Johnson County Superior Court II has a new judge. Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Tuesday that Peter Douglas Nugent is his choice to succeed Judge Cynthia S. Emkes, who is retiring after 30 years on the bench.

Gov. Holcomb’s office says that Nugent has extensive experience in both the civil and criminal law arenas, serving as a deputy prosecutor as well as a public defender, in addition to his private law practice. In a statement, the governor says that Nugent also has extensive experience serving as a judge pro tempore in civil and criminal cases, including a murder trial. In addition, he has served on the Indiana Public Defender Commission and the Indiana State Ethics Commission.

Nugent will be sworn into office at a later date.

Cummins is opposed to plans by the Trump Administration to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger issued the following statement on Tuesday:

“The decision by the Trump Administration to rescind DACA is discriminatory, harmful and sets our country back. These young people deserve every opportunity to continue living, working, and thriving in the United States – for nearly all of them the U.S. is the only country they have ever known. This is their home.

Dreamers are our colleagues, our friends and our neighbors. They strengthen our country through daily contributions to our companies, our universities and our communities. We have a moral obligation to help these young people, protect them from living in fear, and to prevent families from being torn apart.

Cummins stands in full support of Dreamers and we ask Congress to take immediate action to pass the Dream Act or find a permanent legislative solution to support these young people before anyone is affected by this decision.

We hope that Americans speak out and make it clear to Congress and the President that we stand with the Dreamers.”

The Trump Administration made the decision to phase out DACA after coming to the conclusion that the program superseded immigration law and was an abuse of the Executive Branch. In announcing the decision, the administration noted that there is a six-month period before DACA is completely rescinded, in order to give Congress time to pass a legislative solution.

A Franklin man was arrested over the weekend after Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a disturbance in the 4000 block of West County Road 950 North. Judy Jackson, department spokeswoman, says that deputies were called shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday in reference to an “unruly male.”

Jackson says that when deputies arrived, they saw two men in a physical altercation. One of the men, 22-year-old Seth Hodson, allegedly became aggressive with deputies. After deputies took control of Hodson, he was taken to Columbus Regional Health before being booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of Battery on a Public Safety Officer, Battery, Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication and Resisting Law Enforcement. He has since been released on $23,000 bond.

Jackson says that no deputies were hurt during this incident.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the disappearance of an adult from Bloomington. Frank Binford is a 77-year-old white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 235 pounds, black/grey hair and brown eyes. Binford was last seen Tuesday, September 5th at 4:45 a.m. in Bloomington and is believed to be in danger.

Binford was last seen driving a tan 2003 Lexus S43 with Indiana Plate WNJ186. Authorities say that Binford may be disoriented and in need of medical assistance.

If you have any information on Frank Binford, contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department at (812) 349-2781 or 911.

Two Decatur County residents are facing murder charges for their involvement in an alleged conspiracy to rob a man, which police say led to the shooting death. “The Greensburg Daily News” is reporting that police arrested 29-year-old Rachael M. Smith and 36-year-old Matthew R. Carroll, both of Greensburg, Thursday on charges of Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery in the Aug. 15th shooting death of 32-year-old Jason G. Owens.

The report states that police allege that Smith, Carroll and Owens concocted a plan to rob 37-year-old George L. “Bo” Griffith Jr., in an attempt to retrieve property Smith said belonged to her and money Carroll said Griffith owed him. According to a probable cause affidavit, Smith attempted to set up a drug deal at Vista Village Mobile Home Park, where Carroll and Owens planned to confront Griffith.

Greensburg Police told the paper that Carroll, armed with a handgun, and Owens, who carried a baseball bat, approached Griffith’s car as he arrived at the mobile home park. Smith reportedly told police that Griffith got out of his car and warned them to stop approaching or he would shoot.

Smith said Owens dropped the bat and stopped, but Carroll continued to move toward Griffith. Police say that Griffith fired two shots at the men, one of which struck Owens in the chest. Owens died approximately two hours later at Decatur County Memorial Hospital.

The paper says that police arrested Griffith and charged him with a felony count of Carrying a Handgun without a License. Griffith reportedly admitted to shooting Owens, but he claimed that it was in self-defense. According to the report, Griffith told police that Carroll had attacked one of his relatives less than a day before the shooting and left voicemails warning Griffith was “a dead man.”

Police told the newspaper that Smith, Carroll and Owens were aware that Griffith, a convicted felon, was known to carry a handgun. Nonetheless, the two men armed themselves and approached him, “exposing all of the participants to the danger of death,” police said in court documents. Police say that act constitutes murder, even though neither Carroll nor Smith pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Owens.

Greensburg Police told the paper that the investigation into Owens’ death is ongoing.

For more on this story, visit greensburgdailynews.com.

Officials with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation are celebrating recently completed projects at facilities throughout the district. Jim Funk, a principal at CSO Architects, shared an update on these projects, as well as others planned for this school year. They include:

Columbus North High School –
Construction of a new ADA stage access walkway in the auditorium. Officials say this work was done in conjunction with repair work after a fire in the auditorium last year that was caused by a blown light-bulb and melting plastic. BCSC says that improvements are 85 percent complete, as they are waiting on the delivery of 836 new seats that are expected to arrive this month. Additional proposed work for this year at Columbus North being bid includes gymnasium mechanical work to rebuild an air handler, replacement of an electrical switchgear, replacement of an emergency generator and other improvements to building controls.

Columbus East High School –
Upper-level reverse folding bleachers and glass guard railings were installed at the school. Lower-level bleachers are expected to arrive this month for installation. Additional proposed work at Columbus East includes improvements to the chiller and hydronic systems, improvements to building controls and extendeding emergency power circuits.

BCSC says that playground improvements are scheduled for 10 elementary schools this school year. Bids are slated to go out this month for projects at Clifty Creek, Fodrea, Rockcreek, Taylorsville, Richards, Southside, Smith, R.L. Johnson, Mt. Healthy and Schmitt.

Officials say that work already done over the summer include roofing and exterior improvements at Parkside Elementary. Interior improvements took place at Clifty Creek, Smith and Taylorsville elementary schools over the summer. Those projects included repairs, renovations and replacements in classrooms, restrooms, corridors and cafeterias. Work included painting, carpeting, casework, wall/window repairs and more.

A former reserve Nashville police officer has pleaded guilty in to a misdemeanor charge of False Informing. Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that 25-year-old Leonard Burch, of Indianapolis, entered the guilty plea in Bartholomew Superior Court 2 as part of a plea bargain agreement that called for a charge of reckless driving to be dismissed. The case revolved around the August 29, 2016 pursuit of 18-year-old Xavier Scrogham, of Hope, which ended in Scrogham’s death after he crashed his motorcycle.

According to the paper, Burch admitted that he initiated the pursuit of Scrogham near U.S. 31 and Lowell Road and called 911 on a cell phone, telling dispatchers that the motorcycle had passed Burch going 120 mph, a statement he knew to be false. The report says that Burch was given a 180 day suspended sentence and placed on probation for 180 days.

For more on this story, visit therepublic.com.

Indiana Department of Transportation officials met with its contractor on Wednesday to discuss a recently awarded $1,153,832 bridge rehabilitation contract for structures on State Road 46 in Brown County. INDOT says that Ragle Inc., of Newburgh, plans to mobilize next spring for work that will impact motorists at three locations on State Road 46. They are:

State Road 46 culvert at tributary to Lower Schooner Creek –
INDOT says that the existing single-span slab-top structure adjacent to the intersection with Bond Cemetery Road/Shipley Hollow Road, just east of State Road 446, will be removed and replaced. Drivers will be restricted to a single 10-foot lane with alternating directions controlled by temporary signals at either end of the work zone.

State Road 46 three-span bridge over Salt Creek –
INDOT says that the bridge, just west of State Road 135 South, will receive a new bridge deck overlay to protect the structure and renew its driving surface. Removal of existing materials and installation of the new latex deck overlay will be done along one-half of the bridge at a time, allowing continuous single-lane traffic flow controlled by temporary signals at either end of the work zone.

State Road 46 metal arched pipe at Gnaw Bone –
INDOT says that the structure, located about five miles east of State Road 135 South near Brown Hill Road at Gnaw Bone, will be repaired and pavement patched. Two-way traffic should be maintained during this small structure paved invert operation.

Authorities say that clearing work at these sites will be done in advance. That work is tentatively scheduled for November.

An Elizabethtown man was arrested Monday night on drug charges. Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, says that at about 7:18 p.m., Deputy Leah Burton responded to Bethel Baptist Church on West Deaver Road on a report of a suspicious person and vehicle. When the deputy arrived and approached the vehicle, she reported seeing the driver, 22-year-old Bryce Conner Love, slumped over in the driver’s seat with a straw in his right hand and a lighter in his left.

Authorities say that Love’s breathing was slowed and he was sweating profusely. When Deputy Burton woke Love, he denied being under the influence. In the passenger’s seat, the deputy reported seeing aluminum foil with burn marks. Jackson says that Deputy Matt Bush and K9 Diesel arrived to assist when the dog was alerted to narcotics inside the vehicle. After exiting the car, Love allegedly admitted that heroin had been in the aluminum foil.

Love was taken to Columbus Regional Health to be checked out. Once he was released, Love was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of Heroin and Possession of Paraphernalia. Jackson says that he is being held on $60,000 bond.

The North Vernon City Council voted this week to affirm an agreement between the city’s redevelopment commission and the Jennings County Redevelopment Commission that will help to extend sewer service to a recently annexed area to the north. Greg Hicks is the president of the North Vernon Redevelopment Commission.

08-30 NV SEWER-1

Hicks says that agreement facilitates the extension of sewer services to the area of State Road 7 and State Road 750. Under the agreement, the city would install up to $610,000 of wastewater equipment to the area, allowing the construction of a Casey’s General Store to be completed. In return, the Jennings County Redevelopment Commission will return all tax-increment financing dollars collected from that are to be returned to the city redevelopment commission until the entire $610,000 is recouped.