Two people were arrested on drug-related charges after an early Friday morning traffic stop last week in Columbus.

Columbus police report that they stopped the vehicle at about 12:30 a.m. Friday morning near Fifth and North Mapleton streets for a minor traffic violation. But the driver, 18-year-old Timothy M. Stover of Columbus, appeared to have signs of impairment.

A Columbus police dog alerted to the odor of drugs inside the vehicle and a search by officers allegedly revealed narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

A passenger,19-year-old Kaleb M. Jones of Columbus, was arrested on a preliminary charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Stover is being accused of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, methamphetamine and marijuana, operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and without ever receiving a license.

Jackson County authorities arrested a sex offender for the second time for allegedly failing to register after a move.

Brownstown police received a tip Thursday that 29-year-old Corey A. Quick had moved to a trailer court and did not report his new address for the sex offender registry maintained by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Sex offenders are required by law to report a new address within 72 hours of moving.

Deputies went to Quick’s registered address in Seymour and found he had moved out in July. He was arrested at a gas station in Brownstown on a preliminary charge of failing to register as a sex offender. Sheriff Rick Meyer said Quick was previously convicted in May for failing to register.

A Saturday afternoon crash on Interstate 65 near Columbus left one driver dead and the driver and passenger in a second vehicle injured.

Columbus police are reporting that the driver of a car was backing up in the left northbound lane of the interstate just south of Columbus at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon. It appeared the driver may have been trying to reach a crossover between the north and southbound lanes.

An SUV struck the rear of the car and that vehicle burst into flames, according to police.

The driver of the SUV, 31-year-old Vanessa Rosborough, of Indianapolis was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital with non life threatening injuries. Rosborough’s passenger, 28-year-old Emily McNiff, of Fishers, was flown to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment.

The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bartholomew County Coroner’s office. The name of the driver has not yet been confirmed, Deputy Coroner Jay Frederick confirmed this morning. That confirmation is expected within the next few days. One of the registered owners of the vehicle is listed as Kayze Gilstrap of Bedford, but she has not been confirmed as the victim, Frederick said.

The crash remains under investigation by Columbus police accident reconstructionists.

The northbound lanes of Interstate 65 were closed from Walesboro to Columbus for about 3 and a half hours.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission meets next week and will address the increased construction estimate for the overpass project into downtown. Those cost estimates have jumped more than $5 million dollars. The city is responsible for half of the cost of the project.

New estimates from INDOT indicate that the project is now expected to cost $35.66 million dollars instead of the previous $30 million estimate. Officials say that the extra expense comes from the state spending more than expected to buy up property for the right-of-way, along with increased construction costs.

The Redevelopment Commission is scheduled to meet Monday, Sept. 16 at City Hall. INDOT says that an estimated $2,662,005 will be needed in order to meet Columbus’ financial commitment to this project. This would put the city’s total contribution to the project at $4,662,065. The remainder of the city’s portion is being covered by contributions from the Cummins Allocation Area, Bartholomew County, L&I Railroad and CSX Railroad.

City officials say they are prepared to fund this additional request by way of the Redevelopment Commission’s Central TIF Allocation Area. This expenditure exceeds its commission’s spending authority, so the city council would need to sign off on the proposal.

The city is responsible for half of the cost of the project and has been given help from Bartholomew County, the Louisville & Indiana Railroad and Cummins. When completed, the overpass will lift traffic over the train tracks at State Road 11 and Jonathan Moore Pike.

Monday’s meeting of the Redevelopment Commission begins at 4 p.m. at you are invited.

The Bartholomew County Highway Department says that County Road 1000 East between County Road 400 South and the town of Grammer will be completely closed to all traffic next week. Crews will be replacing a culvert.

Officials say the closure is scheduled to go into effect at 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16 and will reopen, weather permitting, on Thursday, Sept. 19 at approximately 5 p.m.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.

Two area residents were arrested after a 10 mile pursuit that crossed county lines.

Indiana State Police say that around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, a Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy advised he was northbound on I-65 near the 18 mile marker and behind a car that was reported stolen earlier in the day out of Bartholomew County. When the Deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, the car sped up as the driver tried to flee. Numerous officers were in the area and joined in the pursuit including officers from the Indiana State Police and the Clarksville Police Department.

ISP says the car continued north on I-65 and into Scott County, eluding officers attempts to use Stop Sticks along the way. The passenger was also observed throwing an unknown substance out of the passenger window of the car. Realizing the car was equipped with a subscription-based navigation and security service, Indiana State Police Dispatch contacted the service and requested the vehicle be remotely disabled. Once the vehicle was disabled, it began to slow down and safely stopped on the side of the road. After officers detained both occupants, they reported finding meth and paraphernalia inside the car.

The driver, 40-year-old Ryan Andrew Moody, of Columbus, and his passenger, 20-year-old Audrey Fay Crank, of Hope, were taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Jail. They are both charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Paraphernalia. Moody is also charged with Auto Theft and Reckless Driving.

A Statewide Silver Alert has been declared.

The Fort Wayne Police Department is investigating the disappearance of Jack Hevel, an 81 year old white male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 165 pounds, gray hair with hazel eyes, last seen wearing a plaid short sleeved button up shirt over a gold t-shirt, brown shorts, and driving a silver 2000 Chevy S10 truck with Indiana license plate TK133LRV. Jack has a tattoo on his upper right arm that says “Nancy” and a skull and cross bones on his upper left arm.

Jack is missing from Fort Wayne, Indiana which is 126 miles northeast of Indianapolis and was last seen on Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 1:00 pm. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. 

If you have any information on Jack Hevel, contact the Fort Wayne Police Department at 260-417-1222 or 911.

Friday, Sept. 13 is a big day for all school districts across the state. Bartholomew Consolidated School Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts explains.

ADM stands for “average daily membership.”

Roberts says that the district receives about $6,000 per student, making attendance on Friday very important. He adds that BCSC is expecting a smaller student count than last year, but the size of the difference is not yet known.

Roberts says that once the count is known, BCSC and its educators can participate in collective bargaining efforts. That work is set to begin next week.

The Town of Edinburgh will receive a $20,000 grant and be mentored by a partnership between the City of Rushville and the City of Wabash. Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs made the announcement Thursday. The program’s goal is for local leadership to gather best practices and the necessary tools to advance an innovative vision through in-person assessments, stakeholder conversations and peer advisement.

“We want to continue encouraging collaboration and reward communities that not only work together, but also mentor and help lift each other to even greater heights,” said Crouch. “Hoosiers joining together can take our rural communities to the Next Level.”

Crouch said these mentors can each provide a different perspective that will ultimately help Edinburgh grow. Through a guided process, each community will meet with Edinburgh to discuss unique community attributes as well as goals, expectations and steps of the mentorship process.

“Rushville’s strong community engagement, public-private partnership and the ability to achieve success through planning and dedication make them an ideal mentor,” said Jodi Golden, Executive Director of OCRA. “We are excited Wabash has also agreed to help provide insight into downtown redevelopment, economic vitality and riverfront development.”

Edinburgh will host groups from Wabash and Rushville to showcase their town’s community assets, as well as highlight the community’s strengths and areas of opportunities.

“Our downtown revitalization efforts will be enhanced by establishing a collaboration with a mentor community. Such collaboration efforts foster an insightful vision from a community that has already addressed their downtown revitalization,” JT Doane, Edinburgh Town Manager. “A mentor group will offer a unique perspective to create a vision that is unique and special to our community!”

State officials say that Edinburgh will receive a $20,000 cash matched grant to implement a quality of place project based on recommendations from the process.

The Indiana Department of Transportation says that contractors will switch traffic on southbound I-65 SB the evening of Saturday, Sept. 14, as part of the I-65 reconstruction and added travel lanes project in Jackson and Bartholomew Counties.

Officials say the southbound lanes will be shifted toward the median from mile-marker 64.5 to mile-marker 61.2. This will give southbound traffic a 12-foot shoulder and two 12-foot driving lanes. INDOT says that lane closures will be necessary during the switch to apply new pavement markings.

In the new configuration, southbound lanes will mirror northbound lanes.

Drivers should continue to adhere to the 55 mph speed restriction and use extra caution in the ongoing construction zone between Columbus and Seymour. All trucks should use the left lane for travel.

The project is expected to be complete in August 2020.