A police call that began with a report of a loud noise, ended with the arrest of a man with outstanding arrest warrants.

Columbus police say that they were called to the 1100 block of Central Avenue on a report of a loud noise at about 4:15 a.m. Friday  morning. Officers spoke with a man identified as 31-year Jacob E. Mercer of Martinsville. Police found that he was wanted on warrants out of Bartholomew, Marion and Brown counties.

He was taken into custody and a search revealed a syringe containing methamphetamine in his clothing.

He was arrested on the outstanding warrants as well as for possession of a legend drug injection device.

Bartholomew County’s Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested six people Friday morning in a drug-dealing investigation that also led to a local auto repair business being shut down.

According to police reports, officers from the Columbus and Bartholomew County SWAT team executed a search warrant at a home in the 700 block of Fairview drive at about 8:30 a.m. Friday morning. They discovered marijuana, methamphetamine, four firearms and a stolen Corvette.

A followup investigation led them to an auto repair garage in the 500 block of South Cherry Street which was later shut down by Columbus Code Enforcement.

Among those arrested, the most serious preliminary charges were against 33-year-old Alex De Arcia, of Columbus, including three counts of dealing Methamphetamine and two outstanding warrants.

38 year old Jeremy W. Sweet, of Columbus, is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a handgun by a serious violent felon.

Also arrested were 21-year-old Alexus M. Bush, 41-year-old Amanda J Cea, 33-year-old Eriberto S. Hernandez, and 21-year-old Nicholas J. Miller, all of of Columbus.

Charges included:

• Bush: Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Possession of Marijuana
• Cea: Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Maintaining a Common Nuisance
• Hernandez: Warrant (Dealing Methamphetamine), Resisting Law Enforcement
• Miller: Visiting a Common Nuisance

The Columbus Fire Department and Columbus Code Enforcement also assisted with this investigation.

The investigation into the sale of illegal drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County continues and additional charges are possible in this ongoing investigation.

Photo: Jeremy Sweet is escorted to patrol car on Friday. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

The first Cruise-In to Hope of the season will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight on the Hope Town Square with cars and trucks on display and prizes for the oldest vehicle, people’s choice and musician’s choice.

The Night Owl Country Band will perform on the bandstand from 6 to 8 p.m. Food to-go will be available from restaurants on the square.

Organizers will also be accepting donations of food or money to help the Community Center of Hope food bank. The event is being organized by the town and by Main Street of Hope.

The Cruise-ins are being held on the first Fridays of the month, May through October.

The Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour is announcing its grand reopening with a kickoff event tonight.

There will be an opening reception tonight for Alexander Winch’s exhibit “Cursed Fate: Labors & Landscapes of Hercules” starting at 6 p.m. tonight at the center followed by the season opener for the Friday Night Live music series with Culdesac Rennaissance.

You will be able to tour the newly renovated gallery, classroom and studio space on the second floor of the center, at 2001 N. Ewing Street.

Work on the Deaver Road bridge over Interstate 65 south of Columbus will be restricting traffic next week, according to INDOT.

Contractors will be closing lanes on the highway while installing deck pans over the interstate between 9 p.m. at night and 6 a.m. in the morning, starting Monday evening.

The work should be wrapping up on Thursday, weather permitting. After the deck pans are installed, crews can begin pouring the concrete for the bridge deck in the weeks ahead. Deaver Road is expected to remain closed over the highway through mid to late June.

Force Construction is doing the work on the $65 million project that is adding travel lanes between Walesboro and Columbus. The whole project is expected to be finished in 2023.

INDOT urges you to slow down, use extra caution and drive without distractions in and near all work zones. The schedule is dependent on the weather.

Two people were arrested after a shoplifting incident Thursday morning in North Vernon.

The North Vernon Police Department is reporting that staff at Walmart called for assistance at about 10:15 Thursday morning after trying to stop a shoplifter. 41-year-old Rebecca Bowling of North Vernon allegedly took about $210 worth of merchandise, but only paid for about a third of it before fleeing the store.

Officers found her vehicle a short distance away. Bowling originally gave a fake name and birthdate to officers but police discovered her real identity and found she had an outstanding Jackson County warrant revoking her probation. A search revealed that she was carrying methamphetamine according to police.

She was arrested for identity deception, theft and possession of the drugs, as well as the warrant.

The driver of her vehicle, 45-year-old Bradley J. Oldham of North Vernon, was found to have a suspended license with a prior conviction and he was also arrested.

INDOT says you will see lane closures on Interstate 65 bridges over U.S. 50 at Seymour, starting Monday.

Contractors will be completing joint repairs and replacements on the bridges. Lanes will be closing on weeknights from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the morning. No lane restrictions are planned for the weekends.

The work is expected to take about 20 work days to complete and should be finished by the end of June. Law enforcement officers will be on hand as needed to assist with the closures.

This is part of a $250,000 contract awarded in January to Ragle Inc. The contract also included bridge repairs last week over Bean Blossom Creek in Brown County.

INDOT urges you to slow down, use extra caution and drive without distractions in and near all work zones. The schedule is dependent on the weather.

A drunk driver from Noblesville threatened the wrong person when he flashed a knife at another car in Columbus.

Columbus police say that 26-year-old Jeffrey R. Castetter held a knife out the window while tailgating another driver Wednesday night. But the second driver was actually an off-duty Columbus officer in his personal vehicle. After a call into dispatchers, Castetter was pulled over near National Road and Washington Street about about 7:35 p.m. in the evening.

Officers detected the strong odor of alcohol on his breath and he failed several field sobriety tests, according to police reports. After having his blood drawn at Columbus Regional Hospital, he was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction, intimidation with a deadly weapon and intimidation against a law enforcement officer.

The Indiana National Guard is reporting that the first women have completed the infantry school at the 138th Regional Training Institute at Camp Atterbury.

Sgt. Amber Strawn of South Bend and Sgt. Jillian Sandefur of Highland received their infantry cards at a ceremony last weekend on the base.

They will be among the first Indiana National Guard female soldiers to enter into combat roles. For women who want to follow in their footsteps, both soldiers suggested preparing by running a lot, lifting weights and rucking up hills to condition your feet.

Staff Sgt. Anthony Smerk, an instructor for the infantry course, said “If you are meeting or exceeding the standard, then I don’t care your race, gender, religion matters none to me.”

A false vehicle registration led to the arrest of a Columbus man on multiple outstanding warrants.

Columbus police report that they noticed the fake registration on a car at about 4:10 p.m. Tuesday afternoon and attempted to stop the vehicle in the 700 block of Jonesville Road. The driver 31-year-old Brian D. Robertson of Columbus pulled into a parking lot and attempted to drive away again, according to police. However a second police car arrived to block his exit.

Police found that he was wanted on three outstanding Bartholomew County warrants. He was arrested on the warrants and cited for driving a vehicle that was falsely registered.