Roy Bell To Appear In Court Nov. 15 On Murder Charges

Roy Bell

A man accused of killing a former Knox woman will appear in Fulton Superior Court on Nov. 15 for a pretrial hearing.

Wilma Upsall was shot and killed after a burglary incident at the home she shared with her daughter and son-in-law in Rochester. In November 2011, Roy Bell, William Scroggs, and Jason Miller reportedly broke into the house to steal items and found Upsall in the home. She was then allegedly tied to a chair and shot to death.

Bell is the suspected shooter in the incident. Miller told police that he and Scroggs were outside of the residence when the shots were fired, and Bell allegedly said later that Upsall could identify him so he shot her.

Bell has been charged with murder and if he is found guilty, he could face the death penalty.

LaPorte County Jail Still Underfunded

LaPorte County Sheriff's Department
La Porte County Sheriff's Office

No progress has been made with the LaPorte County Jail funding issue.

A wing was closed last week in the LaPorte County Jail after the LaPorte County Council did not approve a request for an additional appropriation of $70,000 to fund the jail overtime budget for the rest of the year. That money was to be used to properly staff jailers and nurses. As a result, three part-time employees were laid off whose wages are funded from the overtime budget.

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Mayor Says Knox Brush Drop-Off Site is Being Excessively Used

Knox City Council

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council this week that he has heard of a number of problems that have developed with the brush drop-off service available at the compost pile behind city hall. He said the pile has received an unexpectedly large amount of brush, requiring the city to take nearly one truck load per day from the site. More than 100 loads of brush have been removed from the compost pile so far this year.

Chambers said this might be due to a large number of people from out of town using the compost pile to drop off their brush, despite the fact that the service is only provided to residents of Knox. He said he has seen a number of out-of-town dump trucks deliver loads of brush to the site, and he is not sure what to do about the situation.

He said that the city does not want to fence in the area and it would be too costly to dedicate a patrolman to monitor the pile. The council decided to monitor the site’s activity for another year before deciding what action to take to cut down on out-of-town drop-offs.

Plymouth Police Arrest Suspect For Manufacturing Meth

One person was arrested after Plymouth police found the suspect in the process of manufacturing methamphetamine.

Officers were called to 321 W. LaPorte in Plymouth after Tanya Mullins was found in the basement of the home without permission. Mullins was found with a one-pot methamphetamine lab. It was determined that she broke into the residence to manufacture the drug.

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Warm Welcome for Two Servicemen Returned To Starke County

Jared Dietrich, right, and Clinton Jordon were welcomed home yesterday to a crowd of family and friends.

The Knox VFW yesterday welcomed home two local heroes: Clinton Jordon and Jared Dietrich, two U.S. Army veterans who returned home from one-year tours in Afghanistan. Jordon and Dietrich both hail from North Judson and even grew up together as they both attended the same school.

A sign was hung between flag poles at the VFW welcoming Jordon back to the community, and family and friends were present to welcome both Jordon and Dietrich home.

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Lowell State Police Lab Receives Accreditation

The State Police Laboratory located in Lowell has achieved an internationally renowned accreditation.

The Lowell lab, along with the labs in Fort Wayne, Evansville, and Indianapolis, have successfully met the rigorous forensic lab standards of International Standardization for Organization. This is the standard recognized by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.

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One Dies in Early Morning Accident in Starke County

One person has died after sustaining injuries in a two vehicle accident on U.S. 30 in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop in Starke County this morning.

A semi hauling a wind turbine propeller was leaving the truck stop to go east on U.S. 30, escorted by four vehicles with wide-load signage. The semi and the load were completely across the westbound lane and partially across the eastbound lane. A man traveling westbound in his vehicle failed to see the semi. The man drove under the semi trailer carrying the propeller.

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Authorities Emphasize Need For Dog Owners To Keep Animals Under Control

Sheriff Oscar Cowen
Sheriff Oscar Cowen

With two incidents this month involving police shooting aggressive dogs, Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen emphasized the need for dog owners to keep their animals safely detained, be it by chaining them outside or keeping them securely in the home. He said it’s not always black and white when it comes to identifying vicious animals, and it comes down to the dog’s owner to ensure they cannot attack visitors.

“When they feel that there’s danger out there, obviously we know that dogs will protect their home, their masters, their family. They have to restrain their dogs, whether fenced up, housed up, or chained up,” said Cowen.

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Wythogan Park Walkway Now Completely Safe, Says Byer

Knox City Council

The Knox City Council learned last night that the cleanup at Wythogan Park should be complete today or tomorrow, but Park Superintendent George Byer said that does not include cleanup toward the back of the park. He said the walkway area will be completely cleared this week after more than 125 tree stumps were ground down and more than 40 root balls removed from the walking path area.

Mayor Rick Chambers requested permission from the council to use funds that had been previously approved to cut down cottonwood trees in the park. He said they had planned to use $1500 to remove the trees because they thought they were growing into the sewer lines, which could cause severe problems, but he said the loggers working on the park’s cleanup were able to remove those trees at no additional cost.

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Crockett Arrested on Two Warrants After Trespassing in Starke County Home

Plymouth police arrested an Indianapolis man who had two active Starke County warrants for Dealing in Methamphetamine and Possession of Chemical Reagents.

The dealing charge reportedly stems from an incident on Sept. 6 when Derrick Crockett was seen in a home on Tippecanoe Road in Starke County along with two other people who were not supposed to be in the residence. The homeowner along with his mother who found the three in the home smelled a strong chemical odor coming from the basement and gained entry to the home. Crockett and two other suspects were told to leave the residence and Starke County police were called to the scene.

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Two Arrested In Starke County For Residential Theft

Two North Judson men were arrested last week after allegedly stealing a desktop computer and printer from a residence in the West 9000 block of Toto Road. Police were called to the home around 3:35 p.m. where they spoke to the homeowner’s daughter, Sarah Luzadder, who said her mother was on vacation, but when they came to check on the residence that afternoon, they noticed a dark blue Honda hatchback car in the driveway.

She said that she saw two friends of her sister, Brandon Zachary and Jonathan Cortez, walk from behind the house toward the car, and they told her they had been looking for a lost cell phone. Shortly after they left, Luzadder said she noticed the door on the north side of the home was open and discovered the computer and printer missing.

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Umbaugh and Assoc. to Relocate to Mishawaka

Umbaugh and Associates will be the first company to relocate to the IronWorks riverfront project in downtown Mishawaka, with the assistance from companies such as same building movers, having recently signed a lease for the entire third floor of the building. It is the first confirmed contract for space at the building since it was first constructed in 2008. The agreement also allows Umbaugh and Associates the option of expanding onto the second floor in the future.

The vice president of Prime Development Corp., which built and owns IronWorks, says they hope that this is a sign that others will finally take the step to becoming part of the urban riverfront of Mishawaka.

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Absentee Voting Dates Released For Pulaski County

Pulaski County Clerk Tasha Foerg has released absentee voting information for the General Election.

In-office absentee voting will be Oct. 8 through Nov. 5, Monday through Friday, from 8:30–11:30 a.m. and 12:30–3:30 p.m. ET in the Pulaski County Courthouse. One Saturday has been set aside for in-office absentee voting for Saturday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon ET in the courthouse. Another date may be added to that schedule at the end of October.

For information on voter registration, traveling board applications and more, call Tasha Foerg at (574) 946-3313.

Pulaski County CASA To Hold Volunteer Training In October

The Pulaski County CASA program will be holding training for volunteers in October.

This is a chance for you to help children in Pulaski County and be their voice in the court system. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer, you will be appointed by a judge to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children to make sure they don’t get lost in the social service system and help them to thrive in a group or foster home. CASA volunteers will remain with the child’s case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.

In Pulaski County, there are 13 children waiting for an advocate. You can train to be a CASA volunteer from 6:30–8 p.m. ET on Thursdays, beginning Oct. 11 at the Pulaski County Building. If you are interested, contact Pulaski County CASA Program Coordinator Sara Kroft at (574) 225-2227.

SCILL Center To Rake Leaves For Community Project

SCILL Center

The SCILL Center students will be participating in their annual community project on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers said that the students will be raking leaves for those who are physically unable to do so. The students have raked yards for the elderly and the physically challenged in the past and will do so again on Oct. 13.

If you would like to have the students help you at your house, call Knox Mayor Rick Chambers at 772-4553 to put your name on the list. Fifteen households will be included in this project and it is conducted on a first come, first served basis.

DEA, State Police To Partner In Prescription Drug Take Back

The DEA and the Indiana State Police are partnering in an effort to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft in a program entitled “Prescription Drug Take Back.”

This event allows everyone to drop off any expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs at an Indiana State Police Post on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. This is a free and anonymous service with no questions asked. This program is intended for liquid and pill medications only; no new or used needles will be accepted.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department is taking unwanted prescriptions this week through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prescription medication will also be taken Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the sheriff’s department. Sheriff Oscar Cowen asks that you be diligent in taking part in this program to help eradicate the abuse of prescription drugs.

Mini-Riot Occurs at LaPorte County Jail

LaPorte County Sheriff's Department
La Porte County Sheriff's Office

A mini-riot broke out in the LaPorte County Jail Friday evening – this after the Sheriff’s announcement last week that the closure of a jail wing put the jail in an overcrowding situation.

The inmates refused to lock-down into their cells and deputies had to use tasers and pepper spray to bring order to the population. The inmates complied with orders prior to the arrival of road officers and a K9 unit to the cell block.

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Electrical Fire Closes Knox Taco Bell Temporarily

A fire at the business caused the Knox Taco Bell to be closed for several hours.

A fire at the Knox Taco Bell yesterday brought the term “fiery hot” to the next level. An electrical fire occurred at the fast food chain at around 1 p.m. CT, but the fire had been extinguished by the time emergency crews had arrived.

Fire Chief Ken Pfost said the fire appeared to be caused by an electrical issue at an outlet near the drive-thru. He said the outlet had a poor quality extension cord plugged into it and may have overloaded the circuit, causing the fire, but did not trip the breakers. If you do not want such an incident happening to you, click on the following to find the Best extension cord reel.

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