The second suspect in a Monday burglary and police stand-off in Jackson County is behind bars. The incident started at about 8 a.m., when a property owner in the 3800 block of West State Road 58 was watching remote surveillance video of the home near Freetown when he noticed two people inside his garage. Police were called to the scene when one of the men,, believed to be 31-year-old Nathan M. Shepherd, of Columbus, fled from the garage and escaped into a nearby wooded area. The Indiana State Police S.W.A.T. team arrived and and were getting ready to enter the garage when 28-year-old Travis L. Mitchell, of Columbus, surrendered.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Carothers says that deputies found Shepherd at around 10 p.m. Monday walking the streets of Freetown.

One Columbus resident is behind bars and another is wanted by police after a Monday standoff in Jackson County.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department says that a deputy responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the the 3800 block West of State Road 58 in the Freetown area around 7:53 am. Authorities received a call from the property owner who was watching his home video surveillance system on his cell phone. The property owner told dispatch he was not home, but thought there were two subjects in his garage.

The deputy arrived at the home and could hear people inside the garage. When other deputies arrived on the scene, they attempted to make contact with the suspects, to no avail. After entering the garage, police found a man in a make shift upstairs area in the rafters. They say the suspect was hiding from the officers and would not comply with orders. The suspect then allegedly threatened to shoot police, and himself, if authorities didn’t exit the garage. Due to poor visibility, the officers complied.

Authorities tried setting up a perimeter around the garage. The suspect allegedly continued threatening to fire upon the officers. Police then reported hearing a loud popping sound come from inside the garage. They were unable to tell if they were being shot at, or if the suspect had shot himself.

Other officers arrived to help with a perimeter. As the perimeter was being established, a man fled from the garage into a nearby wooded area. Some officers gave chase, but lost sight of the suspect. Officers with the Brownstown Police Department, Indiana State Police and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department set up a larger perimeter to search for the man.

Officers checked the garage again for any other suspects. Once in the garage, they were allegedly threatened by another suspect that they were going to be shot. This suspect was also hiding in the rafters, and was not visible. The officers were able to exit safely.

Sheriff Mike Carothers spoke with Indiana State Police and requested their S.W.A.T. team to assist with the case. Seymour Police Officers Brian Moore and Bart Beavers also responded to the scene with their S.W.A.T. vehicle.

Officers at the perimeter continued for several hours to make contact with the suspect. The officers gave commands with loud speakers, but got no response. State Police S.W.A.T. arrived, and were within minutes of making entry before the suspect began communicating with Jackson County Officer Rob Henley. The suspect then negotiated with Henley and came out of the garage freely and was arrested.

While in custody the suspect allegedly gave a false name. He was ultimately identified as 28-year-old Travis L. Mitchell. He is facing preliminary charges of Burglary, Intimidation, Criminal Trespass, Resisting Law Enforcement and False Informing. Police say that Mitchell was also wanted on an active warrant out of Bartholomew County for a Probation Violation.

Authorities say they learned that the suspect who fled was 31-year-old Nathan M. Shepherd. He is wanted on preliminary charges of Burglary, Intimidation, Resisting Law Enforcement, and Criminal Trespass. Shepherd is described as a white male standing 5’10” tall with brown hair and beard. He was last seen wearing camouflaged pants and a camouflaged jacket.

Anyone with information on Shepherd’s whereabouts are asked to call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at (812) 358-2141.

The Substance Abuse Public Funding Board is meeting Wednesday afternoon. The board, comprised of officials from the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County, will determine what projects and programs are good fits for public money in the ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic.

Mary Ferdon, the city’s director of administration, says that the goal of Wednesday’s meeting is to approve the official application to request funds. She explained that the board requested that the Substance Abuse Accountability and Advisory Committee create one. The committee, made up of elected officials, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders, will consider funding requests and make recommendations to the public funding board. The board will then make a decision before pushing it to the city council, county council, or both for final approval.

Wednesday’s meeting is set for 3:30 p.m. in Conference Room 3 at Columbus City Hall.

A Columbus man was struck and killed by a semi tractor-trailer early Monday morning while attempting to walk across the southbound lanes of I-65 near the 74 mile marker in Bartholomew County.

Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the Indiana State Police, say the initial investigation indicated that a vehicle driven by 27-year-old Justin S. Mills was traveling southbound near the 74.5 mile marker when the vehicle entered the median of I-65 and struck the cable barrier. Police say that Mills left the vehicle and walked to the nearby I-65 rest area. Upon returning to his vehicle, Mills was struck and killed while crossing the interstate. The semi that struck Mills was driven by 48-year-old Carlos E. Zepeda, of Greenwood.

Wheeles says that Zepeda, who was not hurt, immediately stopped at the scene and reported striking Mills. Authorities still don’t know why Mills entered into the path of the semi. Authorities add that they are still waiting on toxicology reports on both Zepeda and Mills.

The crash remains under investigation.

Four Columbus residents were arrested on a number of charges after a Thursday night traffic stop. Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, says that at approximately 10:07 p.m., Deputy Adam Warner was southbound on US 31 when he observed the license tag on the vehicle in front of him as one reported stolen by the Columbus Police Department.

As the car turned onto West Tellman Road, Deputy Warner observed an occupant throw something from the vehicle which was later recovered and identified as marijuana. After additional units arrived, a traffic stop was initiated and other drugs and drug-related items were allegedly found. It was also determined that the registration renewal sticker affixed to the stolen license plate had also been stolen from another vehicle.

Arrested were:

Marlon Cowan, Jr, 42 – preliminary charges of: Two Counts of

Theft/Receiving Stolen Property, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, Obstruction of Justice and Driving While Suspended with a Prior Conviction

Cowan has since been released.

Joshua Virgil Dewey, 36 – preliminary charges of: Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Paraphernalia

Dewey has since been released.

Anthony Keith Roberts, 25 – preliminary charges of: Possession of Paraphernalia, Felony Warrant out of Bartholomew County for a Probation Violation on an original charge of Theft – Level 6 Felony.

Roberts remains in jail without bond.
Rachel Cardoso-Nelson, 29 – preliminary charge of: Possession of Paraphernalia

She remains in BCJ in lieu of $2,500 bond.

Authorities say that all of the recovered stolen property was returned to the rightful owners.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department has two new deputies. Sheriff Matt Myers recently administered oaths to Dylan Prather and Frank Munoz-Jaime.

Deputy Prather is a native of Bartholomew County and lives in Columbus. He is a 2014 graduate of Columbus North High School and a graduate of IUPUC with degrees in Business Administration and Criminal Justice.

Deputy Munoz-Jaime is a native of Seymour, a graduate of Ball State University and a member of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserves.

“These young men will be responsible for the enforcement of state and local laws relating to public safety and welfare. They must exercise independent judgment in dealing with dangerous or

unusual situations and often work under stressful, high-risk conditions,” said Sheriff Myers.

The 2018 Aviation Day: American Heroes Addition is this Saturday at Columbus Municipal Airport. Organizers say the the event honors Bakalar Airport Museum volunteer and B17 pilot John Walter, who passed away in December 2017.

Saturday’s show runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Airshow acts are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aviation Day is free and you are invited to bring your lawn chairs.

Other events include a pancake breakfast, airplane rides, cruise-in, free bounce houses, hog roast lunch, educational programs, touch-a-truck event, RC airplanes and more.

A local man was arrested early Thursday morning after officers responded to a report of an unconscious person in a vehicle in the 1800 block of West County Road 450 South. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, says that at approximately 4:45 a.m. officers arrived and woke up the driver, identified as 31-year-old Roy J. Brickert III, of Columbus. While speaking with Brickert, the officers reported seeing a syringe with a clear liquid inside the vehicle. Additional narcotics and drug paraphernalia was later located inside Brickert’s vehicle.

Harris says that Brickert was taken into custody and transported to Columbus Regional Health for medical clearance and later remanded to the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of Possession of Heroin, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Legend Drug Injection Device.

Two North Vernon residents were arrested on marijuana charges. The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department says that at 12 a.m. Wednesday, Deputies Doug Brown and Sgt. Allen Ritchie with the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office, assisted Holton Town Marshal on a traffic stop on Highway 50 East in Butlerville. K9 Vampir conducted an outer area sniff of the vehicle and was alerted to drugs inside the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, Deputies reported finding approximately 20 grams of marijuana inside the vehicle. The driver, 35-year-old Justin Craft and his passenger, 36-year-old Jason Farris, were arrested on misdemeanor charges of Possession of Marijuana.

Authorities say that Farris was out on bond on a prior drug related charge at the time of the arrest. He is being held on $1,755 bond. Craft is being held on $905 bond.