Giving a fake name to police didn’t keep a Columbus man from getting arrested early this morning.

A Columbus police officer saw two men near 25th Street and Marr Roads at about 1:10 a.m., which he thought looked suspicious says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department. One of the men told the officer that he had no identification on him but gave a name which turned out to be false. The officer recognized the man as 26-year-old Travis L. Mitchell who was wanted on several warrants.

Mitchell was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail on a new preliminary charge of false informing and Bartholomew County warrants including one for failing to appear in court on charges of conversion and a probation violation for possession of a controlled substance.

Bartholomew County voters will have 18 vote centers to choose from during the primary election on May 3rd. But not every township will have its own place to vote.

Vote centers were instituted for last year’s Columbus city elections, but the May election will be the first countywide election to replace the traditional precinct by precinct voting. With vote centers, you can cast your ballot at any of the 18 county locations and no longer will need to go to your local precinct.

But the new vote centers were chosen for their accessibility, access to the internet and size, meaning some townships simply don’t have a location where they can be set up, said County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop. Lienhoop said that his own Clifty Township would not have a vote center. Other townships without a vote center include Clay and Jackson townships.

County Commissioners approved the vote center plan at their meeting yesterday. The centers:

1. Flintwood Wesleyan Church

2. St. John’s Masonic Lodge

3. Grace Lutheran Church

4. Healing Waters Church

5. Donner Center

6. East Columbus Fire Station

7. The Commons

8. Main Source Bank

9. Terrace Lake Church

10. Faith Lutheran Church

11. REMC Building

12. Elizabethtown Fire Station

13. Shiloh Baptist Church

14. Hope Moravian Church

15. Clifford Fire Station

16. German Twp. Fire Station

17. Southwest Fire Station

18. White Creek Lutheran Church

Absentee voting for the May primary begins on April 5th.

This week is National Severe Weather Preparedness week

The Bartholomew County Emergency Management Center says that there will be two statewide tornado tests on Tuesday, . A morning test will take place between 10:15 and 10:30, while the evening test is scheduled for between 7:35 and 7:45.

In the event of poor weather, the tests will take place the following day.

A truck load of Pop-Tarts rolled over near Columbus on Interstate 65 Saturday night.

The Bartholomew County sheriff’s department is reporting that the accident happened at about 11:45 south of Walesboro when the truck overturned, trapping the driver inside. According to police reports, the driver drifted onto the rumble strips on the side of the road, overcorrected and then rolled the truck over.

The driver, 47-year-old Ross Liechtenstein of Chicago, was freed from the wreckage by Columbus firefighters and treated for minor injuries. The southbound left lane was closed down for more than three hours while the truck filled with more than 13 tons of toaster pastries was cleaned up, deputies report.

A Columbus man died in a rollover accident Sunday afternoon.

45-year-old Thomas Young was found dead at about 6:27 p.m. Sunday in the 12000 block west of Bellsville Pike, said Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.  Deputies said that his SUV was found upright on the road but it had clearly rolled over several times. Young was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

An argument between a man and his wife turned into a scuffle with a knife, when another man got involved Friday afternoon in downtown Columbus.’

Officers were called to the 600 block of Chestnut Street at about 5 p.m. Friday and found a man bleeding from his head and hand. The man told police that he and his wife were having an argument when another man, armed with a knife, intervened, says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department.

A fight broke out between the victim and 48-year-old David B. Defibaugh and the victim told police that he was cut on the hand and then kicked in the head several times, Harris said. The victim was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment.

Defibaugh was arrested by police on a preliminary charge of battery with a deadly weapon.

A Columbus man was arrested on Friday after allegedly strangling a woman in front of her children.

Columbus police officers were called to a domestic disturbance in the 3000 block of Rosewood Lane at about 12:02 p.m. Friday. A witness told police that she and her two young children were in the home when she was allegedly attacked by 29-year-old Edwin A. Castro. According to police reports, she said he choked her and drug her by her hair.

Castro was found nearby and arrested on preliminary charges including:

• Violation of a Protective Order
• Domestic Battery
• Domestic Battery with a Child Present
• Strangulation

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are closing in on hiring a new superintendent. Dr. Jill Shedd, president of the school board, says that first they must hold a public hearing on the contract they are planning to offer a candidate.

Shedd said that the search has been narrowed down to a few finalists, but said confidentiality wouldn’t allow her to specify how many remain. But state law requires the public hearing before a contract can be offered. The three-year contract would include:

• Annual Salary (1st year) $170,000
• 10.5% Retirement
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Annual 401(a)/403(b) Plan Contribution
• $500,000 Life Insurance
• Annual Auto Allowance of $10,000
• Annual Professional Development Allowance and Membership Fees of $4,000
• One‐time moving expense not to exceed $5,000 if moving from out-of-district
• 20 paid vacation days and recognized holidays, as well as the same number of sick and general leave granted all teachers and administrators.

A public meeting seeking comments on the contract will be held at 7 p.m. March 28th, in the BCSC administration building on Central Avenue. Shedd said that after the hearing is held, the new superintendent will likely be announced and the board will vote to approve the contract at its first meeting in April.

Current superintendent, Dr. John Quick, is retiring at the end of this school year.

School officials say that a full copy of the draft contract is available at the BCSC website at www.bcsc.k12.in.us

A Seymour woman was arrested last week after being found allegedly driving drunk with the three children she was supposed to be babysitting.

Seymour police are reporting that the incident happened last Wednesday, when officers were called to check on the welfare of the children at about 9 p.m., when the babysitter had not been seen for several hours.

Police officer Jeremy Soliday found the babysitter, 33-year-old Donnis Seale, in her vehicle and believed that she was heavily intoxicated. A blood alcohol test allegedly showed a level more than three times the legal limit. And two of the children were out of their carseats and one on the floorboard of the back seat.

Seale is facing preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while Intoxicated, operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .15% or treater, three counts of neglect of a dependant, and two counts of reckless supervision.