The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is reinforcing its campaign against synthetic opioid abuse by meeting with local police agencies and stressing that “One Pill Can Kill.”

Representatives from the campaign were in Bartholomew County and Jackson County on Wednesday, meeting with sheriff’s deputies and police officers.

The agency is warning residents that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal. That amount can fit on the tip of a sharpened pencil.

Fentanyl is frequently diluted by drug dealers with cutting agents and made into counterfeit prescription pills. Those could appear the same as prescriptions for Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, or other drugs.

But small variations in the quantity or quality of fentanyl in a dose can lead to fatalities and fentanyl has now become the leading cause of drug poisoning deaths in the United States. 6 out of 10 illegal fentanyl tablets sold contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.

Fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

And authorities say that there are even more deadly synthetic opioids out there, including one called “Pyro” and “M30”. This drug is about 10 times stronger than fentanyl and between 1,000 to 1 ,500 times stronger than morphine.

You can get more information at https://www.dea.gov/onepill

Photos courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Seymour Police Department.

A reminder that the Town of Hope will be holding its next Cruise-In to Hope today at the Hope Town Square.

Any cars or bikes are welcome and a donation of $10 is recommended. Proceeds will go to support the Student Fund of Hope.

Music will be by Vinyl Escape. The Cruise-ins are held on the first Friday of the month through the summer.

The Cruise-in will start at 5 p.m.

The cruise in is organized by the Town of Hope and Main Street of Hope.

Two men were captured after a car chase and crash in Columbus Wednesday.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy tried to stop a vehicle he believed to be carrying a suspect wanted for outstanding warrants at about 7:32 p.m. Wednesday near Ninth Street and McClure Road. But rather than stop, the driver took off, driving through yards and crashing into a fence.

After the crash, both of the occupants tried to run away but were soon captured.

The driver, 27-year-old Nicholas Shutters of Columbus allegedly swallowed methamphetamine during the incident and was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment. He is facing charges of resisting law enforcement, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, obstruction of justice, reckless driving and possession of methamphetamine. He was also wanted on outstanding warrants from Bartholomew and Jackson counties.

The passenger, 44-year-old Charles Barr Jr of Columbus was arrested on a charge of resisting law enforcement.

Authorities are looking for a suspect in a shooting last night in Hope that wounded a man and a toddler.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, police are searching for 35-year-old Robbie L. Perez of Columbus. He is possibly driving a silver Chevrolet HHR with Indiana license plate number TKQ 614. Perez is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities say he could be in any of the nearby counties including Rush County. If you have any information Perez’s whereabouts you should call 911.

Officers from Hope and Bartholomew County deputies were called to the 300 block of Elm Street in Hope at about 11:25 p.m. last night about a shooting. A 36-year-old man and a 2-year-old boy both suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to Indianapolis area hospitals by IU Lifeline helicopter. Their conditions are not known. Investigators believe the shooting happened during a family dispute.

If you have any information about the incident you can contact Det. Jason Lancaster at 812-565–5928.

A traffic stop in Country Squire Lakes led to the arrest of a woman on drug-related charges over the weekend.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, on Sunday, deputies noticed a vehicle leaving a location where there had been multiple complaints about drug activity. And the vehicle had an inactive license plate.

During a traffic stop, the driver, 37-year-old Mary L. Wood, could not provide proof of insurance. Because Wood had previous drug-related charges, a police dog was brought to the scene and alerted to the smell of drugs inside the vehicle.

A search uncovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Wood was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia and for maintaining a common nuisance. She was already out on pretrial release for unrelated charges, deputies say.

Bartholomew County Works is now accepting applications for its upcoming job readiness workshop.

Bartholomew County Works is committed to helping members improve their lives, gain full-time employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency. It provides resources in areas including transportation, finances and budget setting.

The day-long workshop series will start on Monday June 19th and run through June 23rd at Yes Cinema.

An orientation session will be held June 15th from 2 to 3:30 in the afternoon.

To get more information on signing up, you can call Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at 812-378-2638.

Contractors plan to begin working on a State Road 7 bridge over Rock Creek in Jennings County starting on Monday.

According to INDOT, Dave O’Mara crews will begin working on the bridge deck overlay project which will reduce the bridge to one lane with temporary traffic signals. The bridge is between Elizabethtown and Scipio about five miles south of U.S. 31.

The work is expected to be completed by mid-July, but the schedule is dependent on the weather.

The $476,000 project was awarded to Dave O’Mara and also includes a U.S. 31 bridge in Scott County.

INDOT asks you to slow down, to use extra caution and to drive without distractions in all work zones.

Two Chicago women are facing drug charges after a traffic stop on Interstate 65 near Seymour.

According to the Seymour Police Department, officers stopped a southbound vehicle on the interstate for a traffic violation on Tuesday. Officers noticed the smell of marijuana in the vehicle and a police dog alerted to the smell of drugs inside. During a search, officers discovered psychedelic mushrooms, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The driver, 21-year-old Margaret Tran was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. A passenger, 22-year-old Amy Vo is being accused of possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance.

Former Indiana Governor, Vice President and Columbus native Mike Pence will enter the Republican presidential field next week.

Sources say Pence will start his campaign in Des Moines, Iowa on June 7th and that will expand the field to nine candidates. Pence is scheduled for a CNN town hall from Iowa that day and it is also his 64th birthday.

CNN’s chief political correspondent Dana Bash will moderate the discussion between Pence and Republican voters in Iowa.

Pence and former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke last night in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the future and nature of conservatism in the country.

Former President Donald Trump leads in the polls, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Also running are Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, Tim Scott, and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks.