Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers has announced two staff promotions. They are:

Detective Jason Williams has been promoted to the rank of Administrative Sergeant and has returned to BCSO’s Road Patrol Division.

Williams previously worked as a Corrections Officer in the Bartholomew County Jail before becoming a merit deputy sheriff in August, 2003.

Deputy Dane Duke, who began his duties as a merit Deputy Sheriff in May, 2014, has been promoted to the rank of Detective and will begin his duties in BCSO’s Investigation’s Division on March 25th.

“These deputies have the experience they need for their new positions and I am pleased that they have accepted the opportunity to expand their leadership skills,” said Sheriff Myers.

DNR Law Enforcement Division director Col. Steve Hunter recently promoted three Indiana Conservation Officers to serve in Central Office headquarters in Indianapolis. Two of the officers promoted have local ties.

Maj. Jason Lee was promoted to Lt. Colonel/Executive Officer. DNR says that Lee began his career in 1998 as a field officer assigned to Johnson County, later transferring to Brown County. He was promoted to District 6 Lieutenant in 2009 before being promoted to South Region Captain in 2011. In 2016 Lee was promoted to Operations Major. He is a 2014 graduate of the FBI National Academy and a 2016 graduate of Police Executive Leadership Academy.

Capt. Tim Beaver was promoted to Operations Major. Beaver began his career as a field officer assigned to Bartholomew County in 2003. He was promoted to District 6 Lieutenant in 2011 and then to South Region Captain in 2016 to supervise the southern District 5 lieutenants. He is a 2011 graduate of the IMPD Leadership Academy.

Cpl. Jet Quillen, a public information officer for the DNR, was promoted to Public Relations Captain.

“These officers bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience to their new leadership roles,” Hunter said. “We are very excited for the future of the Law Enforcement Division.”

A local educator and previous candidate for Statehouse aims to improve awareness about the need for quality public education. Dale Nowlin is chair of the Math Department at Columbus North and Northside Middle Schools…

With that, Nolting is co-hosting a special screening of the documentary “Rise Above the Mark” with Chrystal Walcot of the IUPUC School of Education. He talks about what he hopes viewers will take away from the film…

Monday night’s screening is set for 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the Columbus Learning Center. Discussion will follow the 65-minute film.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is hosting public open houses to solicit input regarding the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) – Agency initiatives, programs highlighted during interactive, informal and informative sessions. STIP is a federally mandated four-year funding and scheduling document for surface transportation projects in Indiana.

Project types involving pavement and bridge facilities, projects addressing safety, congestion, mobility and emergency response can be found in the STIP. In addition, this document includes investment in various modes of transportation including transit, pedestrian trails, and bicycle facilities.

INDOT says that 12 public open houses are scheduled this spring to raise awareness of the STIP, its process and to solicit input from residents. During the open houses, INDOT team members will be available to address questions and solicit input related to a variety of topics.

An open house will be held in Columbus on May 15th at Columbus East. That’s scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Indiana Department of Transportation spent Wednesday pre-treating highways in preparation for the potential of one to three inches of snow expected to impact southeast Indiana beginning Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.

INDOT says that drivers will be on patrol across the region beginning about 2 p.m. Thursday to plow snow and treat roads with salt until conditions improve.

Motorists should remember to slow down when driving in winter weather conditions. Leave early, expect delays, and allow more time to reach your destination. INDOT also urges you to watch out for their yellow trucks and to give plow truck drivers plenty of room to complete their routes.

Indiana State Police are releasing more details about a Wednesday morning crash involving a school bus and a trash truck in Dearborn County. Shortly before 8 a.m., ISP responded to the scene on State Road 350 near Mount Sinai Road that sent around 20 people to area hospitals with injuries.

The initial investigation by the Indiana State Police-Versailles Crash Reconstruction Team indicated that the trash truck, operated by 38-year-old Brian J. Rumpke, of Cincinnati, was parked on the edge of the eastbound lane while Rumpke was picking up trash from a home. A South Dearborn School Corporation school bus, driven by 64-year-old Raymond W. Nies, of Moores Hill, was traveling eastbound on State Road 350, when it collided with the rear of the trash truck. ISP says both vehicles came to rest in the eastbound lane of State Road 350.
Rumpke, who was standing outside of his vehicle, was struck by debris and sustained non-life threatening injuries. Nies sustained serious injuries. Both were transported to High Point Health in Dearborn County, Indiana. Nies was later transferred to University of Cincinnati Hospital for further treatment.

Authorities say there were 22 students, between grades six and 11 on the school bus at the time of the crash. Seventeen students were transported by ambulance to High Point Health for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. A 13-year-old boy was initially entrapped in the bus. He was later freed from the wreckage. He was transported to High Point Health before being transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The four remaining students were transferred to a different bus and were transported to South Dearborn Middle School and High School. At least one of those students was later transported to High Point Health by a family member for evaluation of minor injuries.

Both Nies and Rumpke submitted to blood draws while at High Point Health although alcohol and drugs are not suspected to be factors at this time.

State Road 350 was closed in the area for approximately four hours for crash investigation and cleanup.

Authorities in Jennings County are looking for those responsible for dumping dead dogs in Columbia Township.

On Tuesday, detectives from the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office met with Jennings County Animal Control Officers at the scene on County Road 740 East, just south of County Road 1000 North. Authorities say the dogs were found by a concerned citizen driving through the area on the afternoon of Feb. 28th. According to the witness, they had drove through the area earlier in the day and did not see any animals. When the citizen drove through later they saw numerous dead dogs a short distance from the roadway.

The dogs are described as:

– (1) mature female brindle & white Pit bull
– (1) mature female Beagle mix which had recently given birth
– (1) mature brown female Boxer
– (7) 4-5 month old puppies (approximate)
– (2) puppies 1-2 weeks old (approximate)

Authorities say a necropsy is scheduled to determine the cause of death for the animals.

Anybody with information on this case is urged to call the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (812) 346-0342 or Jennings County Central Dispatch at (812) 346-4911. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

Indiana State Police are taking the lead in a Johnson County investigation involving an unidentified elected county official.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department says that at 11:57 p.m. Monday, dispatchers received a 911 call from the 500 block of West State Road 252 in Trafalgar, reporting a domestic disturbance. The woman involved had gone to her neighbor’s house after the disturbance and reportedly would not give her name to dispatchers. Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene and began speaking with the woman. Once deputies realized that allegations were being made against a local elected official, they immediately called the administrative staff at the Sheriff’s Office and told them what was occurring.

Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess directed deputies at the scene to turn the case over to Indiana State Police. ISP quickly responded to the scene. Sheriff’s Deputies remained on the scene to assist, however officials stress that ISP took over all aspects of the investigation and remain in charge of it.

No arrests were reported and Indiana State Police have not identified the official allegedly involved.

Developers working on renovating the former Faith Victory Church was approved for a tax abatement after the Columbus City Council gave final approval to label the site an economic development target area.

Rick Sprague, the owner of the property, says that he plans to offer market-rate apartments at the site in the 1700 block of Home Avenue. A total of 21 units will be available at the completion of the restoration work. Rents are expected to be in the $800 to $1,000 per month range. Sprague says that hundreds of thousands of dollars in rehabilitation and improvements in the nearly century-old building are needed before any potential renters could move in. That work includes roof replacement and foundation stabilization.

The council unanimously approved the 10-year, $1.8 million dollar tax abatement. Robin Hilber, with the city’s Office of Community Development, says that even with the abatement, Columbus will receive approximately $232,000 more over the next decade than what it would get if the building remained vacant.

Sprague says that work will get underway soon with the goal of the building being ready within a year.

A mobile home was heavily damaged in a Monday afternoon fire.

Columbus Firefighters were called to the 2600 Block of Milmar Court at approximately 3:52 p.m. Engine Co. 2, the first fire unit to arrive on the scene, reported heavy smoke conditions. Capt. Mike Wilson, CFD spokesman, says flames had burned through a portion of the roof. Within thirty minutes the fire was deemed under control. Small isolated pockets of fire continued to smolder until crews could remove stored items inside the home. Due to the amount of possessions located in the home, firefighters cut an access point in an exterior wall to aid in removing the items out. As items were being moved out, firefighters were able to locate smoldering pockets of fire and fully extinguish the flames.

The homeowner reportedly told investigators that his adult son was working underneath the home to thaw a frozen water line when smoke was discovered under the home in the area of a dryer vent. After seeing smoke on the exterior of the home, the son entered that trailer to attempt to find the source. That’s when he pulled a dryer away from the wall and saw flames behind it.

The home and contents are considered a total loss with a damage estimate of $70,000. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but the investigation is ongoing.