The Starke County Board of Commissioners will be meeting Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. to discuss funding for the class action lawsuit being brought against the County by Jack Haut, a prisoner in the Starke County Jail.
Haut has brought suit against the county alleging unconstitutional and unlawful conditions of confinement at the Starke County Jail. In his suit, Haut alleges that the conditions at the jail are consistently and dangerously overcrowded. Continue reading
Rodger Griffin was arrested on Thursday after a brief foot pursuit with police.
Griffin, 48, allegedly battered his girlfriend and when her son tried to diffuse the situation, Griffin reportedly threatened his life and pulled a machete and waved it at him making alleged threats. The police were called and Griffin left the residence. When officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Deparment and the Knox City Police Department arrived, they were advised that Griffin had run into the woods on State Road 8. Officers did locate Griffin and chased him through thick woods. He was eventually taken into custody and booked into the Starke County jail.
Tony A. Glover, of Nappanee, Indiana, was arrested by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday, May 17th after he allegedly placed a knife against the throat of a Knox woman and threatened to harm her.
According to the police report, three witnesses told police that Glover had placed a knife against the victim’s throat and threatened her. Glover was in possession of knife at the time police questioned him about the incident. He told police that he never threatened the victim or the witnesses.
I.T. Director Bob Smith appeared before the Starke County Commissioners this week. Smith notified the Commissioners that he needed to make some “tweaks” in the Video Arraignment Program and the Starke County Jail monitoring system to make them work more effectively.
“We found out there were a few glitches that was missed, so this is an additional requirement we need to meet for the law that Judge Hall informed me of,” said IT Director, Bob Smith. “We just want to make sure that we are covering everything and getting it up to par.”
A litany of complaints have been filed by an attorney for Starke County Jail prisoner, Jack Haut. The Class Action allegations were made on behalf of Haut and those similarly situated pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Most of the complaints have to do with alleged overcrowding. Specifically, the Haut suit claims that because of overcrowding prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor in dayrooms for months at a time.
Several upgrades are in the works for the Starke County Jail. The Commissioners approved a bid this week for the tear off and installation of a new roof on the Jail and the Board members will also be reviewing bids to replace the HVAC system at the Jail during their meeting on Monday.
One recent upgrade has helped the operation of the jail and the courts. Here is Sheriff Oscar Cowen:
The Starke County Commissioners opened roof repair bids Wednesday for the Starke County Jail. Three bids were received and Commissioners Kathy Norem and Dan Bridegroom awarded the bid to Northern Indiana Roofing and Sheet Metal Corporation out of South Bend. Commissioner Jennifer Davis was absent from the meeting.
While there is talk, pro and con, about expanding the existing Starke County Jail at the current site or constructing a new jail at a remote site, action to repair of the current facility continues.
The Starke County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a special meeting today at 1:00 p.m. to open bids for repair of the roof on the jail on North Pearl Street in Knox.
Here is the Capital Assets Study as presented to the Commissioners and Council by RQAW Consulting Engineers and Architects of Indianapolis:
The jail is in need of immediate renovation to upgrade and update systems. Currently the roof requires replacement and there are problems with one of the roof top air handling units. The lighting has been upgraded since our inspections took place.
The jail is overcrowded and in need of expanded capacity.
Lisa Napierkowski was arrested Monday on a warrant for Trafficking with an Inmate and Dealing in a Schedule IV Controlled Substance after a routine traffic stop.
According to police, A car driven by Otis Young was stopped at 700 E. and 100 N. in Starke County on Monday and Lisa Napierkowski was apprehended as a result of the traffic stop. It is alleged that in late February, Lisa had brought Clonzapam to the Starke County Jail lobby bathroom and placed them under the trash bag. An inmate, Korey Draper, then admitted to gaining possession of the drugs which numbered 40. He told police that he put them in a pill bottle and placed them in a vent. When jailers searched the vent, the pills, credit cards and syringes were located and placed into evidence.
There are more problems at the Starke County Jail. Sheriff Oscar Cowen told the Starke County Commissioners yesterday that he has been advised that the furnace and air conditioning unit could go out at any time. If that would happen, all prisoners would have to be moved to another facility.
On top of that, the roof needs a new rubber roof to protect the building from leaks. A water pipe leak was reported last week that did damage on the lower floor of the Jail where the Prosecutor’s Office is located.
Six prisoners in the Starke County jail who were arrested for their involvement in a cock fighting ring in Starke County are illegal immigrants are being held for immigration officials. The six, along with five others, have been charged with Animal Fighting Contest, a Class D Felony. Four of those prisoners have bonded out of jail. Bonds were set at $10-15,000 surety in Starke Circuit Court Monday afternoon. For those facing similar charges, get legal representation by The Echavarria Law Firm – South Texas Legal Group.
Starke County Prosecutor, Nicholas Bourff, said the Animal Fighting Contest charge was bumped up to a Felony charge because those eleven individuals brought in the birds to fight. More charges could be filed against those involved if the Prosecutor and the Sheriff’s Department can find that the same individuals were involved in a similar cock fighting incident in 2006 where 50 people were arrested. Prosecutor Bourff said that could be a challenge as many of these individuals change the spelling of their names and use many aliases.
Bourff said he hopes that he can get money through a citation or fine from those arrested to help pay the Starke County Humane Society for euthanization costs and the Starke County Sheriff’s Department for overtime pay. Bourff said that the Humane Society is requesting that a $75.00 fine be attached to every citation which numbers 65. Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen is to give Bourff a list of all of the Department’s expenditures for reimbursement.
Initial hearings for the eleven defendants charged with felonies will be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. CT in Starke Circuit Court.
Financing for video and audio communication between the Starke County Jail and County and City courts was approved this week by the Starke County Council.
The County’s share of the $6,000 cost is one-third. The other two-thirds will come out of the Knox City Court, and the Prosecutor’s Pre-Trial Diversion fund.
Starke County I.T. Director, Bob Smith, came before the Council members to explain the set up of the equipment that will be provided by Vermillion Systems of Walkerton.
Starke County Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall accepted a plea agreement Wednesday for Dwayne Clemons. Clemons plead guilty to two felony charges for an incident that occurred June 27th, 2009. Two other charges were dismissed.
In that incident, Clemons was charged with firing shots into a van carrying Jessie Sparks and a 9 year old girl. The shooting occurred after a physical altercation between Clemons and Sparks.
The Starke County Commissioners this week voted to approve a request for Video Conferencing at the Starke County Jail. The technology would allow arraignments to be done from the jail, without having to take prisoners to the courtroom.
The cost will be shared between the County, Knox City Court, and the Prosecutor’s office. Both audio and video will be provided by a fiber optic line. Families who want to watch the proceedings can do so on flat screen T.V.s that will be mounted in the courtrooms. The equipment will cost $6,061.00.
Ken Singleton, 38, of Knox, was arrested on Friday, December 24th on nine felony charges. The State of Indiana has charged Singleton with one count of Child Molesting, a Class A Felony; three counts of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor, a Class B Felony; two counts of Incest, a Class B Felony; and three counts of Incest, a Class C Felony.
Virgil Noble of Knox was arrested at his home on Tuesday, December 28th. He was arrested on a warrant issued by the Starke Circuit Court on two counts of Rape, a Class B Felony and two counts of Sexual Battery, a Class D Felony. He is currently out of the Starke County Jail on bond.
Noble’s initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court is set for January 7th, 2011.
A Starke County police officer arrested a Knox resident on Wednesday, December 23rd, on charges of Residential Entry and Possession of Methamphetamine, both Class D Felonies.
Officers were called to a residence on 250 North after a call was made to the Sheriff’s Department about a possible break-in at the residence. Justin Miller was attempting to leave the residence and got stuck in the snow when police were called to the scene. After further investigation, police found that Miller had allegedly broken into the basement by breaking the basement window and gaining entry into the residence. When police searched Miller’s vehicle, they reportedly found methamphetamine and paraphernalia in his pickup truck. Justin Miller was taken to the Starke County Jail and currently has no bond.
Four County Councilmen are being replaced in January. Chuck Estok, Bruce Fingerhut, and Bill Dulin attended their final meeting last week. Dan Awald, who is the fourth Councilman being replaced, was not in attendance at his last meeting.
Following the meeting, Ted Hayes talked with the three who were in attendance, starting with Chuck Estok, who has served the longest at 16 years. Ted asked the veteran Democrat Councilman what he is most proud of during his long service to the citizens of the County.
A North Judson man was arrested Thursday morning on charges of Domestic Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury, a Class C Felony and Invasion of Privacy, a Class A Misdemeanor.
