A Clifford man is under arrest on child molesting charges after a nearly year and a half long investigation, according to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

According to police reports, 55-year-old Bret A. Caldwell was arrested last week on preliminary charges of child molesting, sexual misconduct with a minor, sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Few details of the case have been released yet, but the sheriff’s department reports that the investigation began in January 2019. he was arrested on a Bartholomew County warrant at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

Caldwell is being held on a $1 million bond.

Tuesday is the first day for in-person early voting in Bartholomew County. Unlike recent election years, there will be only one early voting location — at Donner Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., today through Saturday, and again on Monday from 8 a..m. to noon at Donner Center.

Because of social distancing requirements in the Bartholomew County Courthouse, there will not be in-person absentee voting at the courthouse this election.

Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps says that it has already been a record setting year for vote by mail in the county. As of last Thursday, the deadline to request a mail-in ballot, there had been 8,802 absentee ballots sent out and and the voter registration office had already received in 5,071 voted ballots.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 2nd and because of poll worker shortages in Bartholomew County, and a reduction in the number of locations willing to host poll stations, you will see only eight vote center locations on election day. Those will be at Flintwood Wesleyan Church, Donner Center, Terrace Lake Church, Elizabethtown Fire Station, Ogilville United Methodist Church, Hope Moravian Church, German Township Fire Station and St. John’s Masonic Lodge.

Bartholomew County Democrats have one contested race on the ballot, for the statehouse seat that represents most of the county and Columbus. Dale Nowlin and Cinde Wirth are running to challenge incumbent State Rep. Ryan Lauer in November.

On the Republican ballot, voters will be choosing between four candidates for Superior Court judge with Scott Andrews, Dominic Glover, Joe Meek and Jon Rohde; Three candidates for County Commissioner District 3 seat, Dan Arnholt, Jo Flohr and Tony London. And seven candidates running for the three at-large seats on the Bartholomew County Council: Andrew Brunni, Laura DeDomenic, Will Lentz, Matt Miller, Derick Olson, Evelyn Pence and Bill Read.

County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, Coroner Clayton Nolting and Surveyor E.R. Gray are all running unopposed on the Bartholomew County Republican ballot.

All Bartholomew County voters in the Bartholomew Consolidated Schools district will be deciding on a tax referendum for BCSC.

Applications are now open for families who will need help with school supplies in the coming school year.

The Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program has now opened registration for the annual supply drive. Children must be registered in a Bartholomew County school in kindergarten through 12th grade to be eligible for assistance. That includes BCSC, Flat Rock-Hawcreek and private schools in the county. Those who request help by July 17th will be given priority.

Last year, about 2,000 students received free basic school supplies through this program. All supplies are provided through community contributions.

To register you children for assistance call (812) 375-2216 or 812-375-9370 for help in Spanish.

To donate financially, you can go through the United Way’s website at www.uwbarthco.org/bcssap. Tax-deductible cash, check or money order donations can be made payable and sent to BCSSAP, 1531 13th Street, Suite 1100, Columbus, IN 47201

Gyms, pools, rec sports leagues, and a lot more places across most of Indiana can reopen today.

Governor Eric Holcomb said everywhere but Lake, Marion, and Cass counties will move to Stage Three as of today.

In addition to the new openings, Stage Three means bars and restaurants can open to more customers.

Social distancing and common courtesy are still in effect when it comes to hand washing and wearing masks.

Indianapolis and the rest of Marion County are set to jump to Stage Three on June 1st.

More Hoosiers are out of work because of the Coronavirus.

30,311 people filed for unemployment in Indiana last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

That’s up from the adjusted total of 29,668 from the previous week, a change of 643.

About 670,000 Hoosiers have filed for unemployment over the last nine weeks.

The Dept. of Labor says 2.4 million people across the U.S. filed for unemployment last week.