Three new officers have joined the Columbus Police Department. They were sworn in by Mayor Jim Lienhoop during Tuesday’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting. They are:

Alex Hill is a 21-year-old Columbus resident who graduated from Columbus North High School. While in high school, Hill was a Columbus police cadet for two years. Hill graduated from Ball State with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. She also completed an internship with the Muncie Police Department and later became a reserve officer at their agency while working with their drug task force.

John Busack is 23-years-old and graduated from Columbus East High School. He graduated from IUPUI with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. Busack has been employed with Bartholomew County Community Corrections for the past two years.

Adriane Polley is a 21 year old Columbus resident and a graduate of Columbus Christian School. Polley enlisted in the Army National Guard where he became a weapons squad team leader. Prior to coming to CPD, he worked in the Bartholomew County Jail.

CPD leadership says these new officers will spend the next several weeks undergoing training at the department before they attending the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in September.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is issuing an Air Quality Action Day alert for our area today.

That means ground-level ozone concentrations are expected to be high today. Anyone sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.

While ozone in the upper atmosphere blocks ultraviolet radiation, ozone near the ground is a lung irritant that can cause coughing and breathing difficulties. Ground-level ozone is formed when sunlight and hot weather bake vehicle exhaust, factory emissions and gasoline vapors according to the agency.

An Indianapolis woman is accused of attacking a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputy with a swimsuit.

The incident happened at about 6 p.m. on Friday evening at a home in the 4000 block of North Huffer Road. Deputies say that 55-year-old Kimberly Swindell appeared intoxicated and had a strong odor of alcohol about her. They also allegedly discovered a controlled substance she was carrying. But at one point during the encounter, she began to disrobe, throwing part of her swimsuit at a deputy, hitting him in the face.

After being checked out at Columbus Regional Hospital, she was arrested on preliminary charges of battery on a public safety official and possession of a controlled substance.

Another deputy was injured on the Fourth Of July after being punched in the face by an intoxicated subject at a Bartholomew County mobile home park.

Columbus police are still looking for a few more children to take fishing later this month.

Hook a Kid on Fishing Day is Wednesday, July 24th and is open for children from the ages of 9 to 14.

Police say that all equipment, bait, and lunch will be provided and no experience is necessary. The event will be from 9 to 3 at Toyota.

There are still about 15 spots open. You can register by emailing Officer Greg Ross at gross@columbus.in.gov by tomorrow.

Edinburgh has been chosen as one of five communities around the state to receive a grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to promote Downtown Development Week.

Downtown Development Week started last year and will be held the week of October 7th to honor cities and towns’ commitment to preserve and invest in their downtowns, according to the agency.

Edinburgh received a $1,000 grant for its plans to hold six days of special events in the downtown business district during the harvest season.

Other cities receiving grants are Bedford, Jeffersonville, Knightstown and Monticello. Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch made the grant announcements yesterday.

Detectives from the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested two people on numerous drug charges after a lengthy investigation. On July 3rd, authorities executed a search warrant at 6770 S. County Road 650 West in Bartholomew County.

Detectives reported finding narcotics and paraphernalia inside the home of 54-year-old Troy E. Smith and 31-year-old Kelly D. Starke. While investigators were inside the house, Smith and Starke returned home. When they saw the officers, the pair allegedly tried to flee in their vehicle. However, officers utilized a tire deflation device and the couple were taken into custody. They are facing the following preliminary charges:

Troy Smith: Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Illegal Drug Labs, Bartholomew County Warrant, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Kelly Starke: Possession of a Controlled Substance, Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Illegal Drug Labs

Both Smith and Starke remain incarcerated at the Bartholomew County Jail. Authorities say that additional charges are possible, as the investigation is ongoing.

Two local residents are facing charges after they allegedly broke into a Columbus home Sunday night.

The Columbus Police Department says that officers were dispatched to a home in the 700 block of Smith Street at about 11:40 p.m. after receiving a call that two people were trying to break in. The residents told the officers that a man and woman were pulling on their door and causing a disturbance outside their home.

While officers were speaking with the residents, the suspects 29-year-old Clifton S. Burton and 24-year-old Ophelia C. Garcia, both of Columbus, were spotted inside the home immediately next door. Police say that when Burton and Garcia spotted the officers, they fled to the back of the house. Officers later confirmed with the homeowner that the pair were not supposed to be there.

CPD says that Burton and Garcia are being held on 48-hour holds on the following preliminary charges:

Clifton Burton: Burglary, Possession of Methamphetamine, Residential Entry;
Ophelia Garcia: Residential Entry

An early Sunday morning crash on Interstate 65 near Edinburgh killed a Freetown man and seriously injured his mother.

Indiana State Police are reporting that the crash happened at about 2:45 a.m. in southern Shelby County, when a vehicle ran off the road, hit a tree and rolled several times. Shelby County deputies were the first on the scene and called for a medical helicopter. But 41-year-old Kenneth Cubbage Jr. of Freetown was pronounced dead at the scene.

His mother, 62-year-old Connie Cubbage, was a passenger in the vehicle and was not wearing a seatbelt. She was taken to IU Methodist Hospital by ambulance. State police say she was in stable condition.

The accident remains under investigation.

A Bartholomew County deputy was slightly injured after being attacked and spit on during an incident on Independence Day.

The incident started at about 5:20 a.m. on the Fourth of July when a deputy was flagged down because of a disturbance at the Sunnybrooke Mobile Home Park. 20-year-old Kevin Ferrell of Elizabethtown appeared to be intoxicated and belligerent and attempted to leave the scene, according to police reports. The deputy went to stop him from leaving and Ferrell allegedly punched her in the face and spit on her.

He was arrested on preliminary charges of Battery on a Public Safety Official, Battery with Bodily Waste to Law Enforcement, Illegal Consumption of Alcohol, Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Law Enforcement

The sheriff’s department reports that Deputy Leah Burton received minor swelling and bruising in the attack. She was treated at Columbus Regional Hospital and then released.

Summer break for area students has just got underway. However, the Bartholomew County United Way is looking ahead to make sure students have what they need when they return to class in August. Alicia Monroe talks about the school supply drive for all county school-aged children.

Monroe explains that the United Way is accepting donations to help the cause.

To receive free supplies, a student’s parent or guardian must register for the supply drive by calling (812) 375-2216. That number is answered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. officials the registration deadline to get guaranteed supplies is July 18th.