A Statewide Silver Alert has been declared.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the disappearance of Laila Davis, a 16 year old white female, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 170 pounds, black hair with blue eyes, last seen wearing a t-shirt, ripped black jean, and Van shoes or light gray boots. Laila has a rose tattoo on her right forearm.

Laila is missing from Brookville, Indiana which is 75 miles southeast of Indianapolis and was last seen on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm. She is believed to be in danger and may require medical assistance. 

If you have any information on Laila Davis, contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department at 765-647-4138 or 911.

The United Way of Bartholomew County is offering tax-assistance to low-income individuals who live in Bartholomew County. Whitney Loyd recently spoke with John Foster on “AM Columbus” to talk about the VITA program.

The United Way will begin accepting appointments for tax preparation on Monday. You can make an appointment then by calling 812-375-2216. Actual appointments will begin the first week of February.

You can get more information at uwbarthco.org.

A youth minister for a Seymour church has died from complications from the flu.

“The Tribune” is reporting that 36-year-old Allison Williams, of Seymour, who had worked at Reddington Christian Church since 2008, passed away earlier this week at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.

The paper quotes a family member as saying that Williams contracted the flu after attending the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention in January. She never recovered.

For more on this story, visit tribtown.com.

A water main break in the 3400 block of Grandma Barnes Road has resulted in the Town of Nashville and Nashville Utilities issuing a Boil Order for customers from 3403 to 3787 Grandma Barnes Road.

Affected residents and businesses should boil all cooking and drinking water through 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.

Indiana Conservation Officer Zach Walker, who serves Jennings County, has been selected the 2019 District 9 Officer of the Year.

Walker was raised in Marion County and has been serving as a conservation officer for 10 years.

He is a member of the canine program, working with his dog Libby. He is also a member of the cave rescue team, a field training officer, a boat accident investigator and a background investigator.

District 9 covers Rush, Fayette, Union, Decatur, Franklin, Jennings, Ripley, Dearborn, Ohio, Switzerland and Jefferson counties.

Officer Nick Wilson, who serves Hendricks County, has been selected as the 2019 District 6 Officer of the Year. District 6 includes Bartholomew, Brown, Johnson and Shelby counties.

Walker and Wilson are now each in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is given to the top overall conservation officer in the state of Indiana and selected from the 10 district award winners.

The Pitzer award is named after Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity Jan. 2, 1961 in Jay County.

Rightway Fasteners is planning a $12 million investment to increase production at its facility in Walesboro.

Representatives for the company went before the Columbus City Council Tuesday night to request a tax-abatement. Rightway Fasteners is purchasing and installing two cold forging machines, a heat treatment furnace, three coating lines and three shot-blast machines. The company asked for a 10-year tax abatement on the purchase and installation of this new equipment. Rightway Fasteners will pay over $425,000 in new property taxes over the next decade. The abatement will save the company over $633,000 in property taxes over the same period.

The investment is expected to retain 410 jobs and create nine new ones.

Council approved the abatement on a vote of 6-0.

A burglary suspect driving a stolen vehicle in Jennings County was apprehended by police dog after a vehicle chase.

At about 6 a.m. Tuesday, Jennings County deputies responded to a vehicle crash on Highway 50 in Nebraska. While responding, deputies learned that the driver of the vehicle had fled on foot. Deputy Garrett Hoppock and Sgt. Anthony Maberry arrived at the scene and searched the area for the driver. During the search, a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed crossed the centerline causing Deputy Hoppock to jump into a ditch line to avoid being struck.

Sgt. Allen Ritchie and canine partner Vampir, who were in the area, was able locate the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the driver refused to stop. After a short vehicle pursuit, the vehicle crashed and the driver fled on foot. Sgt. Ritchie deployed Vampir, and the subject was taken into custody.

During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the vehicle involved in the original crash was reported stolen out of Ripley County. The second vehicle was stolen near the scene in Jennings County. It was also learned that the driver, 44-year-old Weldon Wiley, of Westport, had entered a home without permission, seeking a ride.

Wiley is facing preliminary charges of:

Auto Theft – Level 6 Felony
Criminal Recklessness – A Misdemeanor
Resisting by Fleeing – Level 6 Felony
Residential Entry – Level 6 Felony
OWI w/ endangerment – A Misdemeanor
Leaving the scene of an accident – A Misdemeanor

Wiley is being held in the Jennings County Jail on a $1,055 bond.

A traffic stop for speeding in Scott County landed two Indianapolis residents in jail after Indiana State Police Troopers found them in possession of two pounds of suspected methamphetamine.

ISP says that at approximately 10 p.m. Monday, a Trooper in Sellersburg was patrolling on I-65 in Scott County when he observed a pickup traveling northbound at a high rate of speed. The Trooper initiated a traffic stop on the northbound Austin exit. The driver, 39-year-old Derek Ellis, was found to be wanted out of Marion County. Further investigation uncovered two pounds of suspected methamphetamine and a small amount of marijuana.

Ellis and his passenger, 31-year-old Tyesha Bell, were arrested on the following preliminary charges:

1. Dealing in Methamphetamine – Level 2 Felony
2. Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 3 Felony
3. Possession of Marijuana – A Misdemeanor

A Columbus man is facing numerous charges after a domestic violence incident early Monday morning.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that shortly after midnight, deputies responded to a home in Hartsville after receiving a call about a domestic disturbance. Deputies arrived on scene and made contact with the complainant who reported that 52-year-old Paul Richard Comstock had battered her inside her home.

Comstock is facing the following preliminary charges:

Domestic Battery
Invasion of Privacy
Intimidation
Criminal Confinement
Interfering with the Report of a Crime

Comstock remains in the Bartholomew County Jail in lieu of $27,500 bond.

An Indianapolis man was arrested after leading police on a 20-mile pursuit in Scott and Jackson Counties.

Indiana State Police say that just before 7 p.m. Monday, the driver of a log truck pulled into a fast-food restaurant in Scottsburg for a meal. The driver left the vehicle running with the keys still in the ignition. A few minutes later, the owner realized the truck was missing from the parking lot and spotted the vehicle northbound on I-65.

Indiana State Troopers soon located the vehicle and attempted to stop the truck near the Austin exit. However, the driver failed to pull over and continued driving north. Troopers continued to follow the truck, which at one time appeared to be stopping at the Exit 41 ramp, but then continued north. The truck eventually stopped at the bottom of the Seymour ramp at Exit 50 when Seymour Police assisted Troopers.

The driver, 29-year-old Robert Lee Coffee, was arrested on preliminary charges of:

– Auto Theft – Level 6 Felony
– Theft Above $750 – Level 6 Felony
– Resisting Law Enforcement – Level 6 Felony
– Reckless Driving – Class C Misdemeanor.

Investigators believe Coffee was hitchhiking from Bowling Green, Kentucky when he stole the vehicle.

The log truck was returned to the owner without damage.