A suspect in a June stabbing death in Columbus has pled guilty to murder but mentally ill, according to a report in The Republic.

The newspaper reports that 20-year-old Daniel Denny pled guilty to level 1 felony murder in the death of his roommate Eric Cavanaugh. He will be sentenced to between 45 and 65 years in prison, where he will be evaluated for mental illness and treated while in custody.

The murder happened June 1st at Quail Run Apartments, where Cavanaugh suffered multiple sharp force injuries to his back and chest, believed to have been inflicted by a chef’s knife, according to the coroner’s office.

A sentencing hearing has been set for March 31st.

You can read more in today’s Republic newspaper.

Jennings County deputies arrested 9 people on drug-related charges after raiding two homes in Country Squire Lakes over the weekend.

According to reports from the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, deputies identified the two homes that had become a common nuisance. Deputies had been called to the homes multiple times recently for overdoses, drug activity and other issues, police say.

On Friday, deputies and troopers from the Indiana State Police raided the two homes, recovering methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and syringes.

50-year-old Timothy Southwood of Seymour was arrested for possessing methamphetamine, marijuana, a syringe and paraphernalia as well as maintaining a common nuisance.

Sheriff Kenny Freeman said on social media that the department will continue to target problem locations and common nuisances.

Others arrested and their charges:

Jason Duncan, 22,  of North Vernon:

• Possession of Meth
• Possession of Marijuana
• Possession of Syringe
• Out of County Warrant- No Bond

Lisa Clark, 30, of Commiskey :

• Possession of Meth
• Possession of Syringe
• Possession of Paraphernalia

Kristen Couch, 23, of Scipio:

• Possession of Meth
• Possession of Marijuana
• Possession of Syringe
• Possession of Paraphernalia
• Visiting a Common Nuisance
• Out of County Warrants

Trevor Dilk, 51,  of North Vernon:

• Possession of Meth

James Kniffen, 59, of North Vernon:

• Jennings County felony warrant for Domestic Battery
• Possession of Meth

Bridget Johnson, 30,  of North Vernon:

• Possession of Meth
• Possession of Syringe
• Visiting a Common Nuisance

Stanley Sawyer, 48, of North Vernon:

• Visiting a Common Nuisance

Daisy Watkins, 26, of North Vernon:

• Visiting a Common Nuisance

A semi-trailer that was being used as a shelter caught fire yesterday in downtown Columbus after a gas heater was left unattended.

According to reports from the Columbus Fire Department, rescue workers were called to the 1900 block of Seventh Street at about 1:52 p.m. yesterday afternoon about the trailer fire. Columbus police arrived on the scene first and were told by a man on the scene that everyone was out of the trailer already. Smoke was coming from the trailer when firefighters arrived.

The fire collapsed part of the roof of the trailer, which fell on combustible materials. The hole above the fire actually helped with ventilation as firefighters used water to put the fire out. Firefighters then entered the trailer to remove and extinguish smoldering debris.

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.

Firefighters provided the person sheltering in the trailer with information on resources in the community to get housing help.

The fire department also cautions that you should not use any gas heating device inside of a building or enclosed area. The accumulation of toxic gases, including carbon monoxide gas, can cause serious health hazards. Temporary heating devices should only be used when the device can be monitored.

Combustible materials should be kept at least three feet away from heating device.

Photos courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

Three campgrounds in the Hoosier National Forest will have fee increases for the 2022 season.

The affected campgrounds will include Hardin Ridge, Tipsaw and Indian-Celina, according to FIND Outdoors, which manages the three recreation areas. Under the new rates, campsites without electricity will range from $21 for a single to $41 for a double campsite and $21 for an RV space. Campsites with electricity will range from $28 a night for a single to $44 for a double and $31 a night for an RV.

Cabin rentals will be $55 a night.

To make a reservation for the 2022 season, you can go to www.recreation.gov.

Photo of Hardin Ridge courtesy of recreation.gov

Cummins is announcing that it is taking over the former joint venture it held with Westport Fuel Systems Inc.

The joint venture agreement ended as of Dec. 31st. Cummins will buy out Westport’s stake. Cummins will also buy Westport’s share in the intellectual property of the joint venture’s spark-ignited engines for $20 million.

The Columbus-based engine manufacturer will continue to operate the business as the sole owner.

Cummins and Westport also agreed to assess Westport’s hydrogen high pressure direct injection system, for potential use on Cummins hydrogen applications.

Click here for more information

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are making some changes to the quaranting protocols for COVID-19.

The district made the announcement last week, saying the changes came about after talking to internal groups and local medical professionals. According to school data, very few of those having close contact in the school setting with a COVID-positive person have led to infections with COVID-19. That number is less than 5 percent, school officials say.

It is much more likely that close contacts outside of the school setting such as at home lead to spread of the disease.

Going forward, only those who have close contacts outside of the school day will be required to quarantine.

All close contacts will be allowed to stay at school unless they have symptoms or are unmasked.

Also, exposure in a classroom setting has been changed to mean exposure during the school day — the moment a student steps on the bus to the moment they step off. The school day does not include extracurricular activities.

Former Vice President Mike Pence says his old boss, Donald Trump, “is wrong” in claiming the Columbus native and former Indiana governor had the right to overturn the 2020 election results. Speaking Friday in Florida, Pence went on to say that the former president was also wrong to publicly criticize him for not trying to overturn the results.

Pence also cautioned against conservative Republicans who push the message that the vice president can change the outcome of an election, saying that incorrect belief could prove problematic come the next presidential race. Pence is said to be seriously considering a run for the White House in 2024.

A former National Security Advisor is defending Pence in calling out his former boss. Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, retired General H. R. McMaster said that every American should believe that Pence was right to say former President Trump was wrong.

McMaster said it’s time for the country to come together and heal from past trauma in order to stand up to new threats like Russia.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc. 

There is still a little time left to file for the primary election. The original deadline was noon on Friday. But because many counties closed county offices on Friday, due to the winter storm, the state is extending the filing deadline to noon today for those counties.

Several more candidates have filed for election in races affecting our area since our last report, last week.

In the open District 9 Congressional race, D. Liam Dorris has filed to run as a Democrat, making that a three-way race for the nomination, while J. Michael Davisson has filed to run as a Republican, the fourth candidate to file for the primary.

Bryan Munoz has filed to run as a Democrat for the State Senate District 41 seat, while outgoing Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash has filed to challenge incumbent Republican Ryan Lauer for the State Rep. District 59 race.

Sharon K. Persley filed to run for Bartholomew County auditor as a Democrat.

At least two of the four County Council races will have contested primaries with Leah Beyer filing as a Republican to run against Greg Duke for District 2 and Derick Olsen filing to run against Mark Gorbett in District 3. Josh Burbrink filed to run as a Democrat for the District 4 seat.

Troopers are looking for your help finding a vehicle that struck a pedestrian Friday afternoon on the north side of Seymour.

According to Indiana State Police reports, the incident happened around 4 p.m. near the intersection of County Roads 700 North and 875 East, when a vehicle hit a person walking. The victim was taken to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour with non-life-threatening injuries.

Troopers say the vehicle is possibly a silver Chevrolet Impala. After hitting the man, the vehicle continued north on County Road 875 East past Trinity Lutheran High School.

If you have any information about the incident you should contact Trooper David Owsley at the Versailles State Police post at 812-689-5000.

The city of Columbus should try to sell the Otter Creek Golf Course. That’s a recommendation from the board of directors overseeing the operations of the city property.

The Otter Creek Management Corporation board of directors met last week to review the golf course operations. Chairman of the board, John McCormick said that the board doesn’t think it is right to ask the taxpayers to make the capital investments to return the course to its former prominence, while still remaining financially viable. Nor is the city able to make that investment, he said.

But he said that the course, gifted to the city in 1964 by Cummins executive J. Irwin Miller and Cummins, is not only a draw for the local golfers but is a revenue generator for the local business community, which serves as a destination golfing experience for the whole Midwest.

The clubhouse and golf course need substantial improvements to the golf course itself and the club house. Needed course repairs include the cart path, the irrigation system, erosion control and tree removal. The clubhouse needs renovations inside and out as well as to its mechanical systems.

The board recommended that should the city put the course up for sale that the provisions of the sale would require the new owner to restore the property to its former standards.

Should the city agree to put the course up for sale, any decisions would need to be made by Columbus City Council.

Otter Creek Golf Course photo courtesy of columbus.in.us