An autopsy is scheduled for today in the death of a Indianapolis woman and Columbus East High school graduate who was found dead on a sandbar in the Flat Rock River Saturday morning. But police do not suspect foul play in the case.

Lt Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, said that the body of 33-year-old Jacquelyn Watts was discovered by officers at about 8:30 a.m Saturday

Police had been searching for her since late Friday afternoon when her car was discovered in the 2300 block of Riverside Drive with the engine running and the emergency flashers on.

Harris said that the Columbus police searched overnight including help from a Louisville police helicopter and a IU Lifeline helicopter. They started the search again about 730 Saturday when police found the body. Police said they do not expect foul play and plan to update the public at a press conference at noon today.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Jacquelyn Watts you can call the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.

You can watch the press conference streaming live on our Facebook page.

Editors Note: Jacquelyn Watts’ name was misspelled in earlier versions of this story. We apologize for the error.

Columbus police have discovered the body of a missing Indianapolis woman whose running car was found abandoned on Riverside Drive Friday afternoon.

Lt Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, said that the body of 33-year-old Jacquelyn Watts was discovered by officers on a sandbar in the Flat Rock River at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Police had been searching for her since late Friday afternoon when her car was discovered in the 2300 block of Riverside Drive with the engine running and the emergency flashers on.

Harris said that the Columbus police, along with officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers searched overnight including help from a Louisville police helicopter and a IU Lifeline helicopter. There were also several boats in the river last night searching, he said.

They started the search again about 730 a.m. Saturday, this morning when police on foot found the body. He said there is no word yet on the condition of the body and an autopsy is pending.

Harris said that Watts was in Columbus to drop off her pets at a relative’s home which is in the area of where her car was located.  There was no information available on the location of the pets or whether she had already dropped them off with the relatives.

Harris also decried some social media posts that provided false or misleading information. In one case, social media posted that a person covered in blood emerged from the woods where police were searching, and surrendered to police. But that information was false.

The investigation into Watts’ disappearance is continuing. If you have any information on the disappearance of Jacquelyn Watts you can call the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.

Columbus Police are searching for a woman they say is missing and possibly endangered. Officers are looking for 33-year-old Jacqueline

Watts, a white female who was reported missing from the 2300 block of Riverside Drive. Watts is described as being 5’5″ tall and weighing 110 pounds with blond hair and brown eyes. Police say that she was last seen wearing black stretch-pants and a gray shirt. Department officials say that officers, including a K-9 unit are searching the area. You are asked to stay away from that area for the time being.

If you have any information on Watts’ possible whereabouts, Columbus Police ask you to call 911 immediately.

The town of Hope continues its work on proposals aimed at cleaning up the community. JT Doane, town manager, says that officials are considering implementing a universal trash pickup service. He is encouraging residents to take part in the town council’s work session on Tuesday night.

Doane says that he’s invited one of the contractors considering submitting a bid to attend this work session to help answer questions that residents may have. He noted that a town-wide service may be more economical and is expected save money for those residents currently paying for trash disposal. Doane adds that a full presentation is scheduled to be offered at the full town council meeting on March 21st.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has permitted coring operations during overnight hours on Interstate 65 in Bartholomew County.

INDOT officials say that Earth Explorations crews will be onsite beginning Sunday night taking pavement and soil core samples from all I-65 lanes, one lane at a time, from State Road 46 at Columbus north to a terminus beyond U.S. Highway 31. Speed limits will be reduced to 55 mph between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. while workers are present.

INDOT officials anticipate nighttime operations continuing for approximately one week.

A Columbus North High School student was taken into custody after a fight Friday afternoon. Officials with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation say that shortly after noon, the girl became loud and angry and struck another student several times. They say the student then left the room, ran through the hallways while ignoring staff, circled back to the class and grabbed scissors. Adults directed the other students to exit the room, but BCSC says the student with the scissors told them not to leave.

BCSC says that the School Resource Officer and other staff members were able to get the situation under control. No injuries were reported.

A Columbus man is accused of stabbing his wife repeatedly with a screwdriver.

The incident happened at just before 5 Thursday morning in the 3100 block of Sycamore Street. Lt Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department said officers were called to a reported stabbing and found the victim and attacker in an upstairs bedroom struggling over a knife.

They arrested 36-year-old Eleazar N. Martinez Gonzalez on charges including domestic battery with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury and domestic battery in the presence of a minor.

His wife was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital with stab wounds to her head and her body. They were not believed to be life threatening Harris said.

The incident remains under investigation.

Former Columbus Mayor Kristen Brown has had four complaints against the current city office holders for violations of public records laws reviewed by the state since she was voted out of office. Most of those complaints were justified says Luke Britt, the state’s public access counselor.

Brown has filed a lawsuit against Police Chief Jon Rohde for a request she made last year to see the reports about a police investigation involving a sheriff’s department official, his wife, and a county-owned vehicle. Britt found in Brown’s favor when that complaint was made to his office. Britt explains that he issued an advisory opinion saying that the police department did not provide enough information to meet the public access standard in that case.

Britt credited the city police for sending a representative to meet with him and to go over the information that is provided in the logs and what the minimum requirements are. However Britt did not know whether the city had made any changes to the amount of information it was providing.

Although the public access counselor’s opinions are not legally binding on the city, if a citizen has gone through the process of getting an advisory opinion from the public access counselor, they can recoup their legal costs if they succeed in their lawsuit.

City officials said they could not comment on the information provided in the logs because of the ongoing litigation.

The other complaints made by Brown against city officials included public records requests from the city Fire Department, the Clerk-Treasurer’s office and the Redevelopment Commission. Britt found in Brown’s favor in all of the cases except for the Columbus Fire Department request. He found that the fire department gave Brown all the information it had on hand related to a fire last August at Fox Pointe Apartments.

Since leaving office, Brown and a number of her supporters have filed many request for information from the new city government, enough that Mayor Jim Lienhoop suggested that they were doing so just to tie up city time and resources. However, Britt said that personal animosity or political conflicts do not play into the public’s right to have access to public records.

You can view the opinions from the Indiana Public Access Counselor on Kristen Brown’s records requests here (PDF Downloads):

Oct. 21 Advisory opinion, Brown vs Columbus Fire Department

Oct. 27 Informal opinion, Brown vs. Columbus Redevelopment Commission

Nov. 3 Advisory opinion, Brown vs. Columbus Police Department

Nov. 4 Advisory opinion, Brown vs. Columbus Clerk-Treasurer’s office

Columbus Police arrested two local residents for warrants after they were reportedly found hiding inside of a home on California Street. Lt. Matt Harris, police department spokesman, says that at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to the 700 block of California Street to service a warrant. When officers arrived, they reported finding 29-year-old Nicole L. Childers hiding under a table inside a bedroom. Moments later, officers say they found 33-year-old Derrick A. Green hiding inside of a box in a bedroom closet. Green allegedly strugled with officers as he was removed from the closet. After Green was taken into custody, officers allegedly found a syringe in his shirt.

Childers was wanted on a Bench Warrant from Bartholomew County Circuit Court for Violation of Probation. Her original charges were two counts of Dealing in a Narcotic Drug, a Level 5 Felony.

Green was wanted on warrants out of Bartholomew County Superior Court for Failure to Appear on charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Domestic Battery and Contempt of Court. Authorities say that Green is facing an additional charge of Possession of Legend Drug Injection Device after Wednesday’s incident.

Both Childers and Green are being held without bond.