Legal Aid District 11 is holding a free Legal Aid Walk-In Clinic on Tuesday, March 19th, at the Jennings County Public Library, on State Highway 3, in North Vernon, from 3pm to 5 p.m.

The Legal Aid Clinic and Pro Bono Program utilize local volunteer attorneys, offering free legal advice to low-income individuals who might not otherwise be able to afford the counsel of an attorney.

Individuals coming to the Legal Aid Clinic on March 19th will receive a  free 10-minute consultation to answer general and eviction questions, offer legal information, or receive other limited assistance or advice. This is a in person event and on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no need to register in advance.

The Clifford Volunteer Fire Department battled a fire early Friday morning that destroyed a local residence.

When firefighters arrived on the scene heavy flames and smoke were prevalent. Crews attacked the blaze from all sides and eventually extinguished the house fire.

The Hope Volunteer Fire Department and Flat Rock Volunteer Fire Department assisted with operations and manpower.

All occupants of the home made it out of the fire safely. No injuries were reported and officials did not give an estimate of damages.

Photos Courtesy of Clifford Volunteer Fire Department

Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon announced Friday that Deputy Chief Steve
Norman, has been appointed the next Chief of Police for the Columbus Police
Department (CPD).

Norman will officially take office on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024, following
his swearing-in ceremony at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting at
Columbus City Hall.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of our next Chief of Police. His dedication to
serving our community, his integrity, and his leadership skills make him the perfect fit for
this role.” Mayor Ferdon continued, “I have no doubt that under Chief Norman’s
guidance, the Columbus Police Department will continue to uphold the highest
standards of professionalism and work tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of
all our residents.”

A 29-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department, Norman began as a patrolman
in 1994 and has served in a variety of supervisory leadership roles including a narcotics
detective, public information officer, uniform lieutenant, uniform captain, and deputy
chief over the last 25 years. He was appointed as deputy chief by Chief Mike
Richardson in January of 2020, whom will retire from CPD at the start of June 2024 and
was recently appointed Director of Security and Risk for the city of Columbus.
The chief of police oversees the daily activities of the 85 police officers and multiple
support staff in the Columbus Police Department. In addition to this role, the chief also
collaborates closely with the Mayor, the Common Council, Board of Public Works and
Safety, various city departments, and a range of public and private organizations and
citizen groups.

Mayor Ferdon noted, “I would like to thank the interview committee which included leaders from within the City and community who dedicated their time to make to assist in the important decision”.

Norman is a 1992 graduate of Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Criminal Justice and Criminology. He has held multiple state mandated certifications
throughout his career. He is a lifelong resident of Bartholomew County and resides with
his wife, Janae, and their three children.

“I am committed to developing the future leaders of this department. I am determined to
make the Columbus Police Department, Columbus, Indiana, and Bartholomew County
the very best that it can be,” stated Norman.

In his first move, Norman appointed Matt Martindale to be Deputy Chief of the department.
Martindale’s career in policing began in 2012 after graduating from the Indiana
University Police Academy. He continued on, receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in
Criminal Justice in 2013. A native of South Bend, Martindale began working for the
Columbus Police Department in 2014 and moved to Columbus at that time. While
serving as a patrol officer for 4 years, he became involved as a field training officer and
with the DARE program. He also joined the department’s bomb squad and currently
serves as the commander. In 2018, Martindale was assigned as a detective in the
criminal investigations division and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2019.

A Cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) led to the
arrest of a Seymour, IN man for possession of child pornography.
Detectives with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department – Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force began an investigation in December 2023 after receiving a cyber tip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tip indicated that the suspect, Joshua Dale Horton, 34 yrs. old from Seymour, IN; used an online cloud storage service to upload images depicting child sexual abuse material.
Using the information provided in the tip, investigators were able to identify and locate the
specific residence where the images were uploaded.

On March 14th, 2024, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department ICAC detectives, with the assistance of the Indiana State Police ICAC team, and the Monroe County High Tech Crime Unit-IUPD Bloomington, went to the home and workplace of Joshua Horton, and executed search warrants.

As a result of the investigation, Horton was arrested and faces the charge of Possession and/or Distribution of Child Pornography, a level 5 felony.

The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a multiagency task force
that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice
children, and the Indiana State Police oversees the task force.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department joined the Indiana ICAC Task Force in July 2023.
The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages Hoosiers to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website. To report a crime with your child as a victim involving the Internet or other electronic means, please contact your local Indiana law enforcement agency.

BCSC is continuing to strive to be the district of choice for both students and teachers in Indiana, according to Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts.

To recruit more teachers, BCSC is having a Virtual Teacher Fair later this month. The Bartholomew County School Corporation’s fourth annual recruitment event is on March 26th. You can sign up for a virtual interview at joinbcsc.org. The deadline to register is on Tuesday March 19th.

If you know someone who is looking for a corporation that will help them grow in their career and provide daily opportunities to make a difference, BCSC suggests you pass on this information about the Virtual Teacher Fair.

Starting today, Columbus Regional Health will be limiting visitation at the hospital, due to an increase in respiratory infections.

According to the hospital, there has been a steady increase in infections such as as RSV, COVID and influenza both in the community and in the hospital patients. CRH says it is putting limits in place to better protect patients, workers and visitors.

Visitation is being limited to those 18 or older and only two visitors per patient will be allowed. Visitors who have symptoms of an illness should not visit and will be asked to leave. Those symptoms can include cough, fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea, tiredness, headache, or vomiting. Visitors may also be asked to wear a mask or other personal protective equipment in patient rooms.

Patients in the birthing center and pediatrics must choose only four people who can visit during their stay. Those visitors can only come two at a time.

The hours of visitation have not been changed.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday that one of its retired K9s passed away last week.

Sheriff Chris Lane said that K9 deputy Bravo passed away peacefully on Wednesday October 25th with his handler and family by his side.

Bravo’s handler, retired Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy, Leah Burton, expressed her appreciation to the community by saying, “I want to thank the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Bartholomew County, as I would not have been blessed to have this amazing partner by my side without you. Rest easy, Bravo. We thank you for your service.”

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

A family of four is displaced from their home after a fire Friday afternoon.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office said that State Road 11 (Jonesville Road) was closed in the 14000 block for much of Friday afternoon and evening because of a structure fire.

The family of four, who were not home at the time of the fire, is said to have lost almost everything.

The mother, father, and two girls, ages 8 and 13, all need clothing and toiletry items. Donations for the family are being accepted at the Ogilville Christian Church and Mt. Healthy Elementary School.

The investigation into the fire is ongoing.

Photo Courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Facebook Page

A long-term investigation by the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team led to two arrests last week.

According to the Columbus Police Department, the team had received tips that 51-year-old Robert D. Zambrano of Columbus was dealing narcotics out of his home on Ross Street. A search warrant was served on Wednesday and police seized nearly three ounces of methamphetamine, and over three ounces of marijuana along with packaging material, a digital scale, and a large amount of drug paraphernalia.

Zambrano and 34-year-old Ashley N. Gibson, who was staying with Zambrano, were taken into custody.

Zambrano is facing charges of Dealing in Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Dealing in Marijuana, and Possession of Paraphernalia.

Gibson is accused of Possession of Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, and Possession of Paraphernalia.

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is  a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department, and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office that targets the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop stopped by to drop off a $1,000,000 check that the Columbus Redevelopment Commission has invested in BCSC through a workforce development grant, earlier this week.

The school corporation thanked the City of Columbus for partnering with it to help support i-GRAD, STEM, and Transition programming preparing students for life after high school.

Photo Courtesy of BCSC