Michael Franklin. Photo courtesy of Jennings County Sheriff’s Department
Jennings County deputies recovered a pound of methamphetamine and other drugs after a vehicle chase through the county Monday.
A deputy attempted to stop a vehicle after a traffic violation at about 8:04 p.m. Monday night on County Road 600W but instead the driver took off, according to police reports. As the vehicle fled, items were thrown out the windows, according to police.
After having its tires deflated near County Roads 550W and 300N, the vehicle drove through a field before crashing into a drainage ditch. Two men then attempted to run away before being taken into custody.
The items thrown out the window turned out to be the pound of meth and more than an ounce of heroin or fentanyl. Police also recovered $3,000 in cash from one of the men.
Robert Sibley. Photo courtesy of Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.
The driver, 43-year-old Michael Franklin of Floyds Knobs and the passenger, 51-year-old Robert Sibley of Madison, are facing charges including dealing Methamphetamine, Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of Methamphetamine, a syringe and marijuana. Sibley’s bond is being doubled because he was already on house arrest through Jefferson County.
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Friday night, according to deputies.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that 34-year-old Amberly Napier was struck by a northbound semi in the 10000 block of South U.S. 31 at about 10 p.m. Friday night.
Witnesses said that Napier was in the travel lanes of northbound U.S. 31 when she was struck.
Sheriff Matt Myers swore in 27-year-old Anthony Bagby of Hartsville Monday morning. Bagby is a four year veteran of the North Vernon Police Department.
Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department
A group of local board game fans will be holding a 24-hour gaming marathon to raise toys and money for the Columbus Fireman’s Cheer Fund starting Friday evening.
Organizer Tyson O’Haver explains the event.
The 24-hour-Board-Game-A-Thon will be from 6 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Saturday at Hotel Indigo in downtown Columbus. To enter you can donate $20 and one new toy or game.
There will also be a raffle and silent auction of more than 15 board games donated by sponsors, O’Haver explained.
Masks and social distancing will be mandatory. Temperatures will be checked and the event will follow guidelines on the number of attendees for COVID-19.
You can get more information on the group’s Facebook page.
Indiana has now topped 300,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The Indiana State Department of Health announced 5,606 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, for a total of 300,913 cases since the pandemic began. The state’s 7-day all-test positivity rate is 11.6 percent.
On Sunday, the state passed 5,000 deaths from COVID-19. Monday’s numbers added 27 to the total, for 5,067.
Bartholomew County reported 70 new cases Monday and a 7-day positivity rate of 12.6 percent. In area counties, Decatur had 37 new cases, Jennings 14, Jackson 60, Brown 6, Johnson 164 and Shelby 42. Johnson County is reporting three new deaths, and Shelby one death.
You will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed water rate price increase by Columbus City Utilities next week.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will be holding a public field hearing starting at 6 on Dec. 2nd in the Belvedere Room at Hotel Indigo on Brown Street to get public testimony on the rate hike.
The city is proposing an increase in three phases. If approved, water charges for a residential customer using 5,000 gallons per month would rise in August 2021 from $11.43 to $16.60. Those charges would later increase to $19.41 in January of 2023 and then to $20.65 in January 2024.
Columbus City Utilities says the increase is due to higher operating and maintenance costs and will be used to pay for $22.2 million in bonds to make infrastructure improvements. Those improvements include the construction of new wells, a new storage tank and improvements to four others, new transmission and distribution mains, laboratory and treatment plant improvements, upgraded software, and new meters, among other projects.
You can speak in person at the field hearing, but because of COVID-19, customers are urged to participate by phone instead of in person. If you do attend the hearing in person, you will be required to wear a face mask and maintain social distancing.
If you are interested in speaking at the Dec. 2nd hearing, you should call to pre-register by noon on Dec. 2nd at 317-232-5888.
The Bartholomew County Highway Department is reporting that County Road 250E or Mineral Springs Road will be closed today and tomorrow between County Roads 200S and 275S for a culvert replacement. The work is expected to be going on from 7 to 5 both days.
The Bartholomew County Health Department and the Indiana Immunization Coalition will be holding a walk-in flu vaccination clinic on Dec. 5th at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds Community Building.
The clinic will be for those older than six months. Private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare will be accepted as well as those with no insurance. Masks are required.
The clinic will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the fairgrounds on Bartholomew County Road 200S. You can get more information at 317-628-7116.
Area school districts are making the decision to suspend in-person classes through the start of next year.
Bartholomew Consolidated School officials said the decision not to return to in-person classes until at least January 5th was made in consultation with medical professionals and the Bartholomew and Columbus COVID-19 Community Task force.
School officials said they would be monitoring local COVID-19 data and make adjustments as necessary.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools also made the announcement that they would be continuing e-learning after the Thanksgiving break and would evaluate the community spread, as well as tracking close contacts and positive cases in the school district to inform any future changes.
The northeastern Bartholomew County school district plans to return to in-person classes on Jan. 5th.
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More than 5,000 Hoosiers have died from COVID-19.
The grim milestone was reached Sunday when the Indiana State Department of Health announced 48 more coronavirus deaths in the Hoosier state. The deaths happened between October 29th and November 21st.
More than 3,100 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Indiana. The Department of Health announced 6,255 new cases yesterday, for a total of 295,357 since the pandemic began. The state’s 7-day all-test positivity rate is nearing 12 percent.
Bartholomew County reported 75 new cases yesterday and a 7-day positivity rate of 11.25 percent. In area counties, Decatur had 12 new cases, Jennings 16, Jackson 47, Brown 7, Johnson 159, and Shelby 42. There were no new deaths reported in our area.
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Bartholomew County continues as orange on the Indiana State Department of Health’s color-coded map of COVID-19 spread, but local officials expect and fear that the county will tip over into the red category soon.
Orange indicates serious spread of the disease in a community, while the red category indicates a severe spread.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says local officials are keeping a close eye on the numbers.
Should the county switch to red, further restrictions would go into place including limits on social gatherings to 25 people instead of the current 50.
Brown and Decatur counties are both listed as red already by the state, while other surrounding counties remain in the orange.
Dr. Brian Niedbalski, the Bartholomew County health officer, put new restrictions into place on Saturday afternoon.
Jennings County Sheriff’s Department is warning about scammers pretending to be contact tracers for COVID-19.
Victims report receiving phone calls from scammers who claim to be with a health department or the CDC. Then they ask for personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank information. The Sheriff’s Department stresses that contact tracers will never need that sort of information.
If you receive a phone call, deputies suggest that you ask what agency the caller is with and then hang up. You can look up a direct number for the agency yourself, then call back directly.
