A multi-vehicle crash claimed the life of one person Tuesday afternoon in Shelby County.

John Perrine, spokesman for the Indiana State Police, say that the crash took place at 5:15 p.m. on U.S. Highway 52, at the intersection of County Road North 200 East, near Morristown. Upon arrival, troopers reported a “very active crash scene.” Perrine says that bystanders were performing CPR on one person, while another was in very critical condition. He says that 51-year-old John Hogue, a resident of Shelby County, was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical helicopter was called to the scene to transport the critical patient, 30-year-old Jessica Maxwell, of Muncie.

ISP say that their preliminary investigation determined a utility-truck was traveling east on U.S. 52, approaching the intersection of County Road 200 East. Just ahead, authorities say that an SUV, driven by Hogue, had stopped on U.S. 52 to prepare to turn north onto County Road 200 East. Perrine says that the utility-truck ran into the back of Hogue’s vehicle, causing it to spin into the westbound lanes, where it was struck again by a medical transport van driven by Maxwell. He went on to say that the vehicles came to rest in the roadway, leading to a number of bystanders descending to offer help. ISP adds that two other vehicles were struck by debris from the crashes.

Investigators say that Hogue was likely not wearing his seat belt, which caused him to be thrown into the back cargo area of his SUV. ISP adds that U.S. 52 was closed in both directions for about two hours as investigators and cleanup crews did their work.

Indiana State Police are thanking the individuals who offered their help, along with assisting agencies. Perrine says they include: the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, The Fountaintown and Morristown Volunteer Fire Departments and the Shelby County Coroner’s Office.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced plans to close State Road 9, north of Hope, on Monday, July 11.

Harry Maginity, INDOT spokesman, says that the closure is for bridge work at the three-span bridge over Hawcreek. He says that the closure is scheduled to last for three weeks and that the posted detour routes drivers around the closure via State Road 252, I-65, U.S. 31 and 25th Street in Columbus. INDOT says that this closure will affect nearly four-thousand vehicles each day.

As for the project itself, Maginity says that E & B Paving is the state’s contractor for this $179,500 bridge preservation project. He explains that crews will make necessary repairs and patches before replacing the existing bridge deck overlay with a new, latex-modified, concrete overlay.

Three suspects involved in the Tuesday morning robbery of a Seymour pharmacy are behind bars.

Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott says that his officers received a call at 4:14 a.m. that the CVS Pharmacy, at 201 East Tipton Street, had been robbed. He says that, as officers were responding, they noticed a vehicle headed north on Broadway Street, about a half-block away from the pharmacy, with its headlights off. As police tried to pull the vehicle over, it accelerated, resulting in a chase. Abbott says that the pursuit went about six-blocks, before the suspects’ vehicle crashed. From there, he says that the three people inside the vehicle scurried out and fled on foot. Officers caught two of the suspects, ages 14 and 16, quickly, while the third suspect, Cameron Tibbs, 18, of Indianapolis, was arrested about 40 minutes later.

Chief Abbott says that witnesses at the pharmacy reported that four suspects entered at the time of the robbery. He says that the fourth suspect was not in the crashed vehicle. Abbott adds that the vehicle used in the robbery was a recent purchase and that the suspects are familiar with its owner, who may be involved in the robbery. That person’s name has not been released.

Chief Abbott says that, while no weapons were displayed during the robbery, the suspects made motions that suggested that they were carrying them. While officers were checking the suspects’ crashed vehicle, they reported finding a magazine for a handgun. Abbott says that the magazine’s discovery and absence of a weapon indicates that the suspects may have thrown at least one gun from the vehicle during the pursuit. If so, he says that the weapon is likely somewhere along Broadway Street in the area of Shields Park. While officers are searching the area, Abbott urges you to be aware and to talk to your children about gun safety. Should you come across a gun, you should call 911 immediately. Do your best to not touch it.

Since these arrests, Abbott says that his department has been fielding calls from other police agencies across the state who have open investigations into other, similar, cases. While he wouldn’t comment on all of them, Chief Abbott says that he has seen security camera images of some of those robberies and noted that these suspects share many traits with those cases. Abbott added that their investigation is ongoing and that officers are working with police in Columbus, where a robbery took place Monday morning, as well as the other communities, where similar crimes have occurred.

If you have any information about a robbery, police urge you to contact the law-enforcement agency responsible for that area.

Columbus Police are investigating the robbery a pharmacy that took place early Monday morning.

Lt. Matt Harris, police department spokesman, says that, just after 5 a.m.,  officers responded to the CVS Pharmacy, at 2423 North National Road. He says that detectives determined that three men, wearing hooded sweatshirts, entered the pharmacy. Moments later, they allegedly passed a note to the pharmacist demanding drugs and made off with undisclosed prescription medication. All three suspects were described as black males, appearing to range in age from 20 to 30.

Lt. Harris says that detectives are working with police in Seymour who have three suspects in custody from a pharmacy robbery that occurred there Tuesday morning. He adds that no one was hurt in the Columbus robbery. We are working on getting more information about the Seymour robbery

If you have any information about the Columbus robbery, police ask you to contact Det. Michael Pigman at (812)376-2631. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

Bartholomew County officials want to purchase the former headquarters of Premier Ag on Marr Road to use as county office space.

The County Commissioners this morning ratified a decision to spend $700,000 on the two buildings on Marr Road to be used as offices for the Purdue Extension Office of Bartholomew County. The extension office has been operating from temporary offices on Repp Drive since they vacated the former county annex building on State Street.

Commissioners President Rick Flohr said the deal has come together quickly and would give the county the two buildings, totaling about 17,000 square feet. One is the ag co-op’s recently renovated office building and the other is a storage garage.

The extension office would only need about a fraction of that space, commissioners said. Other possible county government tenants could include the soil and water conservation district offices, the veterans assistance officer and storage for various county equipment.

Commissioners said that the company plans to turn the building over in about a year, after the company finishes building a new headquarters in Seymour. Last year, Premier Ag merged with the Jackson-Jennings Co-op.

The ratification of the purchase agreement still has a few steps before it is final, said County Attorney Grant Tucker. The County Council must approve the arrangement and two appraisals must be done of the property. The county can not pay more than the average of the two appraisals.

The money for the project would come from telecommunications fund money that the commissioners have been accumulating for about 10 years from money collected from cable television bills, said Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz. The property would be purchased outright, without any borrowing, Kleinhenz said.

Kleinhenz said that he would soon be suggesting that the county use another $300,000 in telecommunications funds to improve the highway garage on State Street.

Eastern Bartholomew Water Corp. has issued a boil water advisory for Elizabethtown customers due to a water main break. The advisory is in effect until noon Thursday and customers should boil water for one minute before drinking, brushing teeth or using it in food preparation.

A change to Columbus ordinances would ban the ownership of chickens and other livestock within the Columbus City limits. But that ban would include other animals such as chinchillas, teacup pigs and miniature horses as well. The final approval of the ordinance is scheduled for tonight.

When the ordinance first came up last month and passed 5-2, city councilwomen Elaine Wagner and Laurie Booher both voted against it. Wagner says that she thinks there are better ways to handle any problems than a blanket ban on all chickens and many other pet animals.

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She suggested that instead, the city set a limit on the allowed numbers, such as the city already does for dog owners. Wagner said she has spoken to a lot of constituents opposed to the change:

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Mayor Jim Lienhoop said that the important point of the ordinance change is to identify barnyard animals and to make sure they are not permitted in the city limits.

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Because of an expected large crowd tonight, City Council will be meeting in the Cal Brand meeting room at Columbus City Hall, starting at 6 p.m.

In other business City Council will:

• Consider a change to the development plan for property near Tipton Lakes and Westhill Shopping Center that would allow for a convenience store near the CVS Pharmacy.
•  Create a new fund to hold  a new windfall of street improvement money. Lienhoop says that the city is receiving just over $3 million in local option income tax revenues, previously held by the state.

The town of Hope is looking for a grant to hire another police officer, bringing the town’s police force up to four.

Marshal Matt Tallent explains that the grant from Police One would allow the town to have 24-hour a day coverage from town police:

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The grant would cover the officer’s salary for three years, and the town would have to agree to pay the officer for at least one year after that. The town also applied last year but was not approved, Tallent said.

Seymour police are asking for your help catching the suspect in an armed robbery of a store over the weekend.

Police say that someone robbed the Family Dollar Store on West Tipton Street at 4:17 p.m. Saturday. Officers say that a suspect wearing a blue ski mask displayed a firearm, robbed the store and then ran away.

If you have any information that could help capture this suspect, you should call the Seymour Police Department at 812-522-1234.

An early-morning search for a missing horseback rider in Brown County State Park led to the arrest of the missing man Sunday afternoon.

Conservation officers for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources say that the incident started when 41-year-old Damion Brown of Brazil, his wife and another rider tried to return to their camp at the Horseman’s Campground early Sunday morning after a night of drinking. At some point, Brown fell off his horse and then got into a fight with his wife, conservation officers report. His wife and the other camper left the area, taking Brown’s horse with them.

When Brown had not shown up at the campground by about 3 a.m., conservation officers and park personell began searching for him on all-terrain vehicles and with a rescue dog. The Johnson County Mounted Sheriff’s unit was called in at daybreak. Brown was eventually found walking the trails at about 1 p.m.

He was arrested on a preliminary charge of domestic battery and he and his wife were ejected from the park.