A Bartholomew County inmate has been formally charged for his alleged role in a fight at the jail.

Angelito Carmelo Mercado is charged with Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury, a Level 5 Felony. The Sheriff’s Department says the charge stems from an incident on the evening of November 8th. Mercado allegedly attacked another inmate and broke his nose. Mercado was behind bars for probation violation and an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant. Authorities say he was awaiting transfer to the Indiana Department of Correction.

“We have been working with the Prosecutor’s Office since this incident occurred,” said Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers. “It is very difficult to get inmates to talk; however, to be clear, we will not tolerate this in our jail. The safety of staff, inmates and the public is our number one priority,” added Myers.

Developmental Services, Inc. is asking for your help to support its Client Emergency and Enhancement Fund. Tom Harpring with DSI explains the purpose of the fund…

Harpring says these funds cover expenses including: shelter, medical care, transportation and other needs.

If you’d like to help, visit dsiservices.org.

About a dozen east side residents turned out for a meeting at Columbus City Hall Wednesday night. Residents and business owners in the area surrounding the Brighter Days Homeless Shelter say that crime in the area has gone up and many fear to go outside alone. Many report finding discarded needles and drug paraphernalia littering their property. They want the shelter moved or better secured.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop, Police Chief John Rohde and Councilman Dascal Bunch spoke with those who attended. Rohde provided statistics showing crime in the area before the shelter was opened and now. That data indicated that crime-related calls from 2015 were largely unchanged in 2018. In fact, calls for burglaries and vandalism actually went down. In addition, Rohde noted an increased police presence in the area since concerns were raised earlier this year.

Chief Rohde says that police will continue to closely monitor the area. Councilman Bunch offered to meet monthly with the group and Mayor Lienhoop pledged to continue to work with residents and shelter staff to come to an understanding palatable to all parties.

City leaders and those in attendance agreed to meet again next spring. Shelter representatives will also be invited.

A stretch of State Road 45 in Brown County will have to close for several days next year for repair work. The Indiana Department of Transportation met with its contractor recently. Construction operations beginning after April 1 will require a five-day closure of the east-west highway.

OLCO Inc. of Batesville is the state’s contractor for this $142,870 small structure replacement project. INDOT says crews will remove the existing State Road 45 structure over a tributary of Bean Blossom Creek and replace it with a concrete box culvert measuring 39 feet in length.

State Road 45 will close at the construction site located 3.9 miles west of State Road 135, between Helmsburg and Trevlac. A state highway detour will route drivers around the State Road 45 closure via State Road 46 Bloomington-to-Nashville and State Road 135 Nashville-to-Beanblossom.

The contract completion date is June 30th.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is under contract for another year. The county council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the contract, negotiated between the county commissioners and Myers’ attorney, Jeff Beck.

The contract calls for a 2.5 percent salary increase for the Sheriff, effective in January. Since there is a state-mandated minimum pay for county sheriffs, there is language to allow local officials to make necessary upward adjustments. Any additional increase would come in the middle of the year when the state sets pay for county judges and prosecutors. By law, the sheriff must be paid no less than 80 percent of what the prosecutor earns. Myers pay next year had been budgeted for just under $119 thousand dollars.

A sticking point that still needs to be resolved relates to Sheriff Myers’ pension. At issue is a clause in the sheriff’s department retirement plan that says a deputy must be employed for eight years and a month before being eligible for retirement benefits. Sheriffs are limited by term limits to only serve eight years in office.

At last month’s work session, the sheriff said that clause was meant to dissuade outsiders, like himself, from running for sheriff. At that same session, county council members said they had no interest in changing the wording, preventing the sheriff from accruing retirement benefits while in office.

Neither side addressed the impasse Tuesday night, agreeing that this is an issue that needs to be discussed and resolved.

The Columbus Police Department is now accepting applications for the position of police officer. Officials say that applicants must be at least 21 years of age and less than 36 years of age when hired. Prospective applicants must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent and complete all aspects of the hiring process and training program. College graduates, military veterans, and persons with law enforcement experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications can be downloaded online at columbus.in.gov/police/info-documents/sworn-officer-application-2/ or picked up inside the Personnel Office in Columbus City Hall. Applications will also be available in the Columbus Human Rights Office.

A department press release says the 2019 salary range for a Patrol Officer is $51,428- $62,128. Officers are assigned a “take home” patrol car with usage in Bartholomew and adjoining counties and work 8.5 hour shifts with two weekends off per month. Officers also receive vacation time and paid holidays, shift differential pay (5% for 2nd shift and 10% for 3rd shift), college credit allowance up to $2,850.00, military incentive pay up to $1424.00, clothing allowance of $900 per year, specialty unit pay up to $3000.00 per year. PERF retirement is available after 20 years of service.

Applications will be accepted until February 17, 2019. The first step of the testing process, a written test, will be offered on Saturday, March 2, 2019.

Indiana State Police are investigating a three vehicle crash in Bartholomew County that injured a pedestrian. That incident took place at about 7:15 p.m. Monday on State Road 7 near US 31, closing that area for two hours.

Authorities say the initial investigation indicates that a car driven by 22-year-old Austin Rice, of Columbus, was traveling north on State Road 7 just south of US 31 when the vehicle suffered a mechanical issue. The vehicle came to a stop off the edge of the roadway. A pickup truck driven by 31-year-old Michael Williams, of North Vernon, arrived on scene to assist Rice. Ashley Sowerby, age 19, Columbus, also arrived in a different vehicle.

State Police say that a car being driven by 27-year-old Randy Robinson, of Columbus, was traveling northbound on State Road 7, approaching the other vehicles. They say Robinson was unable to slow down to avoid the slowed traffic. Robinson’s vehicle struck Sowerby, who was standing next to the roadway. Robinson’s vehicle then sideswiped a car driven by 22-year-old Stefan Dehaven, of Elizabethtown, before striking the rear of Williams’ vehicle.

Sowerby was transported by ambulance to Columbus Regional Health for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. She has since been treated and released. A passenger in Dehaven’s vehicle was also treated for minor injuries at CRH.

Robinson was transported to CRH for minor injuries. Authorities say he submitted to a blood test for intoxication. The results are pending.

The investigation is ongoing.

If you plan on traveling Interstate 65 late Saturday night, expect delays locally. The Indiana Department of Transportation says that from 11 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday, drivers can expect the delays between U.S. Highway 50 at Seymour and State Road 58 at the Walesboro exit in Bartholomew County.

INDOT officials say that Bartholomew County REMC has scheduled crews to retire two overhead primary electrical supply conductors. Weather permitting, the operation will completely close I-65, in both directions, for short intervals. Up to five “rolling roadblocks” may be used to slow I-65 traffic to 10 miles per hour between mile markers 52.68 and 62.48. Officials say these roadblocks will void lanes of traffic for approximately 20 minutes each at utility worksites.

The retired conductors are being replaced with an underground electrical supply line.

North Vernon Police arrested a woman Sunday afternoon after receiving reports of a shot fired in the 200 block of Park Avenue. When police arrived, they determined that a verbal disagreement has escalated, resulting in the arrest of 49-year-old Marla Hankins, of North Vernon.

Hankins is facing preliminary charges of Intimidation while Armed with a Deadly Weapon, Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon and Possession of Paraphernalia.

No one was hurt.

A local woman was killed in a Monday morning crash in Jennings County.

Authorities say the crash was at the Jennings/Ripley County line on US 50 E. The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department says that a pickup driven by 27-year-old Brittany Comer, of Holton, was traveling west when her vehicle sideswiped an eastbound pickup driven by 41-year-old Jason Hamm. Investigators say that Comer’s truck continued left of center, striking a car driven by 44-year-old Michelle Hoover, of North Vernon, head-on. Hoover was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities say Hamm was uninjured. Comer was taken by personal auto to the hospital for minor injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.