State Road 46 is closed in eastern Bartholomew County this week while contractors replace a pipe.
According to INDOT, the work between U.S. 31 and County Road 450E will last through Friday, July 1st.
The detour takes traffic to U.S. 31, State Road 7, U.S. 50 and State Road 3. Access will be maintained for local residents.
INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert for worker safety when you are traveling through construction zones.
Authorities in Johnson County are releasing more information about a Saturday crash that killed a driver and seriously injured a Trafalgar Police officer.
According to Johnson County Sheriff’s Department reports, the incident started at about 3:36 a.m. Saturday morning when Trafalgar Police Officer 30-year-old Dustin Moody of Greenwood noticed a pickup truck speeding and squealing its tires while driving southbound on State Road 135. Moody began to chase the driver, who ignored a stop sign at railroad tracks in the area.
Moody continued to chase the driver, to a T-intersection at County Roads 300S and 600W, where both vehicles crashed. Police say that neither vehicle crashed into the other, but both hit the embankment. Moody was able to call for assistance, saying he was trapped in his patrol vehicle.
The driver of the pickup, 23-year-old Jacob G. Roberts of Nineveh was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was conducted and authorities are awaiting toxicology reports.
Moody was flown by Lifeline helicopter to Eskenazi Hospital with back, hip, leg and internal injuries. He is listed in serious but stable condition, according to police. Trafalgar police say he has already been through several surgeries.
A fund has been set up to aid Moody and his family. You can donate at the Trafalgar or Franklin branches of Mutual Savings Bank to the “Officer Moody Donational Account.”
Photo courtesy of Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.
Seymour police arrested two people on drug related charges this week after a check on a man on probation.
According to Seymour police reports, officers were asked by the Jackson County Probation Department on Wednesday to find a man on probation. Police found him at a home on East 12th Street, A search warrant was issued for the home and a search revealed methamphetamine, marijuana, a handgun, cash and drug paraphernalia.
26-year-old Logan Cooley of Seymour was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine while possessing a firearm, possessing a firearm with a domestic battery conviction, as well as for possessing marijuana and a syringe.
25-year-old Sierra Smith was also arrested on preliminary charges of possessing marijuana and a syringe.
A Bartholomew County deputy and school resource officer is being recognized with a statewide award for her exceptional service.
According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Jessica Pendleton was recognized last week by the Indiana School Resource Officers Association as the Exceptional Service Award recipient for Region 9. She is stationed in the Flat Rock-Hawcreek Schools.
Pendleton received the award for going above and beyond the normal duties to enhance safety and relationships in her school and community, according to the sheriff’s department.
The association’s annual conference was last week in Michigan City.
Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
INDOT says that contractors will be closing a Jackson County bridge next week to replace the bridge superstructure.
The work is scheduled to start on July 5th at the bridge over Pond Creek on State Road 39. That’s between State Roads 256 and 250. The work, being done by Force Construction, is expected to take up to three months to complete. A detour will take traffic to State Road 250, U.S. 31 and State Road 256.
After the work at Pond Creek is finished, construction will move to another State Road 39 location to replace a drainage structure. That will be eight miles south of State Road 250, also in Jackson County. The road will remain closed for about a month during the work.
This is part of a $1.5 million dollar contract that is required to be completed by the end of October. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.
INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.
Two people are facing drug-related charges after a traffic stop early Friday morning on the west side of Columbus.
According to Bartholomew County Sheriffs’ Department reports, a deputy stopped a vehicle at about 12:52 a.m. Friday morning on Jonathan Moore Pike and Goeller Boulevard. A department police dog alerted to the smell of narcotics inside the vehicle.
A search revealed drug paraphernalia and a passenger, 34-year-old Bryan Maddin of Columbus, was found to be carrying narcotics and a syringe, police say.
Maddin was arrested on preliminary charges of possessing the drug, syringe and paraphernalia.
34-year-old Melany Maddin of Ellettsvlle was also arrested and is being accused of possessing a syringe and paraphernalia.
Photos courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
A driver died and a Trafalgar Police officer was injured after a chase early Saturday morning in southern Johnson County.
According to Johnson County Sheriff’s Department reports, the Trafalgar officer noticed a pickup ignore a stop sign at the intersection of State Road 135 and Johnson County Road 300S at about 3:36 a.m. Saturday morning. The officer tried to pull the vehicle over but the truck and the police car continued on to the T-intersection of County Roads 300S and 600W, where both vehicles crashed into an embankment.
The officer radioed for assistance and both drivers had to be rescued from their vehicles. The police officer was flown by Lifeline helicopter to Eskenazi Hospital with back, hip, leg and internal injuries. He is listed in serious but stable condition, according to police.
The pickup driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Johnson County coroner’s office.
The names of the drivers have not yet been released and the crash remains under investigation.
Photo courtesy of Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.
The Bartholomew County 4-H fair continues today with Bartholomew County Beef Cattleman’s Association day at the fair.
Tonight’s entertainment includes Columbus Clogging at the Farm Bureau Building and Three Bar J Rodeo at the Grandstands. Both of those start at 7 p.m.
The fair runs through Saturday. You can get more information at at bartholomewcountyfair.com.
-0-
Republicans from the Bartholomew County area and across Indiana are praising Friday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that overturns Roe v. Wade. The nearly 50-year-old decision legalized abortion nationwide.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb had already called for a special session of the legislature next week to approve tax rebates for every taxpayer in the state. On Friday, he said that he expected the legislature would take up an Indiana law banning abortion.
Holcomb said he has been clear saying that he is pro-life. He said “We have an opportunity to make progress in protecting the sanctity of life, and that’s exactly what we will do.”
Bartholomew County lawmakers said they support plans to further restrict the procedure in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision.
State Rep. Ryan Lauer of Columbus said that lawmakers plan to support further protections for the unborn and expanded resources for pregnant women. Lauer said that he strongly believes “any action we take should also be paired with expanding the resources and support available to pregnant women and newborn babies.”
State Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour said the Supreme Court made the right call and now the state has “the opportunity to save more lives while ensuring new and expectant mothers have the support they need and deserve.”
Indiana Republican Senator Todd Young called it a “monumental day for the protection of life in America.” He said the current Supreme Court has “corrected an historic injustice.”
Columbus Congressman Greg Pence, said Friday was a new day for our nation. In a Twitter post, Pence said that when life wins, freedom wins. He said htat he was happy to see the justices of the Supreme Court affirm that every person is granted the right to life under the U.S. Constitution.
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden says he will stop efforts to ban abortion throughout the U.S., in response to former Vice President Mike Pence’ statements following Friday’s Supreme Court ruling.
Pence said he won’t rest until abortion is banned in all states. The Columbus native said the Court has reaffirmed the right of the American people to govern themselves at the state level in a manner consistent with their values and aspirations
Wyden says Democrats are launching a wide-spread effort to make abortion legal in all states. Wyden is also drafting legislation to prevent big tech companies from selling location data of women who leave a state where abortion is banned to get the procedure done in a state where it’s legal.
TTWN Media Networks Inc. contributed to this report
Columbus Fire Department wants to remind you about local ordinances on when fireworks are allowed to be set off.
Between now and July 3rd, and again on July 5th through the 9th, fireworks are allowed in the city between 5 in the afternoon and up to 2 hours past sunset. On July 4th, fireworks are allowed from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Fireworks are also allowed in the city on New Years Eve between 10 in the morning and 1 in the morning. Last year, City Council amended the fireworks regulations to allow them to set off during the Hindu Diwali festival. That would allow fireworks between 6 and 10 p.m. in the evenings on the day before, the day of and the day after Diwali, which falls in October or November each year.
Outside of those times, fireworks are prohibited by local ordinances according to the fire department.