Seymour police arrested two people Wednesday morning on drug-related charges after finding a gun, drugs, packaging materials and portable safes in a vehicle.

According to police reports, officers stopped a vehicle at the intersection of Brown Street and Marley Lane for an equipment violation at about 2 this morning. Seymour police dog Edi sniffed around the vehicle and alerted to the odor of drugs inside.

A search revealed several portable safes in the vehicle which contained scales, glass smoking pipes, small baggies and methamphetamine packaged for sale. Police also found a handgun in the locked glove compartment, spare ammunition in a safe and more bullets in the pocket of a passenger. A baggie with marijuana was also found on the floorboards.

Police arrested the driver, 22-year-old Hayden Gray of Brownstown and passenger 25-year-old Matthew Norman, both of Brownstown. They refused to answer any questions, police say.

Gray was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing meth, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a handgun without a license, along with maintaining a common nuisance.

Norman is facing charges of dealing in methamphetamine, as well as possessing meth, drug paraphernalia and visiting a common nuisance.

Democratic House impeachment managers showed video footage yesterday of rioters chanting “hang Mike Pence” by a make-shift gallows outside of the Capitol.

According to our news-gathering  partner at TTWN Media Networks, during the second impeachment trial of former President Trump, Texas Democrat Joaquin Castro said yesterday that the former Vice President and Columbus native is a patriot who didn’t deserve a president “unleashing a mob” on him.

Videos depicted gallows on Capitol grounds with a noose hanging from the structure.

Castro said the images harken back to our nation’s worst history of lynching. He argued that Trump did nothing to stop the crowd, adding that he “fueled the fire” when he tweeted about Pence. The tweet said, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”

Most area counties are under travel advisories this morning due to the cold temperatures overnight refreezing slush on the roads and making for some slippery conditions out there.

Bartholomew and Brown counties are under an orange, or watch travel condition. Under a travel watch, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

Jackson, Jennings and Johnson counties are all under a yellow travel advisory condition. That means you should use caution or avoid those areas if you can.

If you have to drive, Bartholomew County Emergency Management is urging you to use caution, to allow extra time for any trips this morning and to keep the distance between you and other vehicles.

Columbus Republican Congressman Greg Pence met yesterday with Brigadier General Dale Lyles, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, about bringing a national Cybersecurity Training Center to Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.

The congressman said the National Defense Authorization Act enacted into law earlier this year included Pence’s proposal to build on the National Guard’s efforts with a cyber security training center pilot program here. Pence pointed out that the local bases are the Department of Defense’s only live, full-scale cyber range.

Pence said he will be urging the appropriations sub committee to fully fund the pilot program.

Photo courtesy of Pence’s staff.

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are evaluating how to implement changes and mandates from the state on COVID-19 prevention measures.

Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts told the school board earlier this week that the changes announced last week by Governor Eric Holcomb include distributing 10 KN-95 masks to every staff member and starting rapid testing at schools this week including the shipping of 120 test kits to each school. Roberts said the schools are not comfortable with and don’t have procedures in place to do testing in the schools. The district could look at transferring all those tests kits to the county health department to conduct tests of school staff and students through that agency, he said.

Other changes include redefining close contact in classrooms as being less than three feet apart for 15 minutes or more and new requirements for quarantine periods, depending on if a person who tested positive ever developed symptoms and if they can wear a mask at all times.

Roberts said that the district is not yet ready to implement the governor’s announced changes and are still figuring out how they will be brought to the schools.

BCSC officials will be re-evaluating current conditions tomorrow to decide whether to return middle school and high school students to a regular schedule or to continue on with the hybrid learning. Under hybrid learning, students attend part of the week in class and part in e-learning, depending on the letters of their last name. If any changes are made, they would go into effect on Monday.

A fire overnight left a two-apartment Pearl Street home in Columbus with severe damage.

Columbus firefighters were called to the 1300 block of Pearl Street at about 10:46 last night after several people called 911 about the home fire. Firefighters arrived to find flames showing from the ground floor apartment and the second floor unit and heavy smoke coming from under the eaves. More fire trucks were called to the scene.

Firefighters knocked down the outside flames so they could search the apartments for occupants and both were empty. After gaining access to the attic, firefighters were able to get the fire under control.

Firefighters say a neighbor rescued a dog from the fire but a cat was still unaccounted for.

Damages to the home were estimated at $60,000 and the home is uninhabitable. The Salvation Army is providing assistance to the occupants.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

Most of our area counties remain under a travel advisory this morning, due to freezing temperatures overnight causing slick road conditions on some of the already wet roadways.

Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson and Shelby counties are all under the yellow advisory level, the state’s lowest level of travel limits, meaning that routine travel or activities are restricted due to a hazardous condition and you should use caution or avoid those areas.

Brown County remains at the higher orange watch level, which means conditions are threatening to public safety. Only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis is reporting an area of light snow and freezing rain will be passing through our area this morning. Any accumulation is expected to be very light, however there will be enough to cause slick spots on roads and bridges.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a murder after a man’s body was found wrapped in plastic in an area home.

Sheriff Scott Southerland told the Brown County Democrat newspaper that deputies received a call Monday asking officers to check a home in the 7000 block of Hicks Road. The caller said they heard that someone may have been killed in the home on Saturday.

Deputies went to the home and, in one of the bedrooms, found a man’s body wrapped in plastic.

An investigation led to the arrests of 54-year-old Michael Hazelgrove of Brown County and 36-year-old Alicia Bustle of Stanford, Ky. on Monday. Hazelgrove was arrested at the home and Bustle was arrested a few miles down the road in another residence the newspaper reports.

Bustle and Hazelgrove are facing preliminary charges of murder, obstruction of justice and assisting a criminal according to the newspaper. Bustle is also facing a charge of conversion.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to identify the body and determine the cause of death.

You can read more at The Brown County Democrat newspaper

An Indiana State Police trooper is being recognized for his heroism rescuing a teen from a burning vehicle.

The Versailles post is reporting that Sgt. Jared Black was honored with the Indiana State Police Lifesaving Award Monday for his efforts at the scene of a crash in August in rural Ripley County.

According to state police, Black arrived on the scene to find a 17-year-old trapped in the burning vehicle. Black broke out the sunroof of the vehicle and helped the victim get to safety.

Photo: Capt. Anthony Scott, Maj. Michael Eslinger, Sgt. Jared Black, Lt. Paul Adams. Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police

A 30-mile long police chase that started in Jackson County Monday ended up with a car crashing into the rear of a semi and a Crawfordsville man in jail.

Indiana State Police are reporting that they stopped a vehicle headed southbound on Interstate 65 in northern Jackson County at about 1 yesterday. But after speaking briefly with the trooper, the driver took off. More troopers joined the chase and despite having two tires flattened with a tire-deflation device just south of Seymour, the driver continued on into Scott County, where more tire-deflation devices were used. The vehicle eventually crashed into the rear of a semi-trailer near the Scottsburg exit.

After struggling with police and medics, the driver 30-year-old Mitchell W. Jones was taken to Schneck Medical Center to be checked out before being arrested on charges including battery by bodily waste, battery against a public safety official, resisting law enforcement and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police.