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
“Murder Victim” Found Alive, Three Arrested on Drug Charges
A report of a possible murder victim stashed underneath a trailer north of Winamac turned out to be a false alarm after the person was found safe in Starke County. Yesterday morning two men went to the Starke County Sheriff’s Office, told officials there they had spent the night at the trailer, and people in the house had discussed the murder. Continue reading
Starke County Sheriff’s Office Announces Golf Cart Inspection Schedule
The Starke County Sheriff’s Office now has a protocol for golf cart inspections. Carts must be brought to the sheriff’s office on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Inspections will be done there. Inspections must be completed and an inspection sticker must be issued before a golf cart can be operated on a roadway within the county.
County Officials, Koontz Lake Fire Department Resolve Medical Call Issue
County officials have offered the Koontz Lake Volunteer Fire Department what they hope is a workable option to make sure they are able to respond in tandem with Starke County EMS to all medical calls. Members of the fire department took exception with the county’s policy to let Grovertown-based Medic 5 decide whether they need their assistance, saying the department has provided medical services to year-round and seasonal residents since its establishment in the early 1940s. Starke County Council President Dave Pearman, who is also a volunteer firefighter, says public safety is the county’s number one concern. He says the Koontz Lake Fire Department’s pagers can be programmed to get the EMS calls automatically. He says it will cost the township about $30 per pager.
Township Trustee Mark Allen called a meeting of fire department, EMS, dispatch, sheriff’s office, emergency management and county government representatives. “The whole purpose of this meeting wasn’t trying to point fingers at anybody. I think some people might have thought about that in the meeting, but it’s not the case. This was just a matter of everybody getting on the same page and working for what’s best for the township. At least now we have an option. Actually Dave had a good suggestion. That was never suggested before. That would have been great to know that,” Allen told WKVI news after the meeting. Continue reading
Single-Vehicle Fatality Claims Plymouth Woman’s Life
A single-vehicle crash Monday evening near Grovertown claimed a Plymouth woman’s life. Cathryn Ellison, 24, of Plymouth, was westbound on 300 North just west of 1100 East, lost control of her vehicle and was ejected, according to information provided this morning by the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to a report of a vehicle in a ditch. Ellison was trapped underneath it. Starke County Chief Deputy Coroner Doug O’Donnell pronounced her dead at the scene. Her official cause of death is listed as traumatic asphyxiation. Coroner Kris Rannells tells WKVI news that means the weight of the vehicle on top of her would not allow her to breathe. The Hamlet Police Department, Koontz Lake, Hamlet and Washington Township Fire Departments and the Indiana State Police assisted the Starke County Sheriff’s Office at the scene. The Indiana State Police will be reconstructing the crash.
Starke County Jail Employee Arrested Following Investigation
An employee of the Starke County Jail is on the other side of the law. Donald Milbourn, 44, of North Judson, was arrested Monday by officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department on charges of theft, fraud and trafficking with an inmate. Milborn has posted a $1,000 bond in Starke Circuit Court. A news release from the sheriff’s office indicates the investigation is still ongoing, and no additional information is being released at this time.
Second Suspect Arrested in Grovertown Burglary
A second suspect in a recent Grovertown burglary is jailed after his arrest yesterday in Marshall County by detectives from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. Glenn Manns, 28, of Knox, is being held at the Starke County Jail on preliminary charges of burglary, forgery and receiving stolen property. His bond has not yet been set. He’s the second person to be arrested in connection with a burglary reported Jan. 17 by a resident in the 5000 North block of 1100 East in Grovertown. According to investigators, the property owner reported he had received several of the stolen items back. Other items were reportedly taken to a scrap yard, pawned or returned to a local auto parts store. Officers served three search warrants in Starke and Marshall Counties. On Feb. 13 they arrested Jack Royce, 28, of Knox. He’s charged with burglary and receiving stolen property and is jailed on a $50,000 bond in Starke County.
Coroner Rules Out Homicide as Cause of Death for Grounds
The Grovertown man whose body was discovered in a ditch near his home Monday was not the victim of a homicide. Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells tells WKVI news he’s awaiting preliminary autopsy results on 26-year-old Isaiah Lincoln Grounds in order to confirm his cause of death. Grounds was last seen on Monday, Dec. 9 at the Grovertown Truck Stop, and his wrecked car was reportedly found abandoned nearby. The Starke County Sheriff’s Office issued a missing person’s alert for Grounds on Thursday, Dec. 12. Rannells says the initial pathology reports will be available next week. The autopsy was conducted yesterday.
State Excise Officers Bust Underage Drinking Party
Officers from the Indiana State Excise Police cited 17 people for underage drinking after responding to an anonymous complaint about an underage drinking party at a Knox home early Monday morning. When they arrived at the home in the 1100 block of East John Street in Knox they reportedly found 20 or so vehicles parked there and saw a young woman standing outside a pole barn holding a bottle of beer. She reportedly tried to hide the beer bottle and walked back into the barn, according to a news release from the state. When she opened the door, the responding officers heard loud music and saw people who appeared to be underage consuming possible alcoholic beverages. The three juveniles cited were released to their parents. Resident James A. Hudgens, 19, faces charges of illegal consumption of alcohol and furnishing alcohol to a minor. All of those cited will appear in Knox City Court to answer charges. Officers from the Knox Police and Starke County Sheriff’s Departments assisted with the investigation.
Burglary Investigation Leads to Two Arrests
Two Knox men are jailed after deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a rural residence and found numerous stolen items. Clinton Wilcox, 21, and John M. Piper, Jr., 22, are both facing burglary, theft and receiving stolen property charges. They were arrested last Friday following an investigation into several recent break-ins in the Knox and Bass Lake areas. The officers reportedly found several stolen guns, coins, knives and electronics at a residence in the 6000 block of Toto Road. The Starke County Probation and Knox Police Departments assisted with the search.
Sheriff’s Deputies Bust Meth Lab in Monterey, Two Arrested
Sheriff’s deputies attempting to serve a felony warrant at a residence in Monterey made two arrests after finding a meth lab. Starke County Sheriff’s Deputies were looking for Bradley Hartwell at a Hazel Street residence and found two men coming out the back door of the trailer when they arrived. They stopped the men and reportedly found a one-pot meth lab and precursors. Continue reading
North Judson Man Arrested Following Standoff
An hour-long standoff between police and a wanted man outside a home in Born’s Trailer Park east of North Judson ended peacefully this afternoon. Detective Kenny Pfost with the Starke County Sheriff’s Office says officers tried to serve warrants on Shannon Watts for probation and parole violations. Pfost adds officers were told there were weapons inside the residence. Watts refused to come out of the trailer, so the officer who initially responded requested assistance from the SWAT team. Pfost says six officers surrounded the trailer while other members staged at the rest park on State Road 10 at county road 250 West. Continue reading
Plymouth Man Airlifted to South Bend Following Grovertown Crash
An early afternoon pickup truck versus motorcycle crash in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop shut down traffic in both directions for about an hour and sent a Plymouth man to a South Bend hospital. Justin Neher was westbound on U.S. 30 on his bike when a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Natalie Radtke, 17, of North Judson turned east out of the truck stop into his path. Continue reading
Starke County Council Discusses Next Sheriff’s Compensation
The pool of candidates interested in becoming Starke County’s next sheriff may shrink based on pending action by the county council to drastically reduce the pay for that position during the next term. Incumbent Sheriff Oscar Cowen earns $102,000 per year in salary plus proceeds from tax warrants, based on the terms of the contract he negotiated with the county. That can’t be changed, but state law does allow the county council to set the next sheriff’s compensation rate prior to the election. A law passed in 1993 requires the sheriff to earn at least 60-percent of what the prosecutor is paid, and that salary of roughly $125,000 is set by the state based on the county’s population. That means the next Starke County sheriff will be paid at least $75,000. Continue reading
Knox Man Jailed on Heroin Charge
A Starke County Community Corrections inmate faces new charges after he was reportedly found to be in possession of heroin during a recent compliance check. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office accompanied corrections officials to check on Kurtis Singleton at a home northeast of Knox on Friday. They reportedly found heroin in his cigarette pack and arrested him for possession of heroin and maintaining a common nuisance. A female juvenile was also arrested.
Three Arrested on Meth Charges at Hamlet Motel
Law enforcement officers conducting a welfare check at a local motel arrested three people on a cache of drug charges. Deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and officials from Starke County Community Correction went to the Stay 4 Less Motel on U.S. 30 in Hamlet yesterday to check on 57-year-old Michael Campbell of Knox. When they arrived, they reportedly saw occupants of room 4 run into a bathroom and hide. The officers found Brian Back, 28, and Monica Hunt, 26, both of Plymouth, hiding in the bathroom and reportedly saw several items used to make meth in plain view. They contacted Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall, who issued a search warrant for the room. Members of the Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team assisted with the search, which reportedly turned up precursors, paraphernalia and meth. Back, Hunt and Campbell are jailed on charges of possession of meth, precursors and paraphernalia, manufacturing meth and maintaining a common nuisance. Formal charges are pending.
Meth Investigation Nets One Arrest
A Starke County man is jailed on meth charges after an investigation yesterday by deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. They found Henry Wood and his dog sitting in the passenger seat of a tan vehicle parked at 3131 South State Road 39 in North Judson. Wood consented to a search of the vehicle, and deputies reportedly found an inactive meth lab and other articles used in the manufacture of meth. Wood faces charges of dealing in methamphetamine. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team was called in to assist with the cleanup.
Oregon-Davis Schools On Lockdown Following Weekend Threat
A local school is on lockdown today after officials discovered some disturbing graffiti in a boys restroom over the weekend after a basketball game. Oregon-Davis Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney says school officials met yesterday with officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and are taking the incident very seriously. He says officers from the sheriff’s department are at the school and all students are remaining inside the building.
Disney says the campus will remain on lockdown throughout the day. He stresses that school officials cannot take any threats lightly in this day and age. Disney adds that he wants parents to be aware of what’s going on and says he understands if they want to keep their children home today. The graffiti incident remains under investigation by the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. Stay tuned to WKVI throughout the day for more on this developing story.
Bond denied for murder suspect
A Starke County woman police say fatally shot her boyfriend in the chest at their rural Knox home last week remains in jail. Bond was denied for Kathleen Holt, 51. She reportedly called 911 after shooting Ron Worker on Feb.13 and confessed to the crime. Holt pleaded not guilty during her initial court appearance last Friday. She faces up to 55 years in prison if she’s convicted. Investigators with the Starke County Sheriff’s Office have yet to release a motive in the shooting. Holt’s trial is set to start May 22.
Bond denied for accused murder
A Starke County woman police say fatally shot her boyfriend in the chest at their rural Knox home last week remains in jail. Bond was denied for Kathleen Holt, 51, during a Monday court appearance. She reportedly called 911 after shooting Ron Worker on Feb.13 and confessed to the crime. Holt pleaded not guilty during her initial court appearance last Friday. She faces up to 55 years in prison if she’s convicted. Investigators with the Starke County Sheriff’s Office have yet to release a motive in the shooting. Holt’s trial is set to start May 22.
