The ColumBike program dominated discussion during Thursday night’s Columbus Park Foundation Report to the Community.

Dick Boyce, interim director of the Columbus Bike Share Program, says that ridership peaked at 754 bike riders in June, but has fallen steadily since. The report says that more than 12-thousand riders have utilized the bicycles since the program kicked-off in May.

Lee Jones, of B-Cycle, said that the city needs to make the bike share program as accessible as possible. Andrew Myer, with the Cummins Six Sigma program is looking into ways to improve ColumBike. He says the study revealed that the pricing structure, check-in process and bike safety were top concerns of local riders.

Currently, there are eight bike kiosks with a total of 78 bikes available to area riders.

A Shelbyville man already facing drug charges is in more trouble with the law after a Thursday afternoon traffic stop in Johnson County.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department says that Deputy Scott Rautio was patrolling State Road 37 near Banta Road when he saw a car drive by with the driver trying to hide his face. After a subsequent traffic violation, the deputy pulled the car over and spoke with the driver, 30-year-old Joseph Ramsey. Deputy Rautio says that Ramsey was acting suspiciously, so he asked for consent to search him and his vehicle. That search allegedly resulted in the discovery of methamphetamine, a digital scale, plastic bags and over $900 in cash.

Ramsey, whom police say was already out on bond for meth charges in Rush County, was arrested on preliminary charges of Dealing Methamphetamine and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Due to the Rush County charges, Ramsey bond amounts were doubled. He was eventually released on a $1,000 cash bound, according to Johnson County officials.

A Columbus woman was arrested Wednesday after a police chase.

Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman, says that the chase came about after officers were called to Best Buy on North National Road at approximately 1 p.m. on a report of a woman fleeing with stolen merchandise. As police arrived, the woman was allegedly driving away with over $1,600 worth of video games. Harris says the woman, 31-year-old Stevie N. Hammond Badger, refused to pull over. At one point he says that Hammond Badger drove through two yards in an effort to evade officers. Police ultimately ended the pursuit after several minutes out of concern for public safety.

During a follow up investigation, officers reportedly found Hammond Badger at her home in the 1000 block of Kelli Drive later the same afternoon. Harris says that she was arrested and placed on a 48-hour hold preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle, Theft with a Previous Conviction and Driving while Suspended with Prior Conviction.

Susan Thayer Fye has been appointed as part-time executive director of Main Street of Hope. That announcement was made by the organization’s board of directors.

Fye is a Bartholomew County native and has been self-employed for 35 years, working in real estate. She previously worked as an accountant for Bartholomew County Hospital, now Columbus Regional Health. Fye also taught classes at Ivy Tech as an accounting and computer science instructor.

Within the past three years, Fye served on the Columbus city Board of Public Works, Columbus Redevelopment Commission, and also was President of Columbus Downtown, Inc. prior to it’s dissolution in 2013. She currently serves on the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Merit Board.

Fye is a 1971 graduate of Hauser Junior/Senior High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in computer science from Indiana University. She also received a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University.

Fye says that she is grateful for the appointment, saying “I am delighted to be in a position to use the skills and knowledge I have to make my home town an amazing place to live, work, and visit.”

A suspicious man in the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department parking lot is facing charges after he was arrested earlier this week. Authorities say that at 2:16 a.m. on Tuesday, Deputy Bryan Katterhenry and Reserve Deputy Jason Littrell were standing in front of the sally port at the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department finishing up work from a previous arrest.

While standing there, the two deputies reported seeing a man walking around vehicles in the employee parking area of the parking lot. Deputies did not recognize the man as an employee. At one point deputies saw him gain entry and sit down inside a vehicle. The man was ultimately identified as 45-year-old Raborn T. Flanagan, of Johnson City, TN.

The owner of the vehicle came out and told deputies that he kept a weapon inside of the vehicle. For safety deputies attempted to place Flanagan in restraints while they checked him for weapons. They say that Flanagan forcefully resisted the deputies.

Corrections Officer Tyler Smith came out of the jail to assist. While on the ground, Deputy Katterhenry deployed his TASER to subdue Flanagan.

Flanagan faces preliminary charges of:

Battery on Law Enforcement – Level 5 Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Level 6 Felony
Unauthorized Entry to a Motor Vehicle – Class B Misdemeanor
Disorderly Conduct – Class B Misdemeanor

The autopsy of a man killed in a Tuesday night shooting in Shelbyville revealed the man died from an officer’s rifle shot.

Indiana State Police say that the autopsy of Steven Oliger indicate the bullet that struck him was a .223 caliber round fired from the rifle of a Shelbyville Police Officer. The official autopsy report will not be available for several weeks. Police say Oliger fired a shot from the deck of a home at 1103 Fallway Court at about 10:30 p.m. when an officer returned fire.

ISP says that Shelbyville Police Chief Mark Wiedner does not wish to release the identity of the involved officers at this point. The investigation is ongoing.

Bartholomew County Dispatch received a call Wednesday at 8:13 p.m. in reference to a reported disturbance in the area of Azalia. Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, says the first report advised of a couple arguing in a truck near South County Road 350 East and Boat Street. The second call reported a truck in a yard in the area of 6800 East County Road 800 South.

Deputy Matt Bush responded to the scene and reportedly found that the truck had hit a tree and 18-year-old Chandler Arnholt, of Seymour, was pinned under it. Authorities say that female minor had left the scene.

After Arnholt was extricated from under the vehicle, he was flown to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Authorities describe Arnholt’s injuries as “non-life-threatening.” Deputies were then advised that the female juvenile was returning to the scene.

Jackson says that the preliminary investigation indicates that both Arnholt and the juvenile female had been drinking and had an argument that resulted in her leaving the scene. Police say it is currently unknown how the accident occurred or how Arnholt became pinned under the pickup truck.

The investigation is ongoing.

Three people were hurt in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon in Jackson County. Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, Indiana State Police spokesman, says that troopers responded to the scene on northbound I-65 at the 55 mile marker at 4:45 p.m.

Wheeles says that the initial investigation, by Trooper Tia Deaton, indicated that a car driven by 23-year-old Ye Sun, of Urbana, IL was merging onto northbound I-65 from State Road 11 when he pulled into the path of a tractor trailer driven by 37-year-old Said Adam, of Cincinnati. ISP says that Sun’s vehicle collided with the trailer Adam was pulling, causing Sun’s vehicle to overturn before coming to rest in the northbound lanes of I-65.

Wheeles says that Sun, along with his two passengers, were injured in the crash. Sun was extricated from the vehicle before being flown to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis for what are being called “serious” injuries. His two passengers were transported to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour. Adam was not injured.

State Police say that northbound I-65 was closed for approximately two hours for crash investigation and cleanup.

Columbus Police say two area residents were arrested on drug charges after a Wednesday night traffic stop.

Lt. Matt Harris, department spokesman, says that at approximately 7:45 p.m., Officer Jeremy Jones stopped a vehicle in the 700 block of Cleveland Street for a traffic violation. During the stop, Officer Jones reports that his K-9 partner, Max, was alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle. Officers asked that the driver, 18-year-old Nathaniel L. Jones-Knight, and his passenger, 19-year-old Emily P. Parrish, to exit the vehicle. Harris says that a search of the vehicle ended with officers finding methamphetamine behind the driver’s seat and in the driver’s side floorboard. Police also reportedly found a syringe inside a purse that was in the vehicle.

Jones-Knight and Parrish were then arrested. Jones-Knight is facing preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, while Parrish is

facing a charge of Possession of a Legend Drug Injection Device.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications for the position of Deputy Sheriff. Officials say that applicants must be at least 21-years-old, have a high school diploma or GED and possess a valid driver’s license.

Starting salary ranges from $43,738 to $47,738. Benefits include shift differential, longevity pay, military incentive pay, health, vision, and dental insurance, retirement and a take home car.

Applications can be obtained in person at the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office or online at www.bartholomew.in.gov/sheriff.html#forms.

All applications must be received at the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, located at 543 Second Street in Columbus, by March 17.