A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to between 30 and 105 years in prison after abducting a Jackson County teen last year.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department reports that 39-year-old Andrew Howland of Lancaster, Pennsylvania was sentenced last week after being found guilty of felony charges including:

• Kidnapping of Minor-Facilitate Felony/Flight
• Unlawful Contact with Minor-Sexual Offenses
• Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Person Less Than 16 years of age
• Statutory Sexual Assault: 11 years or older
• Aggravated Indecent Assault-Complainant Less than 16
• Child pornography
• Criminal use of a Communication Facility

The incident happened in December of last year when a 13-year-old Jackson County girl was reported missing from the Seymour area. Investigators determined the girl was no longer in Indiana. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department traced the suspect’s cell phone and Howland was arrested in Pennsylvania and the girl rescued.

According to reports, Howland had met the teen online and lured her from her family home in Indiana, kidnapping and sexually abusing the victim.

Sheriff Rick Meyer said that thanks to the good work of law enforcement here and in Pennsylvania, the perpetrator will not be able to hurt others.

A Decatur County fire chief has been arrested after a shooting incident Sunday in St. Paul.

Few details have been released by the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department, but according to police reports, deputies were called to a report of a disturbance with shots fired. After an investigation, Adams Township Fire Chief Craig Jones was arrested on four felony counts of criminal recklessness with a firearm.

Other agencies assisting at the scene include the St. Paul Police Department, St. Paul Volunteer Fire Department, Decatur County EMS and Greensburg Fire Department.

Bartholomew County deputies arrested a woman Sunday on drunk driving related charges after she fled from police and ran into a home.

According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies noticed a vehicle driving at twice the speed limit on 25th Street near Talley Road. Deputies tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver pulled into a driveway in the 6000 block of East 25th Street, then drove through the grass to another home, where she got out and ran inside.

Deputies arrested the driver, 34-year-old Stephanie Denney of Columbus on preliminary charges including operating a vehicle while intoxicated, operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, resisting law enforcement and reckless driving.

Franklin Police officers are mourning the death of Pepper, a 7 year old police dog, who died Sunday morning.

Her handler, Officer Jesse Brown, found Pepper unresponsive and not breathing. The dog was taken to Purdue University and results of an autopsy are pending.

Pepper, a Belgian Malinois originally from the Netherlands, began working with the Franklin police in November 2015.

She was a dual-purpose canine officer and was responsible for narcotics detection, area searches and tracking events during her career with the department. Brown and Officer Jeffrey Dawe were her handlers during her time with the department. They said Pepper loved meeting members of the community, playing with tennis balls and showing off her detection skills.

Photo courtesy of Franklin Police Department.

An arrest has been made in a fatal accident earlier this month in Columbus.

44-year-old Jeremy O. Stillabower of Columbus was seriously injured in the crash at 7th Street and Central Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. the evening of Nov. 8th. He was flown to IU Methodist Hospital where he later died of his injuries.

According to Columbus Police Department reports, 21 year old Kevin W. Shuffitt of Columbus is facing three felony charges of criminal recklessness, reckless driving and driving while suspended after the incident.

Police report that witnesses saw Shuffitt driving a truck at high speed before crashing into the back of a vehicle at the intersection. He then crashed into the vehicle again, before continuing on into the intersection where he hit a third vehicle. Stillabower was a front-seat passenger in the third vehicle.

Formal criminal charges against Shuffitt were filed by the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday and he was taken into custody by Columbus police.

Shuffitt was also wanted on several outstanding warrants.

Today is the deadline to sign up if you want to take part in a free Thanksgiving meal delivery from Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center and First Christian Church.

All of the meals will be delivered this year, instead of the traditional meal at the church. There is a limit of six meals per household and meals will only be delivered to Bartholomew County addresses.

You can register by calling First Christian Church at 812-379-4491 between 9 and 4 today.

A man from Shelbyville has been arrested for carrying a loaded gun on Capitol grounds, and for assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6th insurrection.

56-year-old Mark A. Mazza is charged with illegal possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds, civil disorder, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a dangerous weapon — as well as other charges. He was arrested last week at his home in Shelbyville.

Court documents say Mazza brought a Taurus revolver to the Capitol. The gun was found in the Capitol’s West Front Terrace area that afternoon. Court documents say Mazza filed a false police report in Indiana, where he claimed to have lost his gun in an Ohio casino.

Video footage later shows Mazza in the crowd, holding the doors open to allow rioters into the building. While holding a baton, he helped the group push toward officers, who were defending the area.

So far, more than 675 people have been arrested for the breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Story information courtesy of Network Indiana.

The Bull Dog Pantry at Columbus North High School is distributing prepared Thanksgiving dinners to families in need today. The bagged and ready-to-cook dinners will be distributed from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. You must wear a mask and show an ID to pick up a dinner.

You must register online to reserve a dinner and they are limited to one per family. Any unclaimed bags will be distributed to families on the waiting list.

You can make a reservation at bulldogpantry.com/thankgivingdinnerboxes

A local sheriff says you should be extra careful on area rural roads with the danger of deer collisions increasing during this time of the year.

Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman says that there are more than 15,000 deer and vehicle collisions each year in Indiana, but the most dangerous months are between October and December during deer-mating season. Freeman says there has already been an increase in Jennings County incidents.

Freeman said the crashes not only damage vehicles and injure passengers, but they can also be deadly.

He offered several safety tips. You should be aware that deer are most active between sunset and sunrise, and they often travel in groups, so if you see one deer others could be in the area. You should be extra careful in wooded areas, hills and blind turns. You should use your high-beam headlights if there is no oncoming traffic. And if you see a deer you should slow down. He says deer can be unpredictable and suddenly change direction or dart into the roadway.

He said if you do hit a deer, you should realize that wounded deer can be dangerous. You should pull off the road, stay in your vehicle and call 911.

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County, Centerstone and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church will be holding a Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday for the community.

The dinner will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Those participating should enter through Door B2.

Meals will be prepared by community recovery housing participants and treatment providers. Those will include Transformational Living Ministries, Oxford House, VOA Fresh Start and Groups Recover Together.

Guests can take home baskets including non-perishable Thanksgiving foods, clothing vouchers and donations. There will be a photo booth where families can take pictures together with Thanksgiving props. Groups will be handing out service information and harm reduction tools.

Organizers stress that giving back to the community and being of service to others is an important part of recovery.

The event is also made possible by donations from Mariah Peer Foods, Texas Roadhouse, and community members.