A Hope man is facing charges after after an incident over the weekend. Just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a slide-off in the 17000 block of East County Road 500 North. On arrival, deputies observed an unconscious male being treating by Hope Fire Department personnel.

Deputy Andrew Whipker administered two doses of Narcan and the man, Joshawa Wayne Coy, 20, regained consciousness. After clearance from Columbus Regional Hospital, Coy was arrested on preliminary charges of:

– Possession of Heroin
– Possession of Paraphernalia

Coy remains behind bars in lieu of $60,000 bond.

Two Ohio residents were arrested after a Saturday morning traffic stop. Shortly after 11 that morning, a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle in the 500 block of South State Road 46.

The driver, 37 year old Elvis Ellis, of Powell, OH, pulled into a residence, quickly got out of the vehicle and began walking away.

The deputy ordered Ellis to stop. He complied, but not before he was seen throwing some items to the ground. A clear glass pipe with burned residue inside was found where Ellis had thrown the items. A film canister, containing a rock-like substance, syringes and a clear, plastic pipe with burnt residue were also located inside the vehicle.

Ellis was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, as well as driving while suspended.

A passenger, 34-year-old Samantha Nelson of North Logan, Ohio, was arrested on preliminary charges of:possession of Legend Drug Injection Devices and possession of Paraphernalia

Authorities says that Ellis’s young daughter was also in the vehicle. She was placed into the custody of a family friend.

In commemoration of National Police Week, a memorial service to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty will be held on Friday, May 17th at 9 a.m. at the Public Safety Plaza near Second Street and Jackson Street in Columbus.

During this short ceremony, officers will read the names of 163 police officers and 28 police canines who were killed in the line of duty during 2018. A wreath will be placed at the memorial in honor of five Indiana law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty last year. This year’s event will feature area law enforcement Honor Guards, bagpipes, a “21 gun” salute, and the playing of taps.

You are encouraged to attend.

State Road 3 patching and paving is scheduled to begin Monday in Jennings County. The Indiana Department of Transportation says that crews will begin with asphalt patching in various locations from the State Road 3/State Road 7 split south of Vernon to approximately .85 miles south of U.S. 50 in North Vernon. Once patching is complete, crews will begin milling and resurfacing the roadway.

Lane restrictions will be in effect along the route while work is being completed. Flaggers will be present to help maintain traffic. Be prepared for delays.

The expected completion date is June 30th.

Bartholomew County REMC has announced planned power outages on May 14th and May 16th in the Waymansville area.

The REMC says those affected will be located south and west of Mt. Healthy Elementary School. This will affect the areas of Lutheran Lake and Hillview Subdivision and other homes in the Waymansville area located west of State Road 58 and south to the Jackson County line. Members who will be out of power will receive a phone notification.

Officials say they must shut off power to make upgrades to the transmission line to prevent future safety and reliability issues. There will be two separate planned outages to complete this work. They are:

The first outage will occur on Tuesday, May 14th from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The second outage will occur on Thursday, May 16th from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Bartholomew County REMC has supplied the attached map. The red areas on the map shows those that will be affected.

Two people suffered minor injuries in a Thursday night crash that closed southbound I-65 for nearly two hours.

Indiana State Police responded to the scene near the 54 mile marker in Jackson County shortly after 11 p.m. Investigators believe that a semi and trailer driven by James Radford, 32, Stamps, AR was traveling southbound in the right lane of I-65, just south of exit 55. Authorities say that a Mercedes, driven by Armajeet Luthra, 72, Louisville, was traveling on the right shoulder of the interstate, trying to pass the semi.

Both vehicles then entered an area of the construction zone where the lanes shift to the right, eliminating the shoulder. Radford’s trailer collided with Luthra’s vehicle, pinning it against the concrete barrier. Luthra was trapped in the vehicle until emergency personnel freed him. He was taken to Schneck Medical Center for minor injuries. Radford was not injured.

ISP say that no citations have been issued at this time, adding that the investigation is ongoing. No alcohol or drugs are suspected as being factors in the crash.

Columbus police are continuing to search for a young man missing since last May 3rd.

22-year-old Timothy Duckworth of Columbus was last seen at Ceraland Park. His abandoned vehicle was found Saturday, May 4th, at the park.

Authorities searched that area Friday evening, Saturday, and again Tuesday, without locating Duckworth.

Lt. Matt Harris says that foul play can not be ruled out.

If you have seen, heard from, or had any contact with Timothy Duckworth since the evening of May 3, or have any information regarding his whereabouts you are urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at (812) 376-2600.

The Columbus City Council on Wednesday heard a presentation from Emergency 911 Center Director Todd Noblitt proposing the hiring of six new dispatchers. He noted that he currently has 24 dispatchers, a number that has been largely unchanged, since 2002. Noblitt noted that during this same period, emergency calls went up approximately 58 percent.

Noblitt’s proposal includes two hires this July, two in January of 2020 and the final pair in July of 2020. Under an interlocal agreement between the city and the county, Columbus will pay for 55 percent of these costs, while the county will cover the remaining 45 percent.

Council took no action. The Bartholomew County Council is scheduled to take up the matter at it’s meeting on Tuesday, May 14th. The city council is likely to hold a similar vote the following week. Both bodies would need to agree on the proposal before any hiring can take place.

A new scholarship has been announced. The African American Fund of Bartholomew County, in conjunction with IUPUC, has created a scholarship fund that will provide a student with $1,000 per year for four years to attend IUPUC. The student must be African American, must reside in Bartholomew County, and must be an incoming freshman to IUPUC.

“I am pleased that the African American Fund of Bartholomew County and IUPUC are partnering to establish a program to provide financial and advisory support to Bartholomew County African American students who attend IUPUC,” said Tom Harmon, President, African American Fund of Bartholomew County.

Organizers say the first scholarship is to be awarded for the 2019-2020 academic year. Each year, an additional scholarship will be added for a newly enrolled student, and existing students will be able to renew their scholarship for a total of four years, for a total of $4,000. In addition to the financial aid, students will have the opportunity to be mentored by local community leaders.

“The goal of the program is to help reduce the financial barrier for college attendance and to encourage local students to pursue and earn a college degree where they can receive both financial and non-financial support,” said Harmon.

For more information on scholarship requirements , visit iupuc.edu/aafbc-scholarship. Applications are due by June 1st, 2019.

A one-vehicle crash on US 31 in Jackson County claimed the life of a Seymour woman.

Indiana State Police were called to the scene just before 10 a.m. Thursday. Authorities say the initial investigation indicated that a vehicle driven by Debra J. Wetzel, 61, was southbound on US 31, just south of County Road 700 North. For an unknown reason, Wetzel’s vehicle left the west side of the roadway, then crossed back across both lanes before leaving the east side of the road. After leaving the roadway, Wetzel’s vehicle struck a tree before finally coming to a stop.

Authorities say that Wetzel was transported to Schneck Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The investigation determined that Wetzel was not wearing a seatbelt.

The investigation is ongoing. State Police say that toxicology results are pending, but neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as being factors in the crash.