Columbus police officers arrested a local man early Tuesday morning after he allegedly punched an officer in the face in an effort to get away. Authorities say that at approximately 2:30 a.m., an officer stopped Steven J. Richcreek, 27, of Columbus, for riding a bicycle without proper lighting on Indiana Avenue near South Beatty Street.

After the officer confirmed that Richcreek was wanted on two local warrants, he attempted to take him into custody. During the scuffle, Richcreek reportedly punched the officer in the face and attempted to flee on foot. The officer chased after Richcreek and tackled him to the ground a short time later. After Richcreek was handcuffed, the officer reported finding synthetic marijuana in Richcreek’s clothing.

In addition to the warrants, Richcreek is facing new preliminary charges of:
Resisting Law Enforcement (Level 6 Felony)
Possession of a Look-a-Like Drug (Class A Misdemeanor)
Battery on a Police Officer (Level 6 Felony)

GILLIG LLC, the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in the United States, joined Cummins on Tuesday in announcing that the GILLIG zero-emission battery electric bus, powered by Cummins, is now available.

Company officials say the zero-emission battery electric bus incorporates the Cummins electrified powertrain, which features remote diagnostics and over-the-air connectivity. The bus initially incorporates the standard 444 kWh battery capacity and supports charging interoperability via industry standards.

“Cummins is incredibly proud to bring a best-in-class fully electric bus solution to market with GILLIG,” said Julie Furber, Vice President-Electrified Power, Cummins. “Our Battery Electric System is another example of Cummins unrelenting commitment to quality, dependable products. We’re deeply committed to understanding our customers and their unique needs and providing market-leading solutions that enable their success.”

In the run-up to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, representatives from Cummins, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum will unveil the five fully restored historic Cummins-powered cars in the same location for the first time. This event is set for Wednesday, May 22, at 10 a.m. outside of the museum.

To commemorate Cummins’ 100th anniversary, the cars will participate in the vintage parade lap just prior to the green flag dropping at this year’s race. Company officials say this is the first time that all five cars will appear in public at the same location.

Veteran IndyCar drivers will pilot several of the cars Sunday. Their names will be revealed during Wednesday’s event.

Cummins released the following information about each car:

1931 Cummins Diesel No. 8 car
The 1931 car featured a 4-cylinder diesel engine and was the first ever race car to finish the 500-mile race without stopping. The car qualified in the 17th position at 96.87 miles per hour. The car, originally driven by Dave Evans, finished the race in 13th place.

1934 Cummins Diesel No. 5 car
The 1934 No. 5 car featured a new technology, a two-stroke Model H supercharged diesel engine. The car qualified in the 29th position, completed all 500 miles, and finished in 12th place. Although the No. 5 completed the race, Cummins founder, Clessie Cummins, decided not to continue manufacturing the two-stroke Model H, as it was not dependable (the engine seized at the end of the race and would not restart). This car was originally driven by Stubby Stubblefield.

1934 Cummins Diesel No. 6 car
The 1934 No. 6 car, originally driven by Dave Evans, was powered by a four-stroke Model H engine. The car qualified in the 22nd position with a speed of 102.2 miles per hour and was only a couple of seconds off the pace of the leaders, however, the car only finished 270 miles and finished 19th.

1950 Cummins Diesel Special (Green Hornet) No. 61 car
To promote the release of a new technology, a six-cylinder, two valve truck engine (JBS-600), the 1950 No. 61 car was powered by a modified version of the new engine and was the first racing car in history to use disc brakes. The car, originally driven by Jimmy Jackson, was dubbed the Green Hornet and qualified in the 32nd position, with a speed of 129.9 miles per hour, and finished the race in 29th.

1952 Cummins Diesel Special No. 28
The 1952 Cummins Diesel Special No. 28, originally driven by Freddy Agabashian, proved the durability, power and technology of diesel engines. The No. 28 was the first turbocharged car to race at the Indy 500, and won the pole position with an average speed of 138 miles per hour and a top speed of 139.1 miles per hour. The No. 28 finished 27th due to debris on the track, however, its dominance prompted new rules for diesel engines competing in the Indy 500. This was the last Indianapolis 500 where Cummins competed with an engine of their own.

Four people were arrested today as part of an ongoing Jennings County investigation into drugs in the community.

The North Vernon Police, Jennings County deputies and the Indiana Counterdrug Task Force served a search warrant at a property near County Road 450S and South Highway 7, entering three buildings simultaneously. Officers recovered about 5 grams of heroin, some narcotics in pill form, and drug paraphernalia.

They arrested 23-year-old Danielle Malcomb, of North Vernon; 37-year-old Richard Woodward, of Deputy; 28-year-old Codi Brashear, of Butlerville; and 29-year-old Charles Perry of North Vernon.

All are facing charges for possessing a narcotics drug, syringes and drug paraphernalia. Perry is also being accused of maintaining a common nuisance, while Woodward is accused of visiting a common nuisance.

The annual Salute! concert put on by the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic is this Friday, May 24th, near the grounds of the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans. Retired Gen. Mark Pillar is the military master of ceremonies. He talks about the origins of this free event, aimed at honoring those who have served and are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Gen. Pillar says it is important to understand that the military has seen generational changes.

The concert is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Columbus East High School Band Booster Club will be on hand selling refreshments.

You are invited to bring your lawn chair and enjoy the performance.

For more on Friday evening’s concert, visit thecip.org.

Tickets for the Columbus Human Rights Commission’s annual dinner meeting go on sale this week. The commission is inviting you to hear a moderated discussion on immigration featuring Dr. Neeraj Kaushal and Ms. Angela Adams on Thursday, June 20th. That event is will be held at The Commons, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Kaushal is a professor of social policy and the chair of the doctoral program at Columbia School of Social Work. His academic fields of expertise include comparative immigration policy, social welfare policy, labor economics, health economics, and public finance.

Adams is the owner and managing attorney at Adams Immigration Law, LLC in Carmel, where she practices family and employment-based immigration law. She holds a B.S. in public affairs-management from Indiana University and a J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Adams has served on several boards and in leadership capacities, including at the Immigrant Welcome Center, Su Casa Columbus, Mexican Scholarship Fund, La Plaza, Hispanic Education Center, and the Indiana chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers.

In addition to the discussion, the recipient of the 2019 William R. Laws Human Rights Award and the winners of the 2019 Benjamin M. King Essay and the J. Irwin Miller Art Contests will be honored at the dinner. The theme for this year’s art and essay contests is “You Belong in Columbus.”

Admission to the dinner is by advance ticket purchase. Tickets for the dinner are set to go on sale Wednesday, May 22. They are $30 each. Tickets can be purchased at the Human Rights Commission office in City Hall, or by going online at columbus.in.gov/human-rights/.

The deadline for purchasing tickets is Monday, June 17th at 5 p.m.

LHP Engineering Solutions is planning to add 135 new jobs in Columbus.

The company made the announcement in conjunction with a state announcement on tax incentives. According to the report, the company plans to invest more than $1 million to expand its Poshard Drive headquarters.

The company has 190 employees in Columbus nwo and more than 475 worldwide.

The new hires, set to take place by 2023, would be engineers in the fields of electrical, mechanical, computer science, quality, functional safety and controls, and transportation software.

According to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. announcement, the company will be making  building and office improvements and significant hardware and software investments to the building just off of Central Avenue near the IUPUC and Columbus Learning Center buildings.

The  company provides engineering services and technology integration for embedded controls, telematics, data analytics and model-based design for the automotive, aerospace and medical industries.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered LHP up to $1.6 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.

LHP was founded in 2001 by Dave Glass and Ryan Hou in Columbus and  has expanded to locations in California, Michigan, Texas, China, Italy and Mexico.

Columbus police say they arrested a man who was breaking the windows out of East Columbus United Methodist Church Saturday afternoon.

When officers arrived at the Indiana Avenue church at about 3:50 p.m. Saturday, they could hear glass breaking. Officers discovered 54-year-old Trinidad J. Padilla holding a rock and bleeding from his head and hands.

He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment and then to the jail on preliminary charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespassing.

Authorities are releasing more details about a fatal crash in southern Bartholomew County that killed a Freetown man Saturday.

Bartholomew County deputies report that 22-year-old Terry Von Anderson III was driving a Mustang on County Road 675W at about 3:46 p.m. when he met a vehicle coming the opposite direction and his vehicle’s wheels dipped off of the right-side of the road. He tried to recover, overcorrected, slid off the road and the car landed upside down in a small creek bed.

Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bartholomew County coroner’s office. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, deputies report.

A Columbus man is facing drug charges after a Saturday crash on Central Avenue.

32-year-old Clint M. Noble is facing preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment, possession of heroin and leaving the scene of an accident.

After being called on reports of a possibly impaired driver, Columbus police found a road sign knocked over and vehicle debris near Central Avenue and Rockyford Road at about 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

They found a damaged vehicle at a residence in the 1900 block of Pinewood Court where Noble appeared to be under the influence — slurring his words and having difficulty recovering his license. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood test and then to jail.

Officers allegedly discovered heroin in his clothing.