The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is looking for this week’s most-wanted fugitive. Judy Jackson, department spokeswoman, says
Michael Cheek; photo courtesy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
that deputies are looking for 32-year-old Michael S. Cheek, who is wanted on an outstanding warrant for probation revocation. He is described as a white male, standing 5’9″ tall and weighing 145 pounds. Cheek has blond hair, brown eyes and multiple tattoos. His last known address is 5900 County Road 200 West.
If you have any information on Cheek’s whereabouts, authorities ask you to call Capt. Dave Steinkoenig at (812) 565-5940 or the Sheriff’s Department Tip Line at (812) 379-1712. You can also send information to sheriff@bartholomew.in.gov. Authorities stress that tips and information can be left anonymously.
Purdue Extension has scheduled two new-farmer study trips and area farmers are encouraged to apply to take part.
The office says that a delegation of Indiana farmers and Extension educators will visit vegetable production operations in Quebec and upstate New York September 10th through the 17th. On October 8th through the 14th, a delegation will visit Green Pastures Farm, The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, and others.
Extension officials say that in order to take part, you must:
• Reside, farm, or sell products in Bartholomew County.
• Have been farming ten or fewer years.
• Indicate how his or her enterprise will benefit from the experience.
• Indicate ways in which he or she would serve as a programming partner to Purdue Extension in the subject areas covered on the trip.
Ivy Tech Community College has received a $10,350 grant from Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. School officials say the grant will be used to teach Ivy Tech Columbus and IUPUC students how to intervene in and prevent possible suicidal threats by peers.
“Hope Squad” is a peer-to-peer program designed to train students how to provide outreach to students in distress with a direct connection to the local mental health system. Ivy Tech says that members of the Hope Squad work together with college counseling staff and mentor advisors who assist in triaging to emergency operations or mental health as appropriate. Additionally, Ivy Tech will be using what is called “suicide gatekeeper” training in the community and at the college to provide skills and knowledge about suicide risk factors, how to respond to someone in distress, and how to assist them in seeking help.
“Heritage Fund appreciates the opportunity to support this important program,” said Tracy Souza, Heritage Fund President and CEO. “We are impressed by the collaboration involved and grateful to IUPUC and Ivy Tech Columbus for coming together to bring peer-to-peer suicide prevention training to our community.”
Ivy Tech says that the Hope Squad program is taught as a curriculum so that students learn the fundamentals of peer support, a deeper understanding of mental health and suicide, and how to become more active in teaching and training their fellow students and reaching out to the community.
“We want to educate and empower our students to help their peers find the guidance and strength they need to navigate through their challenges,” said Therese Copeland, Ivy Tech Executive Director of Resource Development. “The Hope Squad program will enable Ivy Tech and IUPUC to actively engage students with effective peer-to-peer suicide prevention and intervention training. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of the Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County for their support in this important initiative.”
School officials say the program will begin this fall with the start of the 2017 academic year.
Much of Seymour remains in the dark after storms swept through the area late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Chip Orben, Duke Energy spokesman, blames high winds and a lightning strike…
As of 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Orben says that approximately 3,500 city residents and businesses remain without power. Duke officials say that power is expected to be restored to most of Seymour by midnight Thursday.
Duke officials say that the storms left a peak of 30,663 power outages across the state. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, they says that more than 15,000 customers were without power. Jackson, Jefferson and Clark counties were among the hardest hit. Other areas that suffered significant outages included Lawrence, Orange, Hamilton and Gibson counties. Duke officials add that the infrastructure damage, including multiple broken poles and equipment, will involve lengthy repair work.
A lightning strike damaged a home on Sunset Drive in Columbus Wednesday morning. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters at Station 1 were preparing for a 7 a.m. shift change when they witnessed a nearby lightning strike, less than one-mile north of the station house. At 7:38 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to 304 Sunset Drive for a possible structure fire.
Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Dept.
The resident told firefighters that she was preparing her daughter for school when they witnessed a bright light and booming thunder. She added that the lights in the home flickered but remained on. After walking around the home looking for damage, the resident returned inside where she noticed several wall receptacles no longer working. The woman also told firefighters that when she went to the garage, the overhead door wasn’t working and she could smell smoke. Further inspection in the garage led to the woman finding a damaged electric dog-fence control panel that was mounted on the garage’s exterior wall. The wall was reportedly was scorched all around the device.
Capt. Wilson says that firefighters found signs of a lightning strike. They used a thermal imaging camera to scan for a hidden fire. None was found. On the home’s exterior, firefighters found damage to a wooden deck. They say that a 4×4 deck corner post was splintered. A bowl shaped crater, suspected to have been a result of the lighting’s path of travel, was also found. Inside the crater, firefighters found what they believe to be a portion of the hidden electrical fence that is buried in the lawn.
No injuries were reported and no damage estimates were immediately available.
A Columbus man is facing charges, including drunk driving and battery, after an incident early Wednesday morning. Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, says that just before 3 a.m., Deputy Teancum Clark was dispatched to County Road 450 South in reference to a possible drunk driver.
Mark Winters; photo courtesy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
Deputy Clark reported seeing a pickup truck turn into a convenience store parking lot. He watched the driver, who he says appeared to be intoxicated, walk into the store. Deputy Clark also says that he could smell alcohol on the driver, identified as 60-year-old Mark Winters.
Deputies say that an open alcoholic beverage was found inside of Winter’s truck. They also reportedly found beer and soda cans poked with holes containing green leafy substances, burnt residue and a clear plastic wrapper also containing a green leafy substance.
Jackson says that Winters was taken to Columbus Regional Health for medical clearance where he became verbally abusive to CRH staff and spat on Deputy Clark. Once medically cleared, Winters was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of:
Public Intoxication;
Operating a vehicle while Intoxicated;
Battery by Bodily Waste; and
Battery on Law Enforcement by Bodily Waste
Authorities say that Winters remains behind bars in lieu of $34,500 bond.
The city of Columbus is asking the Indiana Department of Transportation for an overpass that will take Jonathan Moore Pike/State Road 46 over both the railroad tracks and State Road 11 at the Second and Third Street bridges.
That is different than previous plans, which would have only lifted the eastbound lanes over just the railroad tracks.
The city is going through several efforts to reduce the effect of increased train traffic on the community. The Louisville and Indiana Railroad tracks are being leased to CSX railroad and in the next few years are expected to carry up to one train an hour, and those trains would be about two-thirds of a mile long.
Graphic courtesy of City of Columbus.
John Dorenbusch, who represents the Columbus Redevelopment Commission on the railroad steering committee, unveiled the new proposal at this week’s Redevelopment Commission meeting. The plan would still cost in the neighborhood of $25-30 million dollars.
Graphic courtesy of City of Columbus.
Dorenbusch said the city had presented the revised plan to INDOT and Dave Hayward, the city engineer, said they should have a response in weeks. Although city officials have said that even if they get on the INDOT project list, it could be years before the work is slated.
Dorenbusch also showed a new proposal to move the railroad tracks further west, taking them away from the downtown area. That proposal would still use the new overpass location, but would push the train tracks further out of the city, requiring a new bridge over the Driftwood River. That proposal would cost up to $100 million dollars Dorenbusch said.
The commission approved a contract with former Louisville and Indiana Railroad President John Secor to develop a plan for railroad quiet zones through the city. That contract was for up to $11,500 not including expenses.
Duke Energy is reporting an outage in northeastern Bartholomew County affecting about 1,600 customers and about 7,000 customers are without power in Jackson County.
Bartholomew County REMC is also reporting an outage at the Hope substation, caused by problems with the Duke transmission lines. They say this is affecting about 300 REMC customer.
Chip Orben with Duke Energy warns that you should stay away from any downed power lines you come across. If you are still without power, you can call 800-343-3525 to report the outage.
Michael Romero. Photo courtesy of Seymour Police Department.
Seymour police are reporting a police chase early Tuesday morning.
They say that a Jackson County reserve deputy was pursuing a vehicle in the area of East 4th Street Road and Aisin USA at about 12:15 a.m. in the morning. The suspect lost control trying to navigate a curve on Hartsell Road and came to a stop.
Police arrested the driver, 28-year-old Michael Romero of Seymour, on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement in a vehicle, resisting law enforcement, driving while suspended with a prior conviction and outstanding Jackson County warrants.
