury accident on Saturday afternoon.

The accident occurred on Highway 421 south of San Pierre by the south junction of State Road 10. Carey Foley, 56, of Demotte, was traveling in that area when for some unknown reason, he passed out, left the roadway, hit a tree, hit a utility pole and then hit another tree and came to rest. Foley was pinned in the vehicle and the San Pierre and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments were called to the scene to assist with extrication. Foley was airlifted from the scene to Memorial Hospital in South Bend and his condition is unknown at this time.

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Brett Kersey’s Case Goes to Trial

Brett Kersey

Brett Kersey appeared in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday. The state submitted a plea offer, but it was rejected by the defense. Kersey’s attorney, Richard Ballard, will be taking the case to trial. Kersey is charged with Child Molesting, Rape, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He faces a potential sentence of 20-50 years in prison.

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LaPaz Man Arrested after Moped Accident in Koontz Lake

A Lapaz man was arrested by Starke County police after his passenger suffered injuries in a single moped accident in the Koontz Lake area last night.

According to police, Donald Kissinger was traveling along County Road 1200 East on his moped and he told police that he swerved to miss a deer and lost control of the moped causing the passenger, Teresa Clark, to fall off the moped. When she fell off, she struck her head on the roadway. She was transported to Walkerton High School where a med flight took her to Memorial Hospital in South Bend where she remains in critical condition with a head injury.

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North Judson Man Arrested on Drug Charges

Larry Clemons

Larry Clemons, of North Judson, was arrested on drug charges on Monday evening.

North Judson police officers, along with the officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, were called to Judson Express after they received a call that a wanted person was at the business. The person whom they were looking for was not there, but they spotted Larry Clemons who was wanted on a Starke Circuit Court warrant. Officers conducted a search of his person and allegedly found him to be in possession of drugs.

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Shelby Thomas Appears for Initial Hearing in Starke Circuit Court

Shelby Thomas

Shelby Thomas appeared in Starke Circuit Court on Friday where he plead not guilty to three counts of Attempted Murder, four counts of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon and three counts of Resisting Law Enforcement with a Deadly Weapon.

Thomas, of North Judson, was arrested on Sunday, October 16th after he allegedly threatened to kill a Knox man in the 1400 block of west 400 S. in Knox as he held a knife up against his throat. The man got away and Thomas was later questioned about the incident. When officers from the Knox City Police Department and the Starke County Sheriff’s Department asked Thomas to place his hands behind his back, his demeanor reportedly turned to anger. He then reached behind his back to remove a knife from his pants line and threatened the lives of two of the officers trying to place him into custody. The blade on the knife was 10 to 12 inches in length and Thomas reportedly began swinging the knife at the three officers and telling them, “I’m not going back to prison. You’ll have to kill me first.” Thomas was then tasered and officers were able to free the knife from Thomas’ hands. Thomas was tasered twice before he released the knife that he reportedly swung at the officers.

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Starke County Man Arrested after Attempting to Stab Two Men

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Starke County man, Sunday,  after he allegedly attempted to stab two men.

Police were called to a residence in the 1400 block of 400 South where they found that Shelby G. Thomas, 56, threatened death to one of the victims by pressing a knife to the victim’s neck. As officers attempted to take Thomas into custody, he then pulled out a large knife and told police that he was not going back to prison. He was eventually taken into custody and transported to the Starke County Jail.

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