The Knox Board of Public Works will be meeting this morning at 9:30 a.m. at Knox City Hall.
The board members will be awarding the bid for the demolition of the old Knox theater and the building that previously housed the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.
A sentencing hearing in the case of Randall Rowe has been continued in Starke Circuit Court pending the research of case law brought up during Tuesday’s court hearing.
Randall Rowe, 36 of Hamlet, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state in a previous hearing to charges of Robbery as a Class B felony, Battery as a Class C felony and Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony. Ten other charges would be dismissed. He was to be sentenced Tuesday but it has been continued.
Randall Rowe was arrested Dec. 30, 2011, along with his brother, after they allegedly entered the home of Wade Berg in Hamlet where Berg was beaten on the head with a handgun. Berg’s hand was also allegedly beaten to the extent that the tip of his finger became detached. The pair also allegedly stole various items from Berg’s home. After the battery, Rowe reportedly forced Berg to drive to 1st Source Bank and withdraw approximately $800 in order to bail out Berg’s sister, who was Rowe’s girlfriend, from jail. Berg claims all of that was done at gunpoint which Rowe disputes.
At the time of his arrest, Rowe was arrested on 13 counts including an enhancement charge of Habitual Offender.
Wade Berg made a statement to Judge Kim Hall Tuesday about the circumstances of the incident and told of the fear that he would experience when Rowe gets out of prison. Berg stated that Rowe has threatened his family and is afraid of their safety as well as his own.
Rowe’s mother also stated that a hardship would be put on her as she has to care for Rowe’s daughter and doesn’t have the financial means to do so. Rowe stated that he is sorry for what happened that night and that Berg is confused on some things that happened during the incident.
In Tuesday’s hearing, Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff asked that Judge Kim Hall sentence Rowe to 20 years on the charge of Robbery, eight years on the charge of Battery and three years on the charge of Receiving Stolen Property with no time suspended. Those sentences would be served consecutively for a total of 31 years in the Department of Corrections. Defense Attorney Timothy Lemon cited many case laws that support the fact that each charge to what Rowe is pleading guilty are a single episode of conduct which call for concurrent sentences and not consecutive sentences.
With that information, Judge Hall ruled to continue the hearing so he and the state can review those case laws. If Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff has any case laws to give to the judge then those would be taken under consideration as well.
The sentencing hearing as been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. CT in Starke Circuit Court.
Major John Boyd from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department, whose department is assisting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state fire marshal’s office in this investigation, said investigators are waiting for engineers to assess the elevator to see if it’s structurally sound. If it is deemed structurally sound, investigators can get into the elevator to look for evidence in what caused the explosion.
There have been speculations that grain dust could be to blame.
The explosion Monday afternoon killed 67-year-old James Swank who was a resident of Union Mills and worked at the Union Mills Co-Alliance for seven years.
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office will be in Starke County today to investigate the origin of a house fire in Grovertown. The Washington Township Fire Department received the call around 2:30 yesterday afternoon, according to Assistant Chief Dave Pearman. The house at 200 North and 900 West was fully engulfed when they arrived. Firefighters from Hamlet, Koontz Lake and Knox also assisted, and with their help the blaze was contained in about 30 minutes. Pearman says the owners were home when the fire started. No injuries were reported.
As the temperature outside increases, so do electric bills, but customers can take a number of steps that range from no-cost to low-cost in order to help keep energy costs in check. The Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor offers a number of consumer tips for those who wish to reduce their summer electric bills.
Unplug chargers for cell phones and other devices when not in use and consider using power strips to make it easier; set the thermostat at the highest comfortable temperature, raising it by a few degrees if you’ll be leaving the house for more than a few hours; move lamps, TVs and appliances away from the thermostat; turn off all lights, TVs, computers and other appliances when not in use; only use exhaust fans for short periods of time; use ceiling fans only when not in the room and ensure they are turning counter-clockwise. Also, close blinds, shades and draperies, as well as storm doors and windows.
To further increase efficiency, have your HVAC system serviced by a professional like these HVAC pros in the Arlington, TX, ensure the filter is clean, and make sure vents are not blocked. Business owners may hire commercial hvac contractors to service the ac units of their offices.
Check your attic’s insulation, wait until evening to use the oven or dishwasher, to do laundry, or to use other large appliances. Clean your refrigerator coil, make sure your clothes dryer vent isn’t clogged, and make sure your water heater isn’t set too high.
Continue reading
Utility crews worked through the night to restore power after a line of strong thunderstorms moved through the area last evening. NIPSCO reports 82,000 customers were affected, and more than 45,000 are still without power. These outages are primarily due to broken utility poles, downed electrical wire and other related storm damage as a result of heavy wind and tree damage. Dispatchers in Starke County report a number of trees and power lines down as a result of the storm and say clearing efforts are still under way. Please be mindful of that as you travel this morning.
LaPorte police investigated a battery incident at the Commons Apartments in LaPorte early Saturday morning. According to the report, at around 12:49 a.m. police were summoned to the apartment complex to investigate a battery complaint.
Upon their arrival, the victim told police that she had been outside visiting with a neighbor who inappropriately grabbed her buttocks several times after she had told him to stop. She told police that she then confronted the suspect’s girlfriend about his actions; his girlfriend then allegedly said that is how he behaves when he’s been drinking.
Police soon made contact with the suspect, Rodney Wahl, 33, of La Porte, who did not comment on the incident. He was taken into custody and charged with Sexual Battery, a Class D felony.
Winamac Police Chief Michael Buchanan said that a resident at 454 N. Market St. reportedly saw a man push his moped off of his property. The victim called police and when Buchanan learned of the details he went looking for the suspect and couldn’t locate him.
LaPorte police are investigating a burglary at 1507 Ohio Street that is said to have occurred sometime between Wednesday, June 19 and Friday, June 21, when a Rossi shotgun, .380 handgun, coins and jewelry were stolen. The home was locked at the time of the burglary but police found no indications of forced entry.
If you have information regarding this crime, or any other criminal/ suspicious activity, please contact the La Porte Police Department at 362-9446, or at www.lpcitypd.com to submit a crime tip. You can remain anonymous while providing important information to help make your community safer. Please be as specific as you can about the activity you are reporting.
Marshall County deputies learned that the woman had gotten into an altercation with the occupants of a van and was allegedly struck by the vehicle driven by 18-year-old Boston Nettrouer.
The woman, whose name was not released, was flown from the scene to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.
Nettrouer was arrested on a preliminary charge of Criminal Recklessness with a Vehicle Resulting in Bodily Injury. He was incarcerated in the Marshall County Jail and given a $1,500 cash bond.
A 42-year-old Monticello man and a juvenile were injured Tuesday, June 18 late in the evening after a car vs. motorcycle accident on U.S. 35 south of Winamac near County Road 225 South.
Stanley Dunkler of Knox told Pulaski County deputies that he was driving on U.S. 35 when he entered into the other lane and collided with a motorcycle driven by Tyrone Anderson of Monticello.
On Friday, LaPorte police responded to investigate an accident where an SUV ran into a house and a NIPSCO meter. Jose Carillo-Muro, 21, of LaPorte was arrested on preliminary charges of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and Driving While Never Licensed. No injuries were reported.
Marshall County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Jay Bahr told WKVI that the land is owned by the Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation and the Development Commission is looking to buy the land from PIDCO for the construction.
The explosion in Union Mills that took the life of one employee is still under investigation and no cause has yet been determined. According to LaPorte County Chief Deputy Jim Sosinski, the sheriff’s office received a call of an explosion at the Union Mills Co-Op on 800 South around 1:27 p.m., and upon their arrival, no flames were found but there was extensive damage to a grain elevator caused by the explosion. The explosion killed 67-year-old James Swank of Union Mills.
