Bartholomew County United Way recently closed its 2-1-1 Center, but that shouldn’t affect those who rely on the service. That’s from Alicia Monroe director of the former center.

Monroe explained that the calls that would have come in to Bartholomew County are being picked up by other centers. According to the United Way, In 2017, 2-1-1 answered over 17,000 calls for help and made over 34,000 referrals to human service assistance.

The local closure resulted in four people losing their jobs. Monroe says that two of them have found employment elsewhere.

2-1-1 is a free and confidential phone service that helps residents across the state find resources and referrals. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can learn more information at uwbarthco.org.

A request from the Bartholomew County Health Department for an additional appropriation to make a part-time nurse a full-time position made no traction at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Bartholomew County Council.

The department requested $25,328 to cover the additional costs that would be incurred for this year by making the change. Health department staff point to a marked increase over the past three years in HIV testing and STD investigations as a major reason for the request. Council members agree that the need may be real, but now is not the time to request a new full-time position. Councilman Mark Gorbett explains.

The request for an additional appropriation failed to garner a motion at Tuesday night’s meeting. Gorbett says the council needs more data.

Council members say that, as of now, they are anticipating that department heads will be asking for 11 new positions across government. They stress that there is no way the county can afford each request, as they would cost an additional $700,000 to $1 million annually.

Gorbett says that work on next year’s budget begins in earnest in late July or early August.

Columbus Police are investigating after a body was found in a lake at CERAland Park Tuesday morning. Authorities say that officers were notified at approximately 11:20 a.m., that a person was seen floating in a lake.

Authorities say that the adult body has not yet been identified. The Bartholomew County Death Investigation Team is conducting the investigation. The team is made up of CPD, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office.

Investigators are trying to determine if the body belongs to a local man who’s been missing since early this month. Timothy Duckworth, 22, was last seen inside Ceraland in the early morning hours of May 4th.

Indiana State Police issued a silver alert for Duckworth. He is described as a white male standing 5’8″ tall with brown hair and brown eyes.

We will have more details as they become available.

Bartholomew Consolidated schools said goodbye to 47 retiring staff members last night — a group who has collectively given more than 1,200 years of service to the students in the school district.

Superintendent Jim Roberts says that shows incredible dedication to the students of Bartholomew County.

He praised the skills of the teachers and staff that are departing the school district.

Among the retiring staff recognized Monday night, with the most years of service were Jim Darnell, a Rockcreek Elementary counselor with 50 years, bus driver Nancy Mahoney with 46 years, Terri Bord, a second grade teacher at Taylorsville with 42 and a half years. Those with 41 years included bus driver Anthony Harden, Columbus North music instructor Bill Stultz and North PE teacher Debbie Riga. And Kay Gorday, a Columbus East health science and nursing instructor, is retiring after 40 years.

Roberts talked about the significance of so many staff members putting in more than 40 years of service.

Roberts said that BCSC staff have already started working to replace those critical staff members. He said it has become common to see about a 10 percent turnover each year in the teaching staff.

Local Democrats will be hosting a presidential candidate this weekend. California Congressman Eric Swalwell will be holding a town hall at the Factory 12 Event loft at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Swalwell’s wife, Brittany Watts Swalwell, is a Columbus native.

Swalwell’s campaign slogan is Go Big, Be Bold and Do Good and he plans to discuss issues such as healthcare coverage for every American, quality public schools, relieving college debt and gun violence.

The 38-year-old Swalwell is a four term member of Congress and is founder and chairman emeritus of Future Forum, a Democratic group aimed at millennial Americans.

Doors will open at 1:15 p.m. at the Factory 12 Event loft, 1235 Jackson Street, and you can RSVP here.

Swalwell campaign website here.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is slated to have a crew beginning preventative maintenance work on the State Road 46 bridge over Otter Creek in Bartholomew County on or after Wednesday, May 15th. weather permitting. Crews will apply a latex overlay to extend the life of the current bridge deck.

INDOT says that a one-mile section of State Road 46, from Base Road to County Road 100 North, east of Columbus, will be closed for approximately 90 days while the contractor completes the project.

The official state detour for the closure is State Road 46 to State Road 3 to U.S. 50 to State Road 7 and back to State Road 46.

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has cleared the officers involved in a Police action shooting in Brownstown. Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant released his findings on Monday.

Indiana State Police conducted the investigation, which consisted of multiple witness interviews, review of videos and documents. They say the investigation revealed that on the morning of April 3rd, an area woman took her daughter to school in Brownstown, and then drove away in her pick-up truck. The woman reached behind the truck seats and felt, then saw, Barry Rucker who was hiding in the back of the truck. State Police say that the woman had been in a relationship with Rucker, but it ended in late 2018 after Rucker had threatened her with a machete.

Authorities say that Rucker pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the woman, and told her to drive into the country. She instead drove to the Brownstown Police Department and ran inside to get help. However, the only two officers on duty were assisting with traffic at local schools.

Investigators say that Rucker chased the woman into the Brownstown Police Department, dragged her outside, and threatened to shoot and kill her. A person driving by noticed the struggle, called 911, and reported the scene.

Brownstown Police Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly arrived and confronted Rucker, but he refused to cooperate. The officers attempted to use “less lethal” measures by use of Tasers on Rucker, but the Tasers did not completely incapacitate him. Investigators say that after Rucker fell to the ground, he pointed a handgun at Chief Hanner. The officers ordered Rucker to drop his weapon, but he refused, leading both officers firing on Rucker.

Law enforcement officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department responded and rendered emergency medical aid to Rucker, who was transported to Schneck Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed that Rucker died of multiple gunshot wounds. The autopsy also revealed that Rucker’s blood contained Methamphetamine and Fentanyl.

The investigation also revealed that the firearm that Rucker was armed with was a handgun capable of firing shotgun shells. It was, in fact, loaded with shotgun shells.

The investigation concluded that Chief Hanner and Assistant Chief Kelly were faced with an actual deadly force threat and were justified in using deadly force to protect themselves and others. Investigators add that Chief Hanner and Assistance Chief Kelly and the citizen who called 911 most likely saved the woman’s life.

Correction: The date that U.S. marshals arrested Shanice Hatcher was incorrect in a previous version of this story.

A woman who fled the Bartholomew County Courthouse last month has been captured. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that on the morning of April 15th, Shanice Hatcher, 23, Indianapolis, fled the courthouse after being sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Authorities say that Hatcher was arrested in Indianapolis on May 9th by U.S. marshals.

Hatcher is being held in the Bartholomew County Jail without bond.

A Hope man is facing charges after after an incident over the weekend. Just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a slide-off in the 17000 block of East County Road 500 North. On arrival, deputies observed an unconscious male being treating by Hope Fire Department personnel.

Deputy Andrew Whipker administered two doses of Narcan and the man, Joshawa Wayne Coy, 20, regained consciousness. After clearance from Columbus Regional Hospital, Coy was arrested on preliminary charges of:

– Possession of Heroin
– Possession of Paraphernalia

Coy remains behind bars in lieu of $60,000 bond.

Two Ohio residents were arrested after a Saturday morning traffic stop. Shortly after 11 that morning, a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle in the 500 block of South State Road 46.

The driver, 37 year old Elvis Ellis, of Powell, OH, pulled into a residence, quickly got out of the vehicle and began walking away.

The deputy ordered Ellis to stop. He complied, but not before he was seen throwing some items to the ground. A clear glass pipe with burned residue inside was found where Ellis had thrown the items. A film canister, containing a rock-like substance, syringes and a clear, plastic pipe with burnt residue were also located inside the vehicle.

Ellis was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, as well as driving while suspended.

A passenger, 34-year-old Samantha Nelson of North Logan, Ohio, was arrested on preliminary charges of:possession of Legend Drug Injection Devices and possession of Paraphernalia

Authorities says that Ellis’s young daughter was also in the vehicle. She was placed into the custody of a family friend.