A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after threats were made at Seymour High School Tuesday.

According to reports from the Seymour Police Department, a school faculty member received a screen shot of a social media conversation between two students. That conversation led the staff member to contact the school resource officers who called in Seymour Police Department investigators.

After talking to witnesses, the suspect, who is a student at the school, was interviewed and then arrested on a charge of intimidation.

Police and school officials say that threats are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly. Authorities say no student or faculty member was in any immediate danger. However, enhanced safety measures were immediately taken by Seymour Community Schools.

An Indianapolis man is being accused of arson after a Bartholomew County home burned down last month.

According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies and firefighters were called to a structure fire in the 400 block of South National Road at about 6:37 p.m. on February 22nd and found a home fully engulfed in flames.

Bartholomew County Fire Inspector Gene Wever conducted an investigation and Sheriff’s Department Detective Dane Duke was assigned to investigate the arson and threats to the victim.

Authorities determined that 39-year-old Antonio L. Dickerson started the fire and a warrant for his arrest was issued last week on charges of arson and intimidation. He was arrested Friday and is being held in lieu of $1 million dollars bond.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

The city of Columbus is starting up its yard waste program again on Monday.

To have your yard waste picked up by city crews, you need to have a “Toter” brand yard waste container, which can be be purchased at Lowe’s. You need to have your  Toter and small piles of sticks out to the curb by 7 a.m. on your trash day. You can put up to an armful of sticks or twigs in your regular trash Toter.

You can also participate in the yard waste program by bagging your materials and taking them to the Department of Public Works building on Mapleton. You must empty the bags and take them with you.

The city is also having a spring yard cleanup from April 4th through April 15th.

You can clean up your yard, flower beds and fence rows by raking plant debris such as loose leaves, grass, and pine needles to the curb. They will be collected with the city’s leaf vacs on the same day as your normal trash collection.

The two-week spring cleanup is available even for those who do not take part in the city’s yard waste Toter program.

You can get more information on the city website at columbus.in.gov

The intersection at Fourth and Franklin streets is closed this week for the installation of a new water main.

According to the city engineer’s office, because of the one-way streets that enter the intersection, Fourth Street is also closed between Washington Street and Lafayette Avenue, as well as Franklin Street between Third and Fifth Streets.

Milestone Contractors is performing the work to rebuild Fourth Street from Lafayette Avenue to Chestnut Street. The whole project will include installing a new water main, storm sewer, sidewalks, curb and gutter.

Four people were injured, including three teens, in a rollover accident yesterday afternoon in Jackson County.

According to Indiana State Police reports, deputies and troopers were called to a single-vehicle accident with life-threatening injuries on North County Road 760E, just north of Seymour, at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon.

A car being driven by 20-year-old Dakota S. Mott of Seymour was headed southbound on the road when Mott lost control of the vehicle and it left the west side of the road, rolling several times and ejecting the three passengers. Those were 15-year-old Isaiah Bogard, 17-year-old Kathryn Roy, and 18-year-old Zackery Stout, all of Seymour.

Bogard suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to an Indianapolis area hospital for treatment. Roy was also flown to an Indianapolis hospital with serious injuries.

Stout was taken by ambulance to an Indianapolis hospital, also with serious injuries.

Mott was taken to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour for treatment.

Investigators believe that speed was a factor in the crash. The investigation is ongoing.

A Columbus man escaped a fire in a storage shed he was using for shelter Tuesday morning.

According to reports from the Columbus Fire Department, they were called to the 600 block of Parkway Drive at about 8:33 a.m. Tuesday  morning and found a storage shed fully engulfed in flames. They spoke to a man who said he had been sheltering in the shed and was inside when the fire started. He said he tried to extinguish the blaze, but had to leave when the smoke and heat forced him outside.

Firefighters noticed several propane tanks against the outside wall of the shed, but they quickly sprayed water on the fire to get it under control. Although the fire destroyed the roof and most of the wall boards, firefighters pulled the rest down to make sure the fire was fully extinguished.

No cause of the fire has been determined yet, but firefighters did discover a propane heating device in the 10×10 shed along with a power cord run from a nearby home.

The shed was about 30 feet from the home and was a complete loss. Damages are estimated at about $500.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department

North Vernon police arrested two people Monday night after the suspects pushed a tote full of more than $1,200 in alcohol out the door of Walmart.

According to reports from the police department, officers were called to a reported shoplifting at the store on State Road 3 at about 10:36 p.m. Monday night. The suspects had already left the store, but officers caught up to them on west U.S. 50.

A search revealed the 35 bottles of booze hidden in the tote, along with vacuums and other items that had not been paid for. The estimated value of everything was about $1,800.

37-year-old Zackie White of Scottsburg was arrested on a preliminary charge of theft. A woman originally gave officers an incorrect name, but was eventually identified as 32-year-old Kaitlyn Grider of Scottsburg. She is facing charges of theft, along with identity deception.

The stolen items were returned to the store.

INDOT crews will be closing State Road 135 at two locations in Jackson County this week while crews replace culverts.

The first closing will be between County Roads 300N and 400N on Wednesday with the second between County Roads 475W and 540N on Thursday. Those are both between U.S. 50 and State Road 58. The closings will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Residents in the area will be able to gain access, but through traffic should find an alternate route.

INDOT reminds you to use extra caution, to avoid distractions, and to consider worker safety when traveling through active work zones.

The schedule is dependent on the weather.

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools, like other districts around the state, are facing challenges in finding and retaining good teachers.

Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts talked about the issue last week on AM Columbus, saying that the supply of new teachers is dwindling in Indiana.

In 2008, there were 18 thousand students in state college programs for teaching. In 2018, there were only 8,000.

To that end, he said the district will have a virtual teacher’s fair on March 29th to recruit new teachers. And that will also include people who want to be teachers but do not yet have their teaching license.

You can sign up for a virtual interview and get more information at Choose BCSC dot Org. The deadline to sign up is March 22nd.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a possible road rage incident that may have caused an accident over the weekend.

According to reports from the sheriff’s department, deputies were called to a serious accident at about 12:18 p.m. Saturday on County Road 325W between Georgetown Road and County Road 200N.

Deputies say that a possible black Dodge Challenger left the scene.

If you have any information, no matter how insignificant, you are urged to call the Bartholomew County Dispatch Center at 812-379-1689.