Pierceton Man Dies in Accident in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI

A Pierceton man died yesterday morning in a two vehicle accident in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop in Starke County.

Steve Mort was driving westbound on U.S. 30 and did not see a semi pulling out of the truck stop. The semi was turning eastbound on U.S. 30 when Mort drove into the semi’s trailer that was carrying a large wind turbine propeller. Mort’s vehicle went underneath the trailer trapping he and his passenger, his brother, in the vehicle. Mort and his brother, Tim Mort, were extricated from the vehicle. Steve Mort was transported to the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth where he later died of his injuries. Tim Mort was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend and was listed in stable condition.

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One Dies in Early Morning Accident in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI

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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Crockett Arrested on Two Warrants After Trespassing in Starke County Home

Posted on Author WKVI

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

Posted on Author WKVI

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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Starke County Officer Shoots, Kills Dog – Second Such Incident This Month

Posted on Author WKVI

The second killing of a dog by a police officer in Starke County has the community wondering why these incidents take place and what can be done to prevent them.

Jay Dollahan of Knox said his dog, which he described as an almost-two-year-old Old English Bulldogge, was killed by an officer yesterday when he had come to Dollahan’s home on 700 East to serve civil court papers. Dollahan said the officer pulled up to the home and noticed a “Beware of Dog” sign, but continued walking toward the home and identified himself as he approached.

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Starke County Driver Crashes Into Concrete Drain; Charged with OVWI

Posted on Author WKVI
The concrete drain caused severe damage to the vehicle.

A Starke County man is being charged after a single-vehicle accident on Toto Road in Knox.

At approximately 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a single-vehicle accident on Toto Road west of U.S. 35. When officers arrived on scene, they found a truck had run off the road and struck a concrete drain, causing serious damage to the vehicle. Fire department personnel were on scene as well, and the driver, Fred Koman, of Knox, had to be extricated from the severely damaged vehicle before being transported to IU Health Starke Hospital and later airlifted to a South Bend hospital after suffering a broken or fractured neck with an injury to his arm.

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Train Accident In Knox Saturday Caused Four-Hour Road Closures

Posted on Author WKVI

A train accident in Knox over the weekend brought traffic to a halt, as U.S. 35 and other streets were closed for nearly four hours while the wreckage was cleared. Fortunately, no injuries were reported; the train crashed into an unmanned service truck on the rails at around 9:15 a.m.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department said a Norfolk Southern service truck was performing maintenance on the tracks Saturday morning when a train rolled through, and a miscommunication caused the train to crash into the truck. Luckily, the repairman was outside the vehicle making track repairs when the accident occurred.

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Armes to Plead Guilty to Dealing Meth, Theft

Posted on Author WKVI
Aaron Armes

Aaron Armes of Knox appeared in the Starke Circuit Court last week for a plea hearing. An agreement was reached between Armes and the state and has been filed in court. A plea and sentencing hearing for Armes has been set for Oct. 18 at 9:30 a.m.

Armes faces two cases in the court, including one case charging him with Theft as a Class D felony, Possession of Methamphetamine as a Class D felony, and Possession of Paraphernalia as a Class A misdemeanor. His second and latest case stems from his arrest in January when he turned himself in to police. Armes was wanted by police after authorities conducted a search at a camper on 200 South in Knox and found items associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine.

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Train Accident Causes Major Headaches in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

A train accident in Knox has caused some community concern, but officials say the accident resulted in no injuries and they are working on getting the area cleaned up.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department told WKVI that a Norfolk Southern service truck was performing maintenance on the tracks when a train rolled through town. The conductor reportedly thought the service truck was out of his way but miscalculated, striking the service truck.

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Two Accidents Within 45 Minutes in Starke County; Two Airlifted For Treatment

Posted on Author WKVI

Two people were airlifted to medical facilities for serious injuries after two separate vehicle collisions were reported on State Road 10 within 45 minutes of each other on Monday.

According to the crash report filed at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, the first collision took place at 4:30 p.m. on State Road 10 near the intersection of Range Road. Connie Boyer, 58 of North Judson, was reportedly traveling east on State Road 10 in a 2005 GMC SUV with two passengers when she slowed to make a left turn onto Range Road. She told police that she did not see the green 2001 Chevrolet car traveling toward her on State Road 10, operated by 46-year-old Michelle Howard of North Judson. Boyer made her turn into the path of Howard, causing a head-on collision.

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Two Accidents Reported In Starke County Monday

Posted on Author WKVI

Two accidents were reported in Starke County within 45 minutes of each other on Monday, requiring two people to be airlifted to medical facilities for treatment. At 4:30 p.m., the Starke County Sheriff’s Department responded to a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of State Road 10 and Range Road involving two vehicles. The driver was flown to Memorial Hospital in South Bend to be treated.

Approximately 45 minutes later, a second motor vehicle accident was reported involving three vehicles on State Road 10 near 300 East. A juvenile passenger was airlifted to Riley’s Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis due to injuries. The identities of those involved have not yet been released, pending the release of the official accident report.

Decomposed Body Found In Bass Lake Home, Police Investigating

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the mysterious death of a Starke County man who was found in a home along Bass Lake Saturday morning.

Just after 9 a.m., police found a dead body in a Bass Lake home. While his identity has not yet been released, his body was reportedly badly decomposed, indicating that the man had been deceased for some time in the home.

Foul play has not been ruled out, and the Sheriff’s Department has launched a death investigation that will begin Monday with a forensic autopsy.

Plymouth Man Arrested Twice in Two Days, Held on $150K Bond

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was arrested on three charges in two different incidents over the course of two days.

On Monday, it is alleged that Jason Cooke entered the property of Linda Draper and she ordered him off the property. Cooke had reportedly exited a vehicle and walked onto the property and said he needed to speak with Draper’s son. She told Cooke that he was not welcome on the property and to leave. He then said he was going to talk to him anyway and continued on her property and into the house. Draper then called police and he left the property. He was eventually taken into custody and arrested on preliminary charges of Criminal Trespass and Residential Entry.

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Jury Finds Bradley Guilty Of Criminal Deviate Conduct, Criminal Confinement

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Courthouse
A 12-person jury took less than 20 minutes to deliberate and announce their verdict in the case of Samuel Bradley, charged with Criminal Deviate Conduct as a Class B felony and Criminal Confinement as a Class D felony. The jury found Bradley guilty on both counts shortly after the two-day trial came to an end.

The state called three witnesses to the stand throughout the course of the trial, including the victim in the case, along with the dispatcher and the detective. The defendant called only himself as a witness.

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Knox Man Arrested After Attacking Car With Ax

Posted on Author WKVI

A Knox man was arrested after a short foot pursuit Friday evening.

Loretta Wheeler called the Starke County Sheriff’s Department to report that her son, Jonnie Wheeler, was out of control. He had just taken his medication and asked to use her car and she told him no. He then threatened to hit her vehicle with an ax. He struck the car twice with the ax before it was taken away from him.

When police arrived at the scene, Wheeler ran out of the house. Officers pursued him through the woods by Shaw’s Fertilizer and it wasn’t long until he was taken into custody.

Jonnie Wheeler has preliminary charges of Criminal Mischief and Resisting Law Enforcement by Fleeing.

Starke Co. Sheriff’s Dept. Radio Tower Repair Project Hits a Snag

Posted on Author WKVI
IT Director Joe Short

It’s been a couple months since a number of vicious storms tore through the area, causing massive amounts of damage and toppling several tall towers.

According to Starke County IT Director Joe Short, repairing the damage that was done to the Sheriff’s Department’s radio tower is currently one of their top priorities, but they’re running into some complications. Short explained that the city of Knox has a restriction on the maximum height of a tower in a residential area, limiting the tower to a height of 100 feet.

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In-Home Care Provider Arrested For Manufacturing Methamphetamine At Client’s Home

Posted on Author WKVI

An in-home care provider was arrested in Starke County this weekend for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine on her client’s property. Jannine Clemons of Knox told police that she had found a strange container of drain cleaner in her laundry room on Aug. 17, and when she looked inside it, she found several strange items including battery pieces and medication wrapping.

Clemons says she then hid the container in her garden and purchased a motion camera, which she placed on a table aiming towards the back door in an effort to see who may have left the items – and she could not believe what she discovered.

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Starke County K9 Fritz To Be Retired

Posted on Author WKVI
Officer James Upsall and K9 Fritz demonstrate a hold on Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department K9 is retiring. K9 officer and handler, James Upsall, said the two-year certification is coming up at the end of the month and the decision was made not to renew that certification and Fritz will be retired.

Upsall said Fritz had several narcotics busts during his three-year tenure at the Sheriff’s Department.

“He has had a lot of narcotic busts with traffic stops and that varies from any variety of pills, marijuana and meth,” said Upsall.

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Proposed Jail Could House New Starke County Sheriff’s Dept. Antenna

Posted on Author WKVI
IT Director Joe Short

Repairs are still underway in Starke County in the wake of this year’s storms in June and July. County IT Director Joe Short says one of the most important items they are working on repairing at the moment is the sheriff’s department’s radio tower, which was severely damaged during the storm.

Unfortunately, the tower is unable to be repaired because of the way it is built. Short says the county will need to purchase a new tower, as no tower companies are willing to make repairs to the structure.

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