Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.
Robert Tauteris, Jr., 44 of Hamlet, died Thursday after a truck he was in struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He died along with three other National Guard Soldiers from Indiana who were in the truck.
Jasper County Circuit Court Judge John Potter lifted the restraining order the Starke County Commissioners had against former Starke County Treasurer Linda Belork. She can not immediately return to office. A hearing regarding the financial discrepancies found in her office will need to be conducted first and that is scheduled for June 6th.
William Blankenship III, of Knox, surrendered to police Thursday night. He was on the run after he reportedly stole a Kouts police car on Tuesday night. He has been charged with Theft, but Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said there could be more charges filed once he receives all of the police paperwork.
The Pulaski County Community Development Commission is working on bringing ag-oriented industry on the west side of the county this year and they will also be working with PACE and the Extension Office to continue with welding classes.
A surveyor with Stephenson Land Surveying reportedly found a meth lab underneath a tarp behind the Pentecostal Church in the woods on Roosevelt Road in Knox last week. He told an officer from the Knox City Police Department that another lab was found about 80 feet away.
The West Central School Board approved the elimination of the Middle School Principal’s position.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department investigated an incident where a suspect with a knife demanded money from the cash register at the Bottle Stop Liquor Store in Lapaz. The suspect did flee with an undisclosed amount of cash. If you have any information in this case, call the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at 936-3187.
Stacie Brown pleaded guilty in a plea agreement Monday to Battery Causing Death, a Class A Felony. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall will hear testimony in the case on February 14th and will determine whether he will accept or reject the plea agreement. If the agreement is accepted, she could be sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison.
EMS Director Paul Mathewson said that the state has approved the county’s application for Advanced Life Support service and he is preparing the ambulances and hiring paramedics for the upgrade which could take place as early as February.
Two juveniles were arrested in LaPorte County Wednesday after they burglarized a home. The homeowner had shot one of the suspects in the hand before police arrived on the scene. They have been taken to the LaPorte County Juvenile Justice Center and charged with Burglary, a Class B Felony.
Rhonda Adcock has been named the new CASA director in Starke County.
And that is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.
