A Jennings County man has been arrested on a number of sexual related charges. Sgt. Jerry D. Goodin with the Indiana State Police Post in Sellersburg, says the case began on February 7th when Detective Brian Busick was contacted by the Scott County Department of Child Services and informed of an alleged encounter and sexual misconduct between a 15 year old girl and 19-year-old Jon Wesley Anthony, of North Vernon.

State Police say the alleged misconduct occurred at the Scott County home of the victim when Anthony agreed to meet the girl to do beautician work on her hair. The two had originally met and became friends on a social media website. When Anthony arrived, he allegedly forced himself onto the girl.

Anthony is facing preliminary charges of Rape when Compelled by Force or Imminent Threat of Force, Sexual Misconduct with a Minor, Defendant has Intercourse or Engages in other Sexual Conduct; Sexual Misconduct with a Minor Preform or Submit to Fondling or Touching by an 18 Year Old and Sexual Battery Victim Compelled to Submit by Force or Imminent Threat of Force.

Anthony is being held without bond.

A call about suspicious behavior led to the arrest of a North Vernon man on drug charges Wednesday afternoon. North Vernon Police say that officers were called to do a welfare check on Main Street at about 4:30 p.m. Police say they pulled over a vehicle that was related to this call. During the stop, K9 Heros was dispatched and was alerted to the odor of drugs. A search allegedly uncovered a marijuana cigarette and a corner cut bag. Police arrested 26-year-old Ryan Brooks on preliminary charges of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Paraphernalia. His bond was set at $905.

A report of a suspicious person at an area restaurant led to the arrest of a Columbus man who was wanted on numerous warrants. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, says that at approximately 2:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of West Jonathan Moore Pike in regards to a suspicious person inside the restaurant’s bathroom. Harris says that when police first spoke with the man, he gave them a false name. Officers later determined that the man was 32-year-old Chawn T. Coomer, who was wanted on five Bartholomew County warrants. Harris says that Coomer attempted to pull away from officers as they attempted to take him into custody. After he was placed in handcuffs, police allegedly found two syringes in Coomer’s pants pocket.

In addition to the warrants, Coomer is facing new preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of a Legend Drug Injection Device and False Informing.

Perceived threats against area schools continue. David Mann, Edinburgh Police Chief, says that his department received a report on Wednesday from school administrators that a 16-year-old student at the Edinburgh Educational Resource Center had drawn a sketch resembling a classroom. Mann says that, within the drawing, there were sketches of a semi-automatic pistol and of bodies identified by student and teacher names on the sheet showing what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The student then reportedly showed the drawing to other students, who reported it to teachers.

Mann says the student left the school before police arrived. However, he was taken into custody outside of his home and transported to the Bartholomew County Detention Center on a preliminary charge of Intimidation, a class 6 felony.

Authorities stress that no weapon was found on school grounds, however they say the student was in possession of marijuana when taken into custody.

The first official steps to create and fund and an advisory board to help tackle the opioid epidemic in Bartholomew County passed its first step Tuesday night. The board would be comprised of officials from the city, county, Columbus Regional Health and other stakeholders in determining what projects and programs would benefit from public funding. Mary Ferdon, the city’s director of administration, says that work began over one year ago.

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Ferdon says this is a defining moment for Columbus.

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Ferdon says the need to address the epidemic is not only humanitarian, but fiscally responsible as well.

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The city council voted 6-0 to approve the ordinances creating and funding the bodies. Elaine Wagner was not present.

Ferdon explains that the measure now goes to the county commissioners for their approval. Once both the city and county give final approval, an agreement linking the two bodies would need to be approved. Ferdon says that is likely still months away. She stresses that any use of city tax-dollars would need to be approved by the city council. To aid in that, the council also created a non-reverting fund from which money could be drawn for future projects related to the opioid fight. Mayor Jim Lienhoop noted that, during last year’s budget negotiations, the city agreed to set aside $250,000 for this endeavor.

A female juvenile was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Scott County after threats were allegedly made at Austin High School Monday and on social media Monday evening.

Indiana State Police Spokesman Jerry Goodin says that the Sellersburg Post was called to the school after a student had allegedly threat to harm others. ISP Detective Matt Busick investigated with the help of the school system and the Austin City Police. As he was investigating that alleged threat, the juvenile allegedly posted other threats on social media.

Detective Busick completed his investigation and presented it to the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office Tuesday morning. An order was granted by the Scott County Circuit Court and the female was arrested and transported to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center in Jeffersonville. She was charged with three counts of Juvenile Delinquency / Intimidation.

Goodin says that Indiana State Police want school children and their parents to know that any and all real or perceived threats towards a school and / or students will be dealt with. He adds that threats will not be tolerated.

A Columbus East High School student is in trouble after he allegedly made a threat against the school on social media. BCSC sent out an alert at 2:09 p.m. Tuesday that indicated that the threat was made in a group Snapchat post. That post was subsequently reported by other students.

BCSC officials said in the post that the student responsible for making the threat had been “identified and isolated.” The Columbus Police Department was called and Lt. Matt Harris, department spokesman, says that the unidentified juvenile was taken into custody at the school and taken to the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center. Harris says the suspect is facing a preliminary charge of Intimidation, a Level Six Felony.

The investigation is ongoing.

City officials in North Vernon have moved forward with a plan to update the city’s websites. The city council voted this week to approve a contract with Revize that will, hopefully, allow for more information and services to be shared with North Vernon residents. Kate Eder serves of the city’s website review committee. She talks about how the group came to this recommendation.

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Eder talks about how the new website will benefit everyone.

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Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Gerkin says there were some concerns about costs.

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A committee of volunteers has been working for months to come up with the proposal, which will require an initial investment of nearly $12,000. The goal is to have the updated website operational within one year.

Peer Foods Group is planning on building a new warehouse and production facility in Edinburgh. Company officials joined Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp., as the company asked the Bartholomew County Council for tax abatements during Tuesday night’s meeting.

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As for the local economic impact…

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The new plant is slated to be built in the 300 block of West Presidential Way. Construction is expected to be completed by spring of 2019.

Council voted unanimously to approve the tax abatement requests for real and personal property. Those abatements are for 10 years.

A Salem man was arrested Tuesday morning for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a Bartholomew County teenager. Sgt. Jerry Goodin, spokesman for the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg, says that 22-year-old Ryan Andrew Allen is facing two preliminary counts of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor.

Goodin says that Allen was arrested after a joint investigation between the Indiana State Police and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department began Monday after a complaint was filed by the parents of a 14-year-old girl from Bartholomew County. Authorities say the complaint was made after the girl came up missing from her home on February 10th and reappeared the following day. Police say the teen ran away from her home to meet Allen after he allegedly made arrangements to meet the girl over social media. After allegedly taking the teen to Salem and spending the night with her, Allen returned her home the next day. When she returned home, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department was contacted, who in turn, contacted detectives from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg to assist in the investigation. After speaking with Allen Monday, an Indiana State Police detective says that Allen knew the girl was 14-years-old.

State Police say that Allen was booked in the Washington County Jail awaiting his first court appearance.