A money-crunch in Seymour has city officials there looking for a way to pay the bills.

The Seymour City Council is set to consider an ordinance during its meeting on Monday night to borrow five-million-dollars from the Seymour Municipal Sanitation Utility. According to the ordinance, the loan is needed because the city’s first property tax distribution payment won’t be received until June. The second payment is scheduled to be received by the city in December. The ordinance also says that the utility has the money available. If approved by the council, the money would be transferred to the city’s General Fund and Parks and Recreation Fund for the payment of city expenses. The Seymour Municipal Sanitation Utility will be reimbursed, no later than Dec. 31, 2016, after the city receives its property tax payments.

The Seymour City Council meets Monday night at 7 p.m. inside Council Chambers on North Chestnut Street. You are encouraged to attend.

North Vernon Police arrested a city resident on drug charges early Thursday morning.

A department spokesperson says that at approximately 4:30 a.m., a vehicle was pulled over for a traffic stop in the area of North State Road 3 and Madison Avenue. Twenty-year-old Sherri Gardner was inside. As officers were talking with Gardner, they allege that a K-9 alerted them to narcotics inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle allegedly turned up approximately one-half gram of crystal methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Police say that Gardner was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of a Legend Drug, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Alcohol by a Minor. She was booked in the Jennings County Jail.

Columbus Police arrested a pair of area men early Thursday morning after a homeowner allegedly caught them burglarizing his property.

Columbus Police Department (CPD) Spokesman Lt. Matt Harris says that

just after midnight, officers were called to the 1600 block of McClure Road after the homeowner returned to find two men, wearing masks, allegedly stealing tools from his back porch. The homeowner told police that the suspects possibly fled to a garage in the 2800 block of 16th Street.

Harris says that officers went to the garage, where they found 40-year-old Keith J. Gilbert, of North Vernon and 28-year-old Donald E. Burton, II, of

Columbus. He adds that Burton had been living in the garage. While standing outside the garage, the officers reported seeing tools, as well as a pair of shoes, in the back yard. When officers entered the garage to speak with the men, they allegedly found several bicycles, as well as two

camouflage masks inside the building. After checking the bikes’ serial numbers, police were able to determine that two of them had been reported stolen in Columbus last year. Harris added that it was also determined that Burton had two local warrants out for his arrest. While searching the area for an additional suspect, officers reported locating several tools and equipment that the original complainant said belonged to him.

Gilbert and Burton were both arrested and booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on the following preliminary charges:

Keith J. Gilbert:
Two Counts of Possession of Stolen Property (Class A Misdemeanors)

Donald E. Burton II:
Bartholomew County Warrant (Failure to Appear on Possession of Drug Paraphernalia)
Bartholomew County Warrant (Failure to Appear on Battery and Conversion)
Burglary (Level 5 Felony)

A Columbus man was arrested on drug charges after a traffic stop Thursday night.

Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department (CPD) Spokesman, says that at approximately 11:50 p.m., CPD Sgt. Kyle Young, stopped a vehicle near 13th Street and Lafayette Avenue for a muffler violation. During the stop, CPD officer Branch Schrader arrived on the scene and walked his canine partner, Argo, around the outside of the vehicle. Argo was allegedly alerted to the odor of narcotics.

Harris says that officers then searched the vehicle. They allegedly found a number of hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. Harris says they also allegedly found a small amount of methamphetamine as well as a “look-alike” substance in a bag that closely resembled crystal methamphetamine.

Officers arrested 37-year-old Matthew D. Rose on preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Illegal Possession of a Drug Injection Device (Level 6 Felony) and Possession of a Look-Alike Substance (Class C Misdemeanor).

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is looking for its most-wanted suspect this week.

Department Spokesperson Judy Jackson says that deputies are searching for Randall William Garris. He is describes a white male, five-feet, 11-inches tall and weighing 270 pounds. Garris has brown hair and blues eyes, as well as tattoos on his chest and leg. Jackson says that Garris is wanted on a warrant for Failure to Appear.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Garris, you are asked to contact Captain Dave Steinkoenig at (812) 565-5940. You can also call the department’s Tip Line at (812) 379-1712. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

Bartholomew County Commissioner Rick Flohr is announcing that he plans to run for re-election.

Flohr, a retired business owner, was first elected four years ago. He said that he would like to continue to work on projects that are before the commissioners. Although several issues have turned contentious in the past few years, he has enjoyed working toward compromises.

Flohr said he has also really enjoyed being able to help people with issues that they bring before the county government such as road concerns or drainage problems.

Flohr, 65, said he that if re-elected, he would be 70 years old at the end of his second term and plans to leave office after that. Flohr, a Republican, is the only candidate yet to announce for the District 3 commissioners seat.

The filing period for this year’s election opened on Wednesday and runs until noon on Friday, February 5th.

According to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s office, several people have already filed with the Secretary of State’s office for state positions representing Bartholomew County.

Republican incumbent Jim Lucas has filed to run again for the Indiana House District 69 seat along with Republican Nancy Franke.

There will be no Federal charges in the death investigation of Cary Owsley.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers requested a federal investigation in to the April, 2013 death of Owsley, which was ruled a suicide by County Coroner Larry Fisher. There were numerous issues with the death investigation, including Owsley’s wife’s ex-husband, who was a Sheriff’s Deputy, being allowed on the scene to handle evidence. According to a letter released by the Sheriff’s Department from U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) Acting Section Chief Paige M. Fitzgerald, the DOJ and the FBI say that there is no evidence to support the prosecution of anyone under Federal criminal civil rights statutes.

Despite the incident occurring before Sheriff Myers took office, he explained that he asked for the inquiry in order to restore dignity to the department, the families that were affected, as well as the community. The Sheriff added that he is unable to comment further on the case due to a pending civil lawsuit.

Owsley’s sister, Cheryl Owsley Jackson, said that she’s concerned that the Sheriff’s Department may not have turned over all of the evidence they had. She says that the Sheriff’s Department would not tell the family what evidence was handed over to federal officials, despite their requests for that information. Owsley Jackson also says that Sheriff Myers did not request federal help of his own volition. She says that he only did so after repeated requests from her and her family.

Former Bartholomew County Sheriff Mark Gorbett, through attorney Pete King, said that the DOJ’s announcement confirms his belief that “the investigation conducted by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the investigation by the Indiana State Police which former Sheriff Gorbett requested, vindicates the ultimate determination of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department that no criminal laws were violated.”

King added that Gorbett is currently a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by Logan Owsley. As such, he will be unable to comment further on this case until the conclusion of that litigation.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a Johnson County woman late Wednesday night on drug charges.

Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson Judy Jackson says that at approximately 11:55 p.m., Sgt. Kris Weisner was northbound on I-65, at the 76 mile marker, when he stopped a vehicle for speeding. As he approached the vehicle, Sgt. Weisner reported that he could smell, as well as see, marijuana inside the vehicle.

The driver, 27-year-old Alyssa Cook, of Greenwood, was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on charges of Operating a Motor Vehicle while Under the Influence of Drugs, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Paraphernalia. Jackson says that Cook was later released on $8,500 bond.

A Columbus man who was arrested last week on sexual misconduct charges is now facing more charges.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson Judy Jackson says that 22-year-old Dylan Carley was arrested on the evening of Dec, 30 for alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. Since then, Jackson says that Carley has formally been charged with two counts of Child Molesting (Level 1 Felonies) and one count of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor (Level 4 Felony).

Jackson adds that Carley remains in the Bartholomew County Jail held, without bond.

The filing period has opened for candidates who want to seek election this year.

According to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s office, several people have already filed with the Secretary of State’s office for state positions representing Bartholomew County.

Danny Basham Jr., a Democrat, has filed for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 6 seat. Bartholomew County assessor Lew Wilson is running for the Republican nomination for the Indiana House District 59 seat. And Scott C. Andrews joins Kelly Benjamin filing to for Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge as Republicans.

The filing period closes on Friday, February 5th at noon. In Bartholomew County you can file for office in the voter registration office at the county courthouse on Washington Street.