Correction: An earlier version of this story did not include the complete tax abatement request being made by Cummins Inc. 

Cummins will be asking the city of Columbus tonight for tax breaks on building improvements and equipment it will be buying for its new electrification business headquarters here.

Cummins will be requesting a tax abatement on $3.3 million in building improvements and $29.7 million in new equipment at the plant on Central Ave. According to paperwork filed with the city, the move is expected to retain 67 jobs and create 75 new ones with an average wage of over $30 per hour.

According to calculations by the city, Cummins would save just over $2 million dollars in future property taxes with the proposed 10-year-abatement, but the community would still net about $3.5 million in new property taxes from the expansion over the same period.

Columbus City Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight at city hall.

The traffic signals at the intersection of Rocky Ford and Middle Road will be out of service part of the day Tuesday. The Columbus Engineering Department says that the signals will be out from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Temporary four-way stops will be installed while repairs are made to the signal cabinet, which was damaged in an accident.

City officials ask you to use caution in this area. You should expect delays. Take another route if possible.

A child molestation case in Jackson County may be over after an Indiana Supreme Court ruling regarding Miranda warnings.

Ernesto B. Ruiz was accused of Child Molesting for allegedly touching the nine-year-old friend of his daughter, who was staying overnight at Ruiz’s home in October of 2015. A few days later, Seymour Police detectives asked Ruiz to come to the station to be questioned about the incident. When he arrived at the Seymour Police Department, Ruiz was taken into a windowless room and questioned by one detective who informed Ruiz that he could leave at any time. Minutes later, a second detective joined the interrogation. During questioning, prosecutors say Ruiz made statements that could result in his conviction.

Ruiz was formally charges with Level 4 Child Molesting a few weeks later. Two days before the start of the December 2017 trial in Jackson Circuit Court, the defense team filed a motion to suppress Ruiz’s statement to police. After the jury was seated, Judge Richard Poynter heard the defense argument and agreed that Ruiz’s statement was inadmissible.

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Monday that Ruiz, who was not born in the U.S., should have been read his Miranda rights. They say a communication barrier could have been an issue, as Ruiz may have felt compelled to answer police questions. The court specifically takes Seymour Police to task for having the second detective, who was in plain clothes, aggressively question Ruiz without indicating that the first detective’s statement that Ruiz could leave at any time was still in effect. In fact, Ruiz was told multiple times by detectives during the interview to “sit tight.” The court also pointed to detectives lying about the alleged victim having passed a lie-detector test. They add that questions were asked in an accusatory fashion, not exploratory. All of these factors, says the court, would reasonably allow someone to believe they are being held in police custody. In these cases, suspects must be made aware of their Miranda rights.

In a filing with the Indiana State Supreme Court, prosecutors noted that without the suppressed evidence, they could not proceed on the charge against Ruiz.

The Indiana Supreme Court voted to uphold the lower court’s decision to throw out Ruiz’s statement.

A corrections officer at the Bartholomew County Jail was attacked over the weekend while attempting to remove an inmate from his cell. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that at approximately 2:18 p.m. Saturday, Bradley McRae attacked a female officer by punching her in the back of the neck and head before he was detained by other officers.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers says incidents like these will not be tolerated. “If we need to lock down every block in the jail and adhere only to federal guidelines as to the amount of time that inmates can leave their cells each day, then that is what we will do.” Myers adds that can be as little as one hour per day. “I take the safety of our employees seriously and I will make sure that we take all necessary measures to keep them safe.”

McRae is in jail on preliminary charges of Dealing in a Narcotic Drug and Driving while Suspended with a Prior Conviction. He was also wanted on a warrant for Dealing in a Narcotic Drug. Authorities say McRae was arrested May 24th by the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team for bringing heroin and fentanyl into the community out of Cincinnati.

The officer was treated and released. She has returned to work.

Authorities say a detailed report of the attack will be sent to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office for appropriate charges.

A wanted Columbus man is accused of barging into a home to avoid police Friday afternoon.

The incident started at about 3:30 p.m. when Columbus officers noticed 25 year old Scotty W. Garland III riding a bicycle in the 1400 block of Chestnut Street. Garland was wanted on two outstanding warrants and when police attempted to talk to him, he allegedly broke through the front door of a nearby home to escape.

After he fled that residence, he was seen again in the 1600 block of Orinoco Avenue and arrested.

In addition to the two outstanding warrants, Garland is facing preliminary charges of residential entry and resisting law enforcement.

Columbus police say a man accused of drunk driving Friday afternoon crashed into a city-owned vehicle and then allegedly bit a passerby who tried to detain him.

The crash happened at 22nd Street and Cottage Avenue at about 12:20  p.m. that afternoon when an SUV struck the city-owned vehicle and then rolled onto its side.

The driver, 24-year-old Tre X. Vires was detained by a witness who Vires allegedly tried to punch and later bit during a struggle before officers arrived.

Officers found a beer bottle near Vires’ vehicle and noted that his breath smelled of alcohol. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to have his blood tested, then arrested and taken to jail on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and battery.

Two people in the city owned medical transport vehicle were slightly injured in the crash.

The Columbus Regional Health Foundation is making its biggest donation to the hospital yet, providing $2 million dollars for a drug treatment center.

Ellen Brunner director of gift planning for the CRH Foundation and the hospital, explains the decision to make such a large grant.

Brunner says the large grant comes both from money donated specifically for drug abatement efforts, and from unrestricted gifts made by donors. This money is not coming from an endowment.

Cheryl Buffo with community partnerships at CRH explains what the grant will allow the hospital to do.

The outpatient center will be on Midway Street and is expected to open by July, according to hospital officials. It will be an evidence-based outpatient treatment program and CRH is consulting with Ascension Recovery Services. CRH will operate the facility, which will serve patients from Bartholomew County and surrounding areas.

The town of Hope wants you to give your thoughts on improvements around the Town Square.

The town plans to soon apply for state grant funds to make improvements including replacing all of the street lights in and around the square, along with new accessible trails throughout the park and better looking benches, trash cans and cigarette butt receptacles.

But to gain the grant, town officials say they will need the help of residents and visitors who show their support for the town project. You can find the survey here or you can pick up physical copies at the  Hope Town Hall, Community Center of Hope or the Hope Branch of the Bartholomew County Public Library.