Police: Columbus man stole, resold ATV

HAMBLEN TWP. — A 37-year-old Columbus man faces two Level 5 felonies for stealing an ATV from a garage in Brown County after police say a security camera footage showed him at the scene.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Stargell responded to a report of a burglary and theft in the 5700 block of Sweetwater Trail on July 28 after a resident reported someone had come to his home and stolen a four-wheeler from his garage.

On the security footage, Det. Brian Shrader reported seeing a truck pull into the driveway near the garage. The driver, Dustin Freese, got out to load the four-wheeler into the bed of the truck using ramps. Shrader noted that those in the truck “were obviously prepared to steal an ATV,” the affidavit states.

The home was under construction and Freese had worked for the drywall subcontractor who had been at the home two days earlier, the police report said. Looking at security footage from that day, Shrader reported seeing Freese carrying drywall and later going to look inside the detached garage where the four-wheeler was.

The victim reached out to the construction company owner who identified Freese and a woman as suspects.

A search warrant for Freese’s home in Bartholomew County was granted on July 29. Freese was in the garage and was detained. A marijuana grow was also discovered in the home and a separate search warrant was granted for that in Bartholomew County, the police report said.

In the garage, Shrader reported finding a four-wheeler that had been reported stolen from Brown County on July 10 and it had been repainted.

Freese admitted to taking the ATV from the home on Sweetwater Trail, but said the woman had nothing to do with it and she thought he had bought it. He told police he sold that four-wheeler. It was found at a different home. The person who bought it said the sale had happened that morning for $1,300, the affidavit states.

The four-wheeler was towed back to Brown County. Freese was arrested for the marijuana grow. Shrader went to the jail and seized $1,300 from Freese that he requested to take with him after being arrested, since he had profited from stolen property, Shrader reported.

Freese was charged on July 30 with two Level 5 felonies for burglary and auto theft.

Police patrolling to catch school bus violations

Local police are stepping up patrols this school to look out for stop arm violations and drivers driving dangerously near school bus stops and in school zones.

The extra patrols were set to begin last week as part of the state’s Stop Arm Safety Violation Enforcement program (SAVE). The program is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, according to a press release from the sheriff’s department.

“With students heading back to the classroom we need everyone to slow down, pay attention to the road and stop for buses,” Sheriff Scott Southerland said.

“We’ll be on high alert this back to school season and have zero tolerance for unsafe driving around buses and in school zones. There’s nothing more important to us than the safety of our children.”

Students in Brown County returned to school Aug. 4. Two stop arm violations were reported that day, another two on Aug. 5 and one on Aug. 6. On Monday, Aug. 10 another two violations were reported. Most were in the State Road 46 West area with two others reported in the areas of State Road 135 North and Hoover Road.

The SAVE blitz is scheduled to last until mid-September. Officers will work with bus drivers and the school district’s transportation to identify areas where the high-visibility patrols are needed the most, according to the press release.

It is against the law for drivers to pass a bus that is stopped and has its red lights flashing with a stop arm extended. This rule applies to all rules with the exception of drivers on a highway that is divided by a barrier, like a grass median. Those drivers are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the bus, the release states.

Children should look both ways before crossing the street and arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. The sheriff’s department wants parents to remind their children the bus stop is not a place to run or play. At the bus stop, children are encouraged to stay six feet from the curb and to wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before boarding.

Dump truck runs off road; driver taken to hospital

A 35-year-old Bedford woman was taken to a hospital on Aug. 5 after the dump truck she was driving left State Road 46 West, hitting multiple trees.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy William Pool responded to the crash just after 10 a.m. He reported that the truck left the north side of the road and traveled around 100 yards before stopping.

Pool reported the driver, Kristin Wampler, was conscious, but not alert. He noted she was revving the truck’s engine as if she was trying to get it out of a ditch, the accident report states. Pool and Sgt. Chad Williams were able to access Wampler through the passenger side door and she was removed by EMS personnel.

She was taken to Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital for further treatment by EMS. She did not have visible injuries, but Pool reported she was not alert to what was happening and he was unable to get a statement from her.

The truck was towed.

Driver checked by EMS after two-vehicle crash

PEOGA — A 32-year-old Brown County woman had to be checked out by EMS after a two-vehicle crash on Beech Tree Road Aug. 9.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld responded to the crash just after 9 a.m. Bryan Hash, 39, of Brown County, told police he was backing out of a driveway after checking mirrors twice when he was hit by a vehicle driven by Linda Bierlein.

Hash reported that Bierlein had to slam on the drakes. Hash was not injured in the crash.

Bierlein told police she was driving west on Beech Tree when Hash’s vehicle backed out into the road. Bierlein said she was unable to avoid striking it. Schonfeld noted that the road was wet from rain that morning.

Bierlein had hand pain and was checked out by EMS before signing a release. Her vehicle was towed. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

Police: Driver who crashed had been drinking

BEAN BLOSSOM — Police say a 29-year-old Brown County man had more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he crashed while trying to avoid a deer on July 7.

Louis Arnold of Clarence Arnold Road was charged on July 8 with two misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Arnold was driving south in the 5600 block of Spearsville Road when a deer entered the road and he swerved to miss it, but ended up striking it with his truck, according to a probable cause affidavit by Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholson Briles.

After striking the tree, Arnold’s vehicle went off the road and through the fence of private property. His truck hit a boulder before coming to a stop, according to the affidavit.

Briles reported smelling alcohol on Arnold, seeing alcohol containers in his vehicle, that his speech was slurred and slowed and his balance was unsteady. He failed the walk-and-turn test before refusing to take others. A portable breath test showed his blood-alcohol content to be 0.389, which is more than four times the legal limit of 0.08.

A neighbor reported hearing the crash and when she discovered her other neighbors were not home, she went over to make sure everything was OK. Arnold reportedly tried to stop the neighbor from calling police by offering her money. She called the police since she was not the property owner and there was damage.

Arnold was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital for a blood draw before being taken to the Brown County jail where he was booked in. While at the jail Arnold, admitted to driving while under the influence. He said he had about 15 beers at home before driving. He admitted he made a mistake, according to the affidavit.

Stop for suspended license results in more charges

A traffic stop on June 18 for driving with a suspended license resulted in additional criminal charges for a Spencer man.

Nashville Police Officer Lindsey Downing stopped 32-year-old William Moore on State Road 46 East after finding that the registered owner of the vehicle was a suspended driver, the probable cause affidavit states. Downing noted he crossed the fog line on the right side of the road while looking back at her police vehicle in his mirror.

Downing reported smelling marijuana. After Moore was asked to exit his vehicle, he told Downing that there was a Tylenol bottle with Suboxone in the car, according to the affidavit. Downing finding the bottle along with a cigarette pack containing marijuana.

Moore was arrested and taken to the Brown County jail. He was charged on June 28 with three misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance, driving while suspended and possession of marijuana.

Semi driver charged for leaving scene of crash

BELMONT — A 31-year-old semi driver has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries on State Road 46 West in June.

A 28-year-old Bloomington woman was taken to a hospital on June 2 after a semi jackknifed while driving on State Road 46 West and struck her vehicle. On June 29, Joshua Noblitt of Scipio was charged with a Class B misdemeanor.

The crash was reported just before 8 a.m. near the intersection with T.C. Steele Road, according to an accident report by Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Horn. Horn reported seeing a guardrail with “substantial damage” and the driver of a 2017 Chevrolet Trax being treated by EMS.

The driver, Blair Beavers, told Horn she was driving east on 46 West when she came upon a semi driving west that was in a jackknifed position while driving. She said the trailer of the truck struck the driver’s side of her vehicle, which caused her to lose control.

Beavers had lacerations to her hands, face and arms. She was taken to a hospital by ambulance for further treatment.

Two witnesses reported seeing the semi driving west while its trailer was jackknifed in the eastbound lane. They said the trailer stuck Beavers’ vehicle and that the semi did not stop.

Noblitt was stopped by Sgt. Don Teague with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. He told Horn the trailer had “obvious damage.” Noblitt told Teague that his brakes locked up and the trailer did jackknife and go into eastbound traffic, but he thought the back trailer tires had gone off the shoulder, causing a jerk. He said he was unaware he had struck a vehicle.

Beavers’ vehicle was towed. She was wearing a seat belt.

Drug charges filed after stop for running light

A 19-year-old from Ohio faces criminal charges for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia after he was stopped for running a red light on State Road 135 North in June.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld was going south on State Road 135 North when stopped at the construction light that had been installed for bridge work just south of the Bean Blossom Animal Clinic, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Schonfeld reported seeing a red Ford Mustang run the red light and come through the construction zone from the north. Schonfeld was able to get behind the Mustang and reported smelling marijuana as the two vehicles were traveling up the hill toward Nashville, the affidavit states.

Schonfeld pulled the Mustang over at the Bean Blossom Overlook. The driver, Joshua Mangas, told Schonfeld he thought he could drive through the red light after the northbound vehicle drove through it, since the southbound light had previously been green, according to the affidavit.

Mangas denied there being marijuana in the vehicle. Schonfeld reported finding a glass smoking device with suspected burnt marijuana inside and a small glass jar containing marijuana, the affidavit states.

Mangas was arrested and taken to the jail. On July 7, he was charged with two misdemeanors.

Bloomington woman faces paraphernalia charge

A traffic stop for speeding on June 14 resulted in a 36-year-old Bloomington woman being charged with a Class C misdemeanor for possession of paraphernalia.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld stopped Jamie Beach after he clocked her driving 68 mph in a 50 mph zone on State Road 46 East on June 14, according to a probable cause affidavit.

When Schonfeld walked over to the passenger side, he reported seeing Beach trying to hide something in her pants, and when he knocked on her window, she jumped, according to the affidavit.

When asked what she had hid, Beach gave officers a silicone container with CBD inside. Officers searched her vehicle and reported finding a smoking device consistent with marijuana use, the affidavit states. Beach said she used the device to smoke CBD.

She was cited and released from the scene. Charges were formally filed against her on June 30.

Stop for speeding, plate light results in charges

Two people have been charged after police reported finding drugs and paraphernalia in a car that had been stopped for speeding.

Nashville Police Officer Cody Poynter saw a car drive by without a working license plate light while he was patrolling on State Road 46 West. Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholson Briles reported that the vehicle was driving 41 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Poynter stopped the vehicle at Speedway. While speaking with the driver, 46-year-old Emily Murphy of Bloomington, Poynter reported smelling marijuana in the vehicle. A 17-year-old and 43-year-old Hunter Sipes of Lower Owl Creek Road were also in the vehicle.

Murphy denied there being any marijuana in the vehicle. After stepping out, Sipes refused to remove his hands from his pockets. Once officers forced his hands out, a large baggie of marijuana fell out of his right pocket. He was handcuffed, the affidavit states.

In the car, Poynter reported finding a cloth bag in the center console area containing marijuana, clear plastic baggies with white residue inside, four Xanax bars, and a plastic case with a baggie containing a small amount of a crystal-like substance. Poynter also reported finding a glass pipe with marijuana residue inside and a partially smoked marijuana cigarette by the gear shifter.

Murphy said she did not know the bag was in her vehicle. She said the pipe and marijuana cigarette did belong to her. Poynter noted that the bag was right next to her leg on the center console.

Murphy was handcuffed. She and Sipes were taken to the Brown County jail. The juvenile was released to another adult.

On July 28, Sipes was charged with a Class B misdemeanor for possession of marijuana.

Murphy was charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Battery, drug charges filed against local man

GNAW BONE — Police arrested a 46-year-old Brown County man on July 17 after responding to a report of a physical domestic disturbance at Forest Hills Apartments.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholson Briles responded to the call along with Deputy Kyle Minor, Reserve Deputy Dan Acres and Nashville Police Patrolman Cody Poynter. The officers were told to leave their sirens off so that the suspect would not run, the probable cause affidavit states.

As Briles was approaching the apartment, he reported seeing a man, later identified as Micah Bowling of Becks Grove Road, throw a cup he was holding and make a motion like he was going to try to get away from Briles. When asked where he was going and when told to stop moving, Bowling began running. Briles pursued him on foot and Bowling slipped on some grass.

Briles pointed his Taser at Bowling and Bowling continued to ignore commands to lie on his stomach, the police report said. Officers confiscated a large knife from his waistband and were eventually able to place him in handcuffs. While checking his pockets, they reported finding a pill bottle with a bag of a white powdery substance inside that appeared to be methamphetamine, the affidavit states.

Bowling also said that a pipe was jabbing his leg and officers confiscated that. Bowling said his hand hurt, so EMS was called to the scene to check him out.

Briles spoke with two people in the apartment. A 19-year-old said that Bowling showed up unannounced and was invited in. He then began arguing with a woman there.

The teen was playing video games when he heard the argument and went into the living room to tell them to stop arguing since there was a child in there. The teen told Bowling that if he was tired of arguing, he could leave the apartment, then Bowling shoved him against a wall. Briles reported seeing marks on the victim’s neck that looked like a scratch mark and some redness on his bottom lip where it looked like he had been struck.

The victim tried to get away, but Bowling walked toward him, making threatening and vulgar comments. He went back to his room and Bowling followed him. The victim was able to get into a closet and call police, according to the affidavit.

Bowling continued arguing with the woman. A younger child who was also there was crying. The teen said the child was able to see hear and almost everything that happened. The woman asked that Bowling be trespassed from the apartment. She did not want to fill out a witness statement, according to the affidavit.

Bowling said he and the woman were having a conversation and the teen came into the room to try to tell them what to do. Bowling seemed to not appreciate the way the teen was talking to him and that he told the teen he was going to beat him up, according to the affidavit. He denied shoving the teen against a wall or anything physical happening.

Bowling said he ran away from police because he did not want to go back to jail. He also refused to tell police what drugs were in his pocket. Bowling was then arrested and taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for jail clearance, where his broken hand was put in a splint.

He was charged July 19 with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor; and resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.

Suspicious vehicle in church lot leads to drug arrest

Police arrested a 36-year-old Columbus man on July 31 after investigating a suspicious vehicle in a church parking lot.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholson Briles was in his patrol car at Circle K when he noticed a Jeep drive by with a headlight out. Deputy Kyle Minor tried to stop the vehicle, but it pulled into the Parkview Church of the Nazarene lot.

Because of the time of day, it seemed odd to Briles that a vehicle would enter the lot, so he went back out to find it.

The man in the driver’s seat, Kristopher Harris, told Briles the car had overheated and they were waiting on a tow truck. Harris denied driving and said someone else had been driving but that person had left with someone else before police arrived, the probable cause affidavit states.

No one in the vehicle had a valid driver’s license. A passenger explained they were on their way to pick up a vehicle in Bloomington that had been stolen. While the officer checked the status of each occupant, Harris asked to use the bushes so he could go to the restroom.

Eventually, the other occupants told police Harris had been driving. The owner of the vehicle, who was also a passenger, gave police permission to search it and they found loose ammunition in the center console, according to the affidavit.

Harris was on house arrest for possessing a firearm as a felon and officers checked the area to see if there were any guns. Poynter reported finding a bag with a white powdery substance that appeared to be methamphetamine, sitting on top of tall weeds where had Harris had used the restroom earlier. The baggie did not have dew on it and was dry, unlike the other plants, so officers believed it had not been outside long.

Harris was detained and denied having meth while he was near the bushes. He said someone else could have come up and placed it there. He said the bag was found on the other side of where he was standing.

A K9 was called to the scene to search for firearms, but none were found. Harris was arrested. He continued to deny the meth was his. The owner was unable to provide proof of ownership for the vehicle, so it was towed.

Harris was charged Aug. 2 with a Level 6 felony for possession of methamphetamine.