Columbus police recovered missing credit cards, Social Security cards, checks and a birth certificate when they arrested a wanted woman early this morning.

Police report that they saw 33-year-old Amber Harris of Columbus walking on Washington Street at about 12:30 a.m. this morning and recognized that she was wanted on an outstanding Marion County warrant.

After she was arrested, a search of her wallet recovered the documents, some of which had been missing since last year.

She was arrested on the warrant, and on a new preliminary charge of possession of stolen property.

A Greensburg bicyclist died over the weekend after being struck by a vehicle.

43-year-old Emily S. Bauman died from her injuries at Decatur County Memorial Hospital after the Saturday afternoon accident according to Indiana State Police.

Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with the state police, says that Bauman was biking southbound on Broadway Street at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday and crossed State Road 3 in front of an eastbound vehicle being driven by 52-year-old Traci L. Miller of Hamilton, Ohio. Bauman was struck and thrown from her bicycle.

Wheeles says that Miller had the right of the way at the intersection and is unclear why Bauman drove into the path of Miller’s car.

Toxicology results are pending and the accident remains under investigation.

The Indiana Department of Transportation shifted State Road 46 traffic to the south side of the east-west highway at Tipton Lanes Boulevard Monday to facilitate pavement removal and placement of new concrete on the north side. Officials say the boulevard, just west of Interstate 65, will be closed for two to three weeks. INDOT says that once the 1200-foot section of concrete has been replaced on the westbound/north side, operations will shift to the eastbound lanes of State Road 46.

Milestone is the state’s contractor for this $4.3 million project which focuses on milling and resurfacing 15 miles of State Road 46 from Columbus to Nashville.

The Bartholomew County Highway Department says that work overlaying Marr Road continues Tuesday. A department spokeswoman says that Milestone Contractors will finish overlaying Marr Road from Sawin Drive / County Road 300 North to just north of County Road 450 North. The work is scheduled to last through Thursday. You should avoid the area.

A Columbus woman was arrested Saturday afternoon on drug charges. Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, says that at approximately 4:22 p.m., Deputy Sergeant Kris Weisner initiated a traffic stop in the area of County Road 150 West and Paula Drive in Columbus on a vehicle without working tail lights. After making contact with the driver, 25-year-old Megan E. Moore, Sgt. Weisner observed indicators of drug use inside her vehicle. Jackson says that K9 Bolt was deployed and alerted to narcotics.

Moore was arrested on preliminary charges of:

Possession of a Controlled Substance;
Possession of Marijuana; and,
Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated/Drugs

She has since been released.

North Vernon Police arrested a Decatur County man Sunday afternoon after responding to a report of a reckless driver in the 2400 block of North State Road 3.

At 1:11 p.m., officers pulled over a vehicle driven by 40-year-old Melissa Bensheimer, of Greensburg. After an investigation, Bensheimer was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of a Hypodermic Needle, Possession of a Legend Drug, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Public Intoxication.

North Vernon Police arrested three teenagers Sunday morning on drug and alcohol charges. Officers pulled over a vehicle at 12:25 a.m. in the area of North State Street and Main Street for speeding.

Officers arrested 19-year-old Anis L. Nkrumah and 18-year-old Heaven S. Thompson, both of Columbus, and 19-year-old Calista H. Skirvin, of Hope, for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Alcohol by Minors.

A change in state law that allows counties to retain a portion of local income taxes to dedicate to their jails will likely be taken advantage of by the Bartholomew County Council.

The change, allows counties take up to 0.2 percent of the LIT and apply it towards jail needs. If the county council approves the maximum amount, the change will take effect in 2019 and is expected to allow the county to keep an estimated $2.7 million per year. This would reduce the distribution to other taxing units in the county, with the city of Columbus taking the biggest hit of approximately $2.4 million per year.

Mary Ferdon, Columbus’ director of administration, offered the following statement on Friday afternoon:

“Over the past 2.5 years, Mayor Lienhoop and city officials have been fortunate to partner with Bartholomew County officials on a wide variety of issues including law enforcement, code enforcement, Dispatch and emergency services, ambulance services, the overpass and relate railroad issues, and the substance abuse crisis.

The need for funding for the County jail facility is real and counties all over Indiana are dealing with similar issues around overcrowding and opioid related problems.

Our goal is to work with Bartholomew County officials on how redistribution of these Local Income Tax (LIT) funds can be done which both addresses the need of the jail, while still allowing the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County to move forward on projects which use LIT dollars – many of which benefit residents throughout the community , not just city residents.”

A woman who was involved in a near-drowning incident on Lutheran Lake Friday afternoon has been flown to an Indianapolis hospital. Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that the unidentified woman was rescued by her husband and a passing boater shortly after 3:30 p.m.

An Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman told the newspaper that the woman and her husband were using inflatable rafts in a swimming area at the lake when the woman fell off her raft and began struggling in the water.

The report says that Southwest Volunteer Fire Department firefighters arrived and gave first aid to the woman before she was flown to St. Vincent Hospital.

For more on this story, visit therepublic.com.

The West Nile Virus has been found in Bartholomew County. The county health department announced Friday that they have collected mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus. Officials say they will be concentrating their mosquito control efforts in the areas where West Nile was found.

There have been no human cases reported, but you should still take efforts to protect yourself. Authorities say that you should take extra precautions when mosquitoes are most active, between dawn and dusk. That includes using an insect repellent containing DEET and covering as much of your skin as possible. Other steps you should take include removing standing water from your property and fixing any malfunctioning septic systems.

Health officials say that most people who get infected with the West Nile Virus will have no symptoms, or very mild ones. A few may get more severe symptoms, like high fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle weakness and confusion. Those most susceptible to disease are those over the age of 50 and those with weakened immune systems.