A suspected drunk driver, who already had one conviction on his record, decided to make a run from Bartholomew County deputies Sunday afternoon — twice.

The incident started at about 1:30 Sunday afternoon when deputies were called to a report of a possible drunk driver headed eastbound on State Street. Authorities caught up with the vehicle on State Road 46 near County Road 600E.

The driver stopped but then ran away. After being taken into custody shortly afterwards, the man, identified as 24-year old Andres Peterson-Ortize of Columbus, tried to run away again.

He was arrested on preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence with a prior conviction, resisting law enforcement and driving while suspended.

Bartholomew County Commissioners are moving forward with a plan to improve railroad crossing safety at several major rural intersections in the county.

The commissioners approved an agreement Monday with the railroad and INDOT to install flashing lights and crossing arms at the three crossings at County Roads 650N, 800N and 950S also known as Jackson Street in Jonesville. Along with already existing agreements for Speasr Street and 550N, improvements should be completed at all five intersections by the end of the summer.

County Engineer Danny Hollander said that the improvements have been in the works for several years and have been waiting for federal funding. Hollander said that all the county railroad intersections with more than 400 vehicles a day in traffic are in the process of being upgraded.

Each crossing will cost about a quarter of a million dollars to upgrade, of which 10 percent would come from the county — or about $24,000 in local dollars each — and the rest from federal dollars. The railroad has agreed to pay the local match for the Spears Street and Road 550N improvements.

Hollander said the equipment and materials to improve the crossings are already being staged at each location.

Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz pointed out that there have been several fatalities at county railroad crossings and the county has been pushing for improvements for about 10 years.

Bartholomew County deputies arrested a Nineveh man Saturday night after he was spotted driving the wrong way on U.S. 31.

According to Bartholomew County deputies, an off-duty deputy called to report the wrong-way driver at just before 11 Saturday night. The driver was headed southbound in the northbound lanes of U.S. 31. On-duty officers stopped the vehicle near the Driftside Circle K store before it collided with any other drivers.

The driver, 33-year-old Bradley T. Alexander of Nineveh, appeared intoxicated and after a blood test at Columbus Regional Hospital, he was arrested on preliminary charges of endangerment, reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle while a habitual traffic violator. He also had an outstanding warrant from another county.

With the addition of COVID-19 responsibilities, the Bartholomew County Health Department’s nursing division has outgrown its Fox Pointe Drive offices and is looking to grow into a neighboring set of offices.

And county officials want to get the local government out of being in the landlord business.

The county acquired the existing offices in 2016 and the nursing division shares the office building with two other tenants. Although the building is about 4,900 square feet, the county rents out about 2,000 square feet of space to other tenants. County Auditor Pia O’Connor said that with the added duties due to the pandemic, including testing, tracking and immunizing, the health officials no longer have enough room. The neighboring building the county is eyeing would have more than 5,000 square feet of space and the building would be entirely occupied by the county health department.

Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz said the hope would be to do some sort of property trade for the new building, but it could also be a case where the county sells the existing property and buys the new property outright.

Both Kleinhenz and Commissioner Tony London said they would like to see the county no longer compete against private landlords by owning and renting out medical office space.

O’Connor said that she believes the county could uses its share of the federal CARES act funding to make the purchase of the new building. County officials stressed that the proposal is just in the beginning stages.

The commissioners approved contracts at their meeting Monday for about $12,500 dollars to get the old and the new buildings appraised by two appraisers.

Columbus Congressman Greg Pence is joining with other Indiana representatives to protest a proposal that would downgrade Columbus and other Indiana cities from a Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In an announcement yesterday, Pence said he wrote a letter to the Office of Management and Budget against a proposal that would increase the threshold for metropolitan areas from the current 50,000 residents to 100,000 residents. That would eliminate 144 of the country’s current 392 metropolitan areas from detailed statistics keeping and special consideration for federal funds.

In Indiana, that would mean Columbus, Muncie, Kokomo, Terre Haute and the Michigan City/La Porte area would lose the designation.

Pence said that the eliminated cities would lose out on significant federal resources. Pence also cited Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop who said information that is now used to manage and promote these communities would simply no longer be maintained.

A supply drive for Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators will be held this weekend at Fairlawn Presbyterian Church.

The drive-in event will be from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday and organizers hope to gather paper towels, canned cat or dog food, laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent for the shelter. The Hope-area not-for-profit facility provides care, rehabilitation and if possible release of injured native Indiana reptiles, mammals and birds.

The supply drive is an Eagle Scout project of Neil Smith.

For more information on Utopia you can go to their Facebook page or call 812-546-6318.

Photo: Groundhog Day 2021 at Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. Photo courtesy of Susan Thayer Fye

Columbus police say a North Vernon woman was arrested last week after a large amount of methamphetamine was recovered during a traffic stop.

Police report that they stopped a vehicle at just before 1 a.m. on Thursday morning in the 2400 block of North National Road after noticing a minor traffic violation. When speaking with police, the driver 52-year-old Cathy E. Ford appeared nervous, according to reports. A police dog alerted to the odor of drugs in the vehicle and a search revealed more than 72 grams of methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia, two syringes and small plastic bags containing white residue.

Ford was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing in and possessing methamphetamine, plus possession of the syringes, and drug paraphernalia.

Evidence photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district which includes Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Rush, and Shelby Counties.

If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice over the phone.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon by calling 812-378-0358.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission will be considering a contract for the design of the 1821 Trail along First Street, when it meets this afternoon.

The trail would close part of the gap in the People Trail that keeps it from fully encircling the city, by building a new trail between Water Street and Lafayette Avenue. In keeping with the bicentennial theme of “Common Ground” the city wants to include art and architectural elements exploring the community’s history.

The Commission will be considering a proposal from Hitchcock Design Group out of Indianapolis to do the preliminary design work at cost of about $80 thousand dollars including $79,700 in fixed fees and up to $2 thousand dollars in reimbursable expenses such as printing, mileage and courier costs.

The first phase of the design would be finished by about May 28th.

The council meets at 4 p.m. today virtually and from City Hall. You can get more information or watch the proceedings at columbus.in.gov.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is warning that it is not just a prank to vandalize a mailbox. It is a federal crime.

According to the sheriff, mailboxes are federal property and it is a crime to vandalize them or to deface or destroy any mail deposited in them. Those vandalizing a mailbox could face a $250,000 fine or imprisonment for up to three years.

The sheriff says you can help protect your neighborhood by reporting any vandalism or suspicious activity. You can call 812-379-1650 or the sheriff’s tip line at 812-379-1712. Tips can be left anonymously.