Two Knox residents were arrested Wednesday after a month-long investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics.
Officers from the Knox City Police Department arrived at 1004 Virginia Lane Apartment 22 in the Golden Acres Apartment Complex to serve a search warrant as it was believed that one of the tenants was selling drugs.
A Knox man was arrested by Indiana State Police officers Tuesday morning after an investigation into an alleged sexual misconduct incident.
Indiana State Police Detective Chris Campione received information in August concerning a sexual misconduct incident involving a 15-year-old girl.
State detectives were able to determine that the sexual misconduct took place in July and the actions continued until police were notified on Aug. 6. The juvenile was living in Michigan City when the alleged misconduct occurred.
A necessary infrastructure improvement to keep the Starke County Jail project on schedule will be discussed during a special-called Knox City Council meeting this evening. The pressure from the water pipe that feeds the facility on State Road 8 east of Knox is not adequate to provide fire protection to the building, based on the results of a recent hydrant test. City and county officials are studying options to remedy that problem and have decided that running a loop from Henry Drive to Edgewood to the highway is the best option in terms of cost and the time frame necessary to finish the project. Dennis and Chuck Estok have agreed to donate an easement through their property in order to accommodate the upgrade. The work needs to be done by April 1, 2014 in order to keep the jail project on schedule. Other options include building an underground tank to hold water or constructing a temporary tank above ground until the water lines can be upgraded. However, both options are considerably more expensive than running a loop to join with the existing pipe. The county commissioners agreed to spend up to $50,000 for the upgrade, with the work to be done by the city. The city council will consider that offer during a meeting this evening at 7 p.m.
“When inmates are brought to the facility, they will enter through the sallyport area. The doors go up, the car goes in, the door goes down again. They’ve got them secured, and then they take them through the sallyport to inmate booking,” said Norem.
A holiday weekend joyride around Bass Lake in two stolen boats ended with a trip to the Starke County Jail for at least two Indianapolis teenagers. ABC 57 reports two homeowners at the lake woke up Sunday morning to find their boats were missing from a public dock. They later learned three teenagers had stolen the watercraft the previous night and taken the boats for a ride around the lake and that witnesses to their late night sail had called the police. The teens reportedly ditched the boats and took off into a nearby campground. They were spotted the following day by officers from the Chicago Police Department who had seen them the previous evening. The off-duty cops tried holding them until the Starke County Sheriff’s Department arrived, but one of the boys ran away. It’s unclear whether he was captured, but the other two were arrested.
Scott Cherry told the commissioners that the schematic estimate that had been presented a month prior came out to roughly $11 million, which was a bit high; he said the ideal range was within $10.2 million to $10.3 million. Now, however, after they tightened some of the expenses, they’ve brought the estimated cost down to roughly $10.3 million.
The public will get a first look at plans for a new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 during the July 22 council and commissioners meeting. That presentation is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. at the county annex building.
A Starke County man was arrested after a pursuit incident that spanned two counties.
Early this morning, a Starke County detective was patrolling around 1100 East and 700 North just north of Koontz Lake when he recognized the driver of a black pickup as Julius Novitzke. Novitzke was known to be wanted on an active Starke County Circuit Court Warrant for Possession of Methamphetamine.
A traffic stop was attempted but Novitzke failed to stop.
Bradley appealed his conviction for Attempted Deviate Conduct as a Class B felony. He questioned whether the evidence was sufficient to sustain his conviction and whether his sentence was inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and its character.
County attorney Martin Lucas will present a proposed mediation agreement regarding overcrowding conditions at the county jail to the Starke County Council when they meet this evening. Jack Haut and several other inmates sued the county in April of 2011. Their lawsuit claims the cramped conditions violate their civil rights. The Starke County Sheriff’s Office has been sending prisoners to Pulaski County for the past year to alleviate the overcrowding, and the county is moving forward with plans to build a new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 and County Road 550 East.
Jack Parker reportedly told police that he had a few drinks at a Bass Lake establishment and lost control of his moped on U.S. 35 just south of the Knox city limits. He was attempting to get back onto the moped when the officer arrived at the scene.
Two suspects arrested in a month-long methamphetamine production investigation will have their initial hearings in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
Alfred Higdon, 40, and Shari Melton, 39, were arrested Thursday night after Knox City Police officers reportedly found methamphetamine precursors in a home in the 300 block of Delaware Street in Knox. Investigators also found meth and marijuana inside the residence.
Higdon and Melton were arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Precursors and Possession of Marijuana. They remain in the Starke County jail with a $10,000 surety bond.
Detectives from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department were conducting a meth investigation at 3131 S. State Road 39 in North Judson and found Woods sitting in a vehicle with his dog. Officers were given consent to search the vehicle and found an inactive meth lab and other items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
He was taken into custody and booked into the Starke County Jail on a preliminary charge of Dealing Methamphetamine, a Class B felony. He has not yet been in Starke Circuit Court for his initial hearing.
