Columbus Police arrested two local residents for warrants after they were reportedly found hiding inside of a home on California Street. Lt. Matt Harris, police department spokesman, says that at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to the 700 block of California Street to service a warrant. When officers arrived, they reported finding 29-year-old Nicole L. Childers hiding under a table inside a bedroom. Moments later, officers say they found 33-year-old Derrick A. Green hiding inside of a box in a bedroom closet. Green allegedly strugled with officers as he was removed from the closet. After Green was taken into custody, officers allegedly found a syringe in his shirt.

Childers was wanted on a Bench Warrant from Bartholomew County Circuit Court for Violation of Probation. Her original charges were two counts of Dealing in a Narcotic Drug, a Level 5 Felony.

Green was wanted on warrants out of Bartholomew County Superior Court for Failure to Appear on charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Domestic Battery and Contempt of Court. Authorities say that Green is facing an additional charge of Possession of Legend Drug Injection Device after Wednesday’s incident.

Both Childers and Green are being held without bond.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is looking for this week’s most-wanted fugitive. Judy Jackson, department spokeswoman, says

that deputies are looking for 32-year-old Michael S. Cheek, who is wanted on an outstanding warrant for probation revocation. He is described as a white male, standing 5’9″ tall and weighing 145 pounds. Cheek has blond hair, brown eyes and multiple tattoos. His last known address is 5900 County Road 200 West.

If you have any information on Cheek’s whereabouts, authorities ask you to call Capt. Dave Steinkoenig at (812) 565-5940 or the Sheriff’s Department Tip Line at (812) 379-1712. You can also send information to sheriff@bartholomew.in.gov. Authorities stress that tips and information can be left anonymously.

Purdue Extension has scheduled two new-farmer study trips and area farmers are encouraged to apply to take part.

The office says that a delegation of Indiana farmers and Extension educators will visit vegetable production operations in Quebec and upstate New York September 10th through the 17th. On October 8th through the 14th, a delegation will visit Green Pastures Farm, The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, and others.

Extension officials say that in order to take part, you must:

• Reside, farm, or sell products in Bartholomew County.
• Have been farming ten or fewer years.
• Indicate how his or her enterprise will benefit from the experience.
• Indicate ways in which he or she would serve as a programming partner to Purdue Extension in the subject areas covered on the trip.

Organizers say that, except for incidental expenses, trip costs are covered by a USDA New Farmer/Rancher development grant. For more information, including an application, visit extension.purdue.edu/bartholomew/Pages/article.aspx?intItemID=24310.

Ivy Tech Community College has received a $10,350 grant from Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. School officials say the grant will be used to teach Ivy Tech Columbus and IUPUC students how to intervene in and prevent possible suicidal threats by peers.

“Hope Squad” is a peer-to-peer program designed to train students how to provide outreach to students in distress with a direct connection to the local mental health system. Ivy Tech says that members of the Hope Squad work together with college counseling staff and mentor advisors who assist in triaging to emergency operations or mental health as appropriate. Additionally, Ivy Tech will be using what is called “suicide gatekeeper” training in the community and at the college to provide skills and knowledge about suicide risk factors, how to respond to someone in distress, and how to assist them in seeking help.

“Heritage Fund appreciates the opportunity to support this important program,” said Tracy Souza, Heritage Fund President and CEO. “We are impressed by the collaboration involved and grateful to IUPUC and Ivy Tech Columbus for coming together to bring peer-to-peer suicide prevention training to our community.”

Ivy Tech says that the Hope Squad program is taught as a curriculum so that students learn the fundamentals of peer support, a deeper understanding of mental health and suicide, and how to become more active in teaching and training their fellow students and reaching out to the community.

“We want to educate and empower our students to help their peers find the guidance and strength they need to navigate through their challenges,” said Therese Copeland, Ivy Tech Executive Director of Resource Development. “The Hope Squad program will enable Ivy Tech and IUPUC to actively engage students with effective peer-to-peer suicide prevention and intervention training. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of the Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County for their support in this important initiative.”

School officials say the program will begin this fall with the start of the 2017 academic year.

Much of Seymour remains in the dark after storms swept through the area late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Chip Orben, Duke Energy spokesman, blames high winds and a lightning strike…

As of 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Orben says that approximately 3,500 city residents and businesses remain without power. Duke officials say that power is expected to be restored to most of Seymour by midnight Thursday.

Duke officials say that the storms left a peak of 30,663 power outages across the state. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, they says that more than 15,000 customers were without power. Jackson, Jefferson and Clark counties were among the hardest hit. Other areas that suffered significant outages included Lawrence, Orange, Hamilton and Gibson counties. Duke officials add that the infrastructure damage, including multiple broken poles and equipment, will involve lengthy repair work.

A lightning strike damaged a home on Sunset Drive in Columbus Wednesday morning. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters at Station 1 were preparing for a 7 a.m. shift change when they witnessed a nearby lightning strike, less than one-mile north of the station house. At 7:38 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to 304 Sunset Drive for a possible structure fire.

The resident told firefighters that she was preparing her daughter for school when they witnessed a bright light and booming thunder. She added that the lights in the home flickered but remained on. After walking around the home looking for damage, the resident returned inside where she noticed several wall receptacles no longer working. The woman also told firefighters that when she went to the garage, the overhead door wasn’t working and she could smell smoke. Further inspection in the garage led to the woman finding a damaged electric dog-fence control panel that was mounted on the garage’s exterior wall. The wall was reportedly was scorched all around the device.

Capt. Wilson says that firefighters found signs of a lightning strike. They used a thermal imaging camera to scan for a hidden fire. None was found. On the home’s exterior, firefighters found damage to a wooden deck. They say that a 4×4 deck corner post was splintered. A bowl shaped crater, suspected to have been a result of the lighting’s path of travel, was also found. Inside the crater, firefighters found what they believe to be a portion of the hidden electrical fence that is buried in the lawn.

No injuries were reported and no damage estimates were immediately available.

A Columbus man is facing charges, including drunk driving and battery, after an incident early Wednesday morning. Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, says that just before 3 a.m., Deputy Teancum Clark was dispatched to County Road 450 South in reference to a possible drunk driver.

Deputy Clark reported seeing a pickup truck turn into a convenience store parking lot. He watched the driver, who he says appeared to be intoxicated, walk into the store. Deputy Clark also says that he could smell alcohol on the driver, identified as 60-year-old Mark Winters.

Deputies say that an open alcoholic beverage was found inside of Winter’s truck. They also reportedly found beer and soda cans poked with holes containing green leafy substances, burnt residue and a clear plastic wrapper also containing a green leafy substance.

Jackson says that Winters was taken to Columbus Regional Health for medical clearance where he became verbally abusive to CRH staff and spat on Deputy Clark. Once medically cleared, Winters was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of:

Public Intoxication;
Operating a vehicle while Intoxicated;
Battery by Bodily Waste; and
Battery on Law Enforcement by Bodily Waste

Authorities say that Winters remains behind bars in lieu of $34,500 bond.

Lightning is the suspected cause of a building fire at a Columbus business Tuesday afternoon. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were called to Columbus Warehouse & Cartage, Inc. just after 3 o’clock after an employee smelled smoke.

Wilson says that when firefighters arrived, they found light smoke coming from the roof. The crew entered the smoke filled building to find for the origin of the smoke as another crew accessed the roof using the department’s aerial ladder truck. Wilson says the firefighters on top of the building used axes and chainsaws to cut openings in the roof to look for flames. When they did so, they eventually found smoldering insulation, which was extinguished. Authorities say the fire was marked “under control” a short time later.

Investigators say fire damage was isolated to a 20’x20′ section of the roof, while the interior of the building sustained smoke and water damage. Damage to the structure is estimated at $ 10,0000. Damage to contents is estimated at $5,000.

The fire remains under investigation.

The Indiana Department of Transportation met Monday with its contractor at the Seymour District offices to go over plans for a $3.4 million bridge and small structure replacement project on U.S. Highway 50 in western Jackson County.

Harry Maginity, INDOT spokesman, says that Force Construction will be removing and replacing the single-span 90-foot bulb-T beam concrete bridge over Clear Spring Creek. The bridge is located 3.35 miles west of State Road 335 in Owen Township. Workers will also be replacing a nearby drainage structure on U.S. 50.

INDOT says that installation of the three-sided small structure will take place at a tributary of Clear Spring Creek, 6.12 miles east of State Road 446. The new structure is slated to have a 20-foot span measuring 52 feet in length.

INDOT officials say that work will take place later this year, as well as during the spring and summer of 2018. The contract completion date is July 31, 2018. They add that a number of closures will need to scheduled, but that information is not yet available. INDOT notes that U.S. 50 has a traffic count of just over four-thousand vehicles per day.

The annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in Seymour will be held on Good Friday, Apr. 14th, at The Pines Evergreen Room, located at 4289 US Highway 31 North. City officials say the event begins at 7 a.m. and will include remarks from Mayor Craig Luedeman and music provided by the Lutheran Men’s Chorus. This event is being presented by the Fellowship of Jackson County Clergy.

A buffet breakfast will be offered for $10 per person. Doors will open at 6:30 a.m. Organizers say that the service will begin as soon as everyone is seated. It is expected to conclude by 8 a.m.

If you would like to take part, you are asked to reserve your spot by Thursday, Apr. 6 at City Hall. Reservation forms are available at City Hall.