Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers will be holding a community meeting Thursday in Ogilville.

The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Southwest Volunteer Fire Department station in Ohio Township. The community meetings are meant for the public to have a chance to talk directly to the sheriff and his deputies about issues that concern them. Although the meeting is being held in Ogilville, any residents are invited to attend.

A driver who allegedly ran away from a rollover accident was found and arrested near the Driftwood River Sunday morning.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the accident on Lowell Road and North County Road 250W at just before 9 a.m. Sunday morning and found a truck lying on its side off the roadway. Witnesses said that a man left the accident and ran away into a field near the river.

He was quickly found by deputies and was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment before being taken to jail.

30-year-old Joshua M. Arnett of Maple Street in Columbus is facing preliminary charges of leaving the scene of an accident, operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license. operating a vehicle while intoxicated, possession of methamphetamine and failing to appear in court on a Bartholomew County warrant.

Columbus police arrested a driver on Interstate 65 Sunday morning on drug, weapons and drunk driving charges after he was seen swerving on the highway.

Police stopped 27-year-old Jacob A. Golob of Indianapolis near the 70 mile marker and an officer smelled marijuana inside the vehicle says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department. A search of the car allegedly revealed a gun that Golob did not have a permit for and his blood-alcohol level was found to be .124 percent.

He was arrested on preliminary charges of carrying a firearm without a license, possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana, and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level between .08 and .14 percent.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies report another suspected opiate overdose over the weekend.

They say they found an unconscious woman when they were called to the 7900 block of Depot Street in Clifford. After two doses of Narcan she began breathing on her own again.

After being revived, she was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital where she refused to give any information to authorities. Deputies report that acquaintances at the scene also said they had no clue what may have happened to her.

The latest session of the Indiana General Assembly came to a close just over a week ago.

State Rep. Milo Smith, a Republican who represents Columbus, says that some good things came out of the session. A big one, he says, is an effort to retain Indiana State Police Troopers.

Another positive, says Smith, has to do with public education funding.

Smith went on to say that he was pleased to get some business done that he’s been pushing for for some time.

Smith says the state misses out between $250 and 400-million-dollars every year because online retailers fail to collect the sales tax. Despite that figure, Smith says it is more important to make sure that brick-and-mortar locations in Indiana aren’t working at a disadvantage competing against online elements.

Rep. Smith says that he expects online retailers will sue, ultimately putting the matter before the U.S. Supreme Court…

Smith says that this bill was passed in the last hours of the final day of this year’s session.

Emergency officials are attributing Friday’ night’s storm damage to straight line winds and not a tornado.

Shannan Hinton, the Bartholomew County Emergency Management Director says that the wind damage was in a line for about 14 miles with most of the damage happening in the eastern portion of the county. She said there was a weak funnel near Clifty Creek, Base Road and Highland Ridge but it did not appear to touchdown.

She says that two homes were affected, four outbuildings were destroyed, and one outbuilding suffered major damage.

Many Bartholomew County REMC and Duke Energy customers were without power until yesterday. Duke Energy was still reporting seven customers without power near Fairlawn Drive and 25th Street in Columbus as of 6 a.m. today.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for many rivers in our area. That includes the Driftwood, East Fork White and Flat Rock Rivers and Sugar Creek. The agency says minor to moderate flooding is expected through Wednesday afternoon.

The Driftwood River at Edinburgh was at 10.1 feet this morning, with a flood stage of 11 feet. The river is expected to crest at near 11.1 feet by tomorrow morning and fall below flood stage by Wednesday.

East Fork White River at Seymour crested yesterday at about 3 feet and 8 inches above the 12-foot flood stage. It is expected to stay in the minor flood stage until Thursday morning.

To stay safe, never drive into flood water. Turn around and go
another way. You should also keep children away from flooded areas.