Loss Of Local Leaders Top 2015 Stories
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
The Kosciusko County community over the past year lost leaders by natural causes and an airplane accident, and lost several people through criminal activity.
To determine the top stories of the year, the front-page local headlines from every newspaper of the year were narrowed down to a list of the biggest 52 stories. The Times-Union staff then voted on their choices for the top 10.
Here are the results:[[In-content Ad]]1. Four local men were killed Oct. 2 in an airplane crash on their way to the Notre Dame-Clemson football game.
Warsaw City Councilman, former Tippecanoe Valley High School football coach and retired Lake City Bank Executive Vice President in charge of Commercial Banking Charles “Charlie” D. Smith, 71; his son and local attorney Scott Smith, 44; business owner and retired Sprint Car driver Tony L. Elliott, 54; and former Tippecanoe Valley High School guidance counselor, teacher and coach Scott Bibler, 51, were killed when Charlie Smith’s Piper Saratoga PA-32 crashed near Lake Hartwell on the Georgia-South Carolina border.
“All four are great community folk, all in a different way, and it will be a big hole to fill, with all four of them,” Warsaw Mayor Dr. Joe Thallemer said in an interview Oct. 3. “Certainly, Charlie wouldn’t want to be remembered as any better than anyone else. That was the way he was. He worked hard and did a lot for the community. Again, it will be tough to fill those shoes. But every one of them has families, every one were involved in businesses. All four of them typified what makes our community great – that’s their selfless attitude and love for the community.”
The aircraft incident was deemed accidental, according to a press release Oct. 5 from the Oconee County Coroner’s Office. The National Transportation and Safety Board issued a preliminary report Oct. 10 on the crash, with the final report to be released within 12 months of the accident.
Smith was replaced on the Warsaw City Council by Ron Shoemaker.
2. Biomet co-founder and longtime community leader Dr. Dane Miller died Feb. 10 at age 69.
Hundreds of people poured into the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center Feb. 20 for his public memorial service.
“When I saw the program for today, I thought it was perfect. Everyone listed here was listed as a friend,” former Indiana Governor and Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said at the service. It was hard, if not impossible, to not be Miller’s friend once you met him, Daniels said.
Miller was born Feb. 7, 1946, in Bellefontaine, Ohio, to Ruth and Ersie Miller. On Feb. 26, 1966, he married Mary Louise Schilke, who survives.
He was a founder of Biomet Inc. and served as its president and chief executive officer from its inception until March 2006, when he retired. He continued to be on the board of directors of Biomet as a result of the acquisition of the company by a private equity consortium, including Miller, in 2007.
A Warsaw and Winona Lake community resident for almost 40 years, he was honored by many institutions and organizations due to his business acumen and his philanthropy, according to his obituary. Dr. and Mrs. Miller established the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation in order to provide financial assistance to various charitable organizations, in addition to educational scholarships.
3. Two people were killed in a double shooting in Syracuse Feb. 19 and five were arrested in connection to the murders.
Joshua Randall Knisley, 19, of 205 E. Main St., was pronounced dead at the scene. His girlfriend, Tara Thornburg, 23, same address, was airlifted to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She remained in critical condition until finally succumbing to her injuries.
Brandon Thomas Woody, 22, of 605 W. North St., Syracuse, was charged with murder and attempted murder after Thornburg identified him twice as the man who shot her and her boyfriend. Woody was taken into custody at gunpoint in Mishawaka shortly after 2 p.m. Feb. 19 after tips from citizens directed police to St. Joseph County.
Thornburg said in the 911 call that Woody had shot her boyfriend in the head and knocked her out, before losing contact with the operator. The responding officer found her in the downstairs living room with a gunshot wound to the head, a laceration under her left eye and a pool of blood on the floor.
Knisley’s body was found in an upstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head. The officer also found three unspent 9mm cartridges under the bed and one spent cartridge on the bed.
A Lutheran Hospital doctor told police the gun appeared to have been placed inside Thornburg’s mouth when she was shot. The bullet had entered through her mouth and gone through a vertebra.
Thomas Glen Hursey, 27, Warsaw, was charged with two counts of murder, along with a felony charge of aiding, inducing or causing robbery with serious bodily injury, a level 2 felony. Hursey spoke with an officer from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department March 4 and admitted he was with Woody and Kyle Dehart the night of the murders. Hursey said the three of them traveled to Thornburg’s residence with the intention to steal her marijuana. Hursey said they took a bag with tape and a utility knife to restrain Thornburg and cut her throat.
Hursey said they drove to Dehart’s parents’ home. Hursey said he used lighter fluid to burn the evidence.
Dehart’s mother, Joan Dehart, woke them up at 5 a.m. the following morning and asked where Woody was and said she would be their alibi. She drove Woody to Warsaw. She was arrested for assisting a criminal, and bonded out.
Kyle Dehart’s girlfriend, Ashlyn Nicole Shepard, 21, Mishawaka, was arrested and charged with an obstruction of justice.
Woody pleaded not guilty and his attorney sought a change of venue for the murder trial, which is scheduled for sometime in 2016.
4. With the Zimmer and Biomet merger completed in June, the Warsaw community didn’t lose a company but gained a larger player in the orthopedic industry.
Just a few blocks from where Justin Zimmer first made aluminum splints in a home basement in 1927, CEO David Dvorak and Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer unveiled the combined company June 24 made official when Zimmer completed its $14 billion purchase of Biomet.
The purchase received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the last regulatory agency to sign off on the deal after it was first announced in April 2014. Agencies in Europe and Japan had given the green light in March.
The agencies gave clearance on the condition that Zimmer and Biomet sell off certain assets to allay fears of anticompetitiveness. Italian orthopedic company Lima Corporate purchased European rights in May to a Zimmer knee brand and a Biomet elbow brand as well as rights in Denmark and Sweden for a Biomet knee brand. London-based Smith & Nephew was to buy rights to Zimmer’s ZUK knee implant business, and California-based DJO Global was to purchase an elbow implant and bone cement business from Biomet.
During remarks ahead of the unveiling of the new Zimmer Biomet sign in front of Zimmer’s Main Street facility, Thallemer observed that Dr. Dane Miller launched Biomet about 50 years after Zimmer started. Founded on the same sweat and ideals, he said, they followed parallel competitive paths for years before finally converging.
“Warsaw celebrates this merger, and the community amplifies your commitment to move forward,” Thallemer said. “We congratulate you and we’re proud to be your home.”
The merger solidifies Warsaw as the world capital of the $45 billion musculoskeletal healthcare market, Dvorak remarked.
“We all have the same goal, improving lives one patient at a time,” he said. “Zimmer and Biomet are each proud to call Warsaw home.”
The combined company now has operations in more than 25 countries and sells products in more than 100 countries, according to the announcement issued on the closure of the deal.
5.. An investigation by local and state fire officials into the Feb. 6 fire at Warsaw Chemical determined that the blaze, which originated in the center of the structure, was accidental.
The fire occurred at the company's facility at 290 Argonne Road, Warsaw. Due to concerns regarding the inhalation of chemicals found in the plant, at least six wastewater personnel and three firefighters were transported to the hospital for treatment.
The fire report indicates the fire suppression system in the building may not have fully deployed.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security performed air monitoring during the incident to protect neighboring residents from potentially hazardous fumes. Based on readings, the area was determined safe by mid-afternoon, allowing the evacuation order to be lifted.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Grace College Center for Lakes & Streams were present during response activities to monitor conditions within Winona Lake during the fire suppression activities. Aeration was used to introduce oxygen into the water and help protect aquatic life. There has been no indication that fish quantity or quality was impacted by the incident, nor do officials anticipate that the summer swimming season will be impacted, a press release from Mayor Joe Thallemer’s office stated.
Environmental cleanup at the site included the removal of solid waste and the disposal of liquid waste. The Grace College Center for Lakes & Streams continued to monitor the impact on Winona Lake throughout the year.
After the fire and spill in February, City of Warsaw officials realized that while their response was good, there was more they could do to respond to emergencies in the future. On Dec. 18, the Board of Public Works and Safety approved an agreement with retired Warsaw Police Dept. officer Michael Cox for emergency management services. The contract is for one year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016.
6. Two teenagers drowned in May and two juveniles were charged in connection to the drug-related deaths in Warsaw.
Kaleb Lampkin and Korbin Foster, both 17, drowned in a pond at Lampkin’s residence, 2028 S. Maple Run, Warsaw, during a birthday party on May 30.
Deangello Granados, 18, was present with the deceased at one point during the night but was transported to the hospital due to alleged drug use.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department connected Granados, the deceased and the two arrested juveniles to $80 worth of acid, according to a previous release from KCSD.
The two juveniles arrested for dealing schedule I, II or III drugs and corrupt business influence in connection to the deaths were scheduled to be present in Kosciusko County Superior Court July 14. Juvenile hearings are private.
Jared Thomas Frantz, 28, of 1400 N. Haiden Drive, Syracuse, was arrested July 7 by the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force for dealing a schedule I, II or III controlled substance in relation to the deaths of Lampkin and Foster.
7. In another murder in the county this past year, a family lost their father when one of his sons shot him.
Ryan D. Poe, who was arrested July 3 for murdering his father, entered a plea agreement in Kosciusko County Circuit Court Dec. 21.
Ryan Poe, 35, of 690 E. Levi Lee Road, Warsaw, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a sentence enhancement, a level 2 felony, according to Kosciusko court clerks. Judge Michael Reed accepted the plea offer and has until Jan. 24, 2016, to make a decision. The plea is for a fixed 40-year sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Ryan Poe shot and killed his father, Ronnie Poe, 60. According to a previous Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department press release, Aaron Poe said his mother, Deanna Poe, and brother, Ryan, were in the mobile home at 690 E. Levi Lee Road, Warsaw, at the time of the shooting. KCSD confirmed both the victim and suspect lived in the trailer.
Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office pronounced Ronnie dead at the scene from the gunshot wound.
Ronnie Poe just turned 60 May 17 and they had lived in the trailer for 20 years. The family was having dinner when Ryan and Ronnie began to argue.
8. Through a referendum early in 2015 that Warsaw Community Schools won, the school corporation will be gaining a new Lincoln Elementary School and renovations/additions to Washington STEM Academy and Edgewood Middle School.
During the May 5 primary election, there were 2,999 votes for “yes” on the referendum question and 1,814 for “no.”
“We’re just grateful for the support of the community and all the volunteers who came out to assist us the last few months,” Dr. David Hoffert, superintendent of WCS, said after the results were in.
“As Warsaw Community Schools, we are grateful for the opportunity to address safety, security and educational needs at Lincoln, Washington and Edgewood through this referendum. Our community is very proud of our local schools, and today’s outcome provides all students a safe and equitable learning environment.”
The question on the ballot asked, “Shall Warsaw Community Schools issue bonds or enter into a lease to finance the construction of a replacement of Lincoln Elementary School and the renovation of and improvements to the Washington Elementary School and Edgewood Middle School, which is estimated to cost not more than $39,900,000 and is estimated to increase the property tax rate for debt service by a maximum of $0.138 per $100 of assessed valuation over the 20 year life of the bonds?”
This was the first time voters in Warsaw were asked to answer a question like this, though it’s not the first time WCS has constructed any buildings. A law change in 2008 requires voters to approve building projects worth $12 million or more via referendum if new property taxes are needed to pay for them.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lincoln was Dec. 17, with Performance Services as the contractor for the project.
9. Syracuse resident Jaron Wiggs faced multiple charges after police say he confined a woman and her children to their house, attempted arson and threatened to shoot officers.
Wiggs, 27, of 402 W. Pickwick Drive, Syracuse, was arrested Aug. 30 by Syracuse police for criminal confinement, intimidation, arson, criminal recklessness and invasion of privacy.
According to Kosciusko County officials, police encountered Wiggs near Wawasee High School’s auto mechanic shop after 5 p.m. Wiggs ran toward the officer, stating that his house was on fire and that he wanted the officer to shoot him in the head. He told police that if they didn’t shoot him, then he would shoot them in the head. When asked if he had a weapon, Wiggs replied “maybe.” Officers convinced Wiggs to lay on the ground and then detained him.
Police summoned the Syracuse Fire Department to the Pickwick Drive residence. Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott later confirmed that lighter fluid was spread throughout the house and that the fire had gone out by the time the fire department arrived.
Police then interrogated the owner of the home, who said that when Wiggs arrived at her home earlier that day, she assumed he was under the influence of a controlled substance so she attempted to leave with her two children. Wiggs, holding a metal rod, said that if she attempted to leave or contact police he would kill her in front of her children, according to police. Wiggs eventually let the victim and her children leave the house hours later.
Wiggs’ mother later contacted the victim looking for Wiggs. She told police that Wiggs had called her saying that he hated his life and was going to kill himself.
The victim had a protective order stating that Wiggs was not to have contact with her.
Wiggs was booked into Kosciusko County Jail on a $15,250 bond.
On Dec. 3, the court granted a motion for a two-day jury trial to commence April 5 at 9 a.m., with the final pre-trial conference Feb. 8 at 8:30 a.m.
10. On Jan. 4, the newest season of ABC’s “The Bachelor” will feature Warsaw Community High School 2008 graduate Ben Higgins.
The season also will feature some local Warsaw and Winona Lake locations as the reality dating show filmed several times in the area over the past several months.
Higgins was a contestant on the last season of “The Bachelorette.” After becoming a fan favorite, he was named the next “Bachelor” for the ABC show.
In September, Higgins rode in a Corvette for the high school’s homecoming parade, with Tony Elliott driving the yellow vehicle.
But the show really came to Warsaw when it set up a carnival downtown Oct. 25 for Higgins to have a date with Amanda Stanton. The night before, he went on another date with another contestant at Rex’s Rendezvous, and the show’s “rose ceremony” was held Oct. 26 though that wasn’t open to the public.
The carnival started letting the public in at about 7 p.m., but Higgins and his date didn’t arrive until almost 10 p.m. An estimated 2,500 people were there throughout the night, with the line going from Main Street south to Market Street.
“The Bachelor” narrator and host Chris Harrison also was in town that weekend for filming.
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The Kosciusko County community over the past year lost leaders by natural causes and an airplane accident, and lost several people through criminal activity.
To determine the top stories of the year, the front-page local headlines from every newspaper of the year were narrowed down to a list of the biggest 52 stories. The Times-Union staff then voted on their choices for the top 10.
Here are the results:[[In-content Ad]]1. Four local men were killed Oct. 2 in an airplane crash on their way to the Notre Dame-Clemson football game.
Warsaw City Councilman, former Tippecanoe Valley High School football coach and retired Lake City Bank Executive Vice President in charge of Commercial Banking Charles “Charlie” D. Smith, 71; his son and local attorney Scott Smith, 44; business owner and retired Sprint Car driver Tony L. Elliott, 54; and former Tippecanoe Valley High School guidance counselor, teacher and coach Scott Bibler, 51, were killed when Charlie Smith’s Piper Saratoga PA-32 crashed near Lake Hartwell on the Georgia-South Carolina border.
“All four are great community folk, all in a different way, and it will be a big hole to fill, with all four of them,” Warsaw Mayor Dr. Joe Thallemer said in an interview Oct. 3. “Certainly, Charlie wouldn’t want to be remembered as any better than anyone else. That was the way he was. He worked hard and did a lot for the community. Again, it will be tough to fill those shoes. But every one of them has families, every one were involved in businesses. All four of them typified what makes our community great – that’s their selfless attitude and love for the community.”
The aircraft incident was deemed accidental, according to a press release Oct. 5 from the Oconee County Coroner’s Office. The National Transportation and Safety Board issued a preliminary report Oct. 10 on the crash, with the final report to be released within 12 months of the accident.
Smith was replaced on the Warsaw City Council by Ron Shoemaker.
2. Biomet co-founder and longtime community leader Dr. Dane Miller died Feb. 10 at age 69.
Hundreds of people poured into the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center Feb. 20 for his public memorial service.
“When I saw the program for today, I thought it was perfect. Everyone listed here was listed as a friend,” former Indiana Governor and Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said at the service. It was hard, if not impossible, to not be Miller’s friend once you met him, Daniels said.
Miller was born Feb. 7, 1946, in Bellefontaine, Ohio, to Ruth and Ersie Miller. On Feb. 26, 1966, he married Mary Louise Schilke, who survives.
He was a founder of Biomet Inc. and served as its president and chief executive officer from its inception until March 2006, when he retired. He continued to be on the board of directors of Biomet as a result of the acquisition of the company by a private equity consortium, including Miller, in 2007.
A Warsaw and Winona Lake community resident for almost 40 years, he was honored by many institutions and organizations due to his business acumen and his philanthropy, according to his obituary. Dr. and Mrs. Miller established the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation in order to provide financial assistance to various charitable organizations, in addition to educational scholarships.
3. Two people were killed in a double shooting in Syracuse Feb. 19 and five were arrested in connection to the murders.
Joshua Randall Knisley, 19, of 205 E. Main St., was pronounced dead at the scene. His girlfriend, Tara Thornburg, 23, same address, was airlifted to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She remained in critical condition until finally succumbing to her injuries.
Brandon Thomas Woody, 22, of 605 W. North St., Syracuse, was charged with murder and attempted murder after Thornburg identified him twice as the man who shot her and her boyfriend. Woody was taken into custody at gunpoint in Mishawaka shortly after 2 p.m. Feb. 19 after tips from citizens directed police to St. Joseph County.
Thornburg said in the 911 call that Woody had shot her boyfriend in the head and knocked her out, before losing contact with the operator. The responding officer found her in the downstairs living room with a gunshot wound to the head, a laceration under her left eye and a pool of blood on the floor.
Knisley’s body was found in an upstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head. The officer also found three unspent 9mm cartridges under the bed and one spent cartridge on the bed.
A Lutheran Hospital doctor told police the gun appeared to have been placed inside Thornburg’s mouth when she was shot. The bullet had entered through her mouth and gone through a vertebra.
Thomas Glen Hursey, 27, Warsaw, was charged with two counts of murder, along with a felony charge of aiding, inducing or causing robbery with serious bodily injury, a level 2 felony. Hursey spoke with an officer from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department March 4 and admitted he was with Woody and Kyle Dehart the night of the murders. Hursey said the three of them traveled to Thornburg’s residence with the intention to steal her marijuana. Hursey said they took a bag with tape and a utility knife to restrain Thornburg and cut her throat.
Hursey said they drove to Dehart’s parents’ home. Hursey said he used lighter fluid to burn the evidence.
Dehart’s mother, Joan Dehart, woke them up at 5 a.m. the following morning and asked where Woody was and said she would be their alibi. She drove Woody to Warsaw. She was arrested for assisting a criminal, and bonded out.
Kyle Dehart’s girlfriend, Ashlyn Nicole Shepard, 21, Mishawaka, was arrested and charged with an obstruction of justice.
Woody pleaded not guilty and his attorney sought a change of venue for the murder trial, which is scheduled for sometime in 2016.
4. With the Zimmer and Biomet merger completed in June, the Warsaw community didn’t lose a company but gained a larger player in the orthopedic industry.
Just a few blocks from where Justin Zimmer first made aluminum splints in a home basement in 1927, CEO David Dvorak and Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer unveiled the combined company June 24 made official when Zimmer completed its $14 billion purchase of Biomet.
The purchase received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the last regulatory agency to sign off on the deal after it was first announced in April 2014. Agencies in Europe and Japan had given the green light in March.
The agencies gave clearance on the condition that Zimmer and Biomet sell off certain assets to allay fears of anticompetitiveness. Italian orthopedic company Lima Corporate purchased European rights in May to a Zimmer knee brand and a Biomet elbow brand as well as rights in Denmark and Sweden for a Biomet knee brand. London-based Smith & Nephew was to buy rights to Zimmer’s ZUK knee implant business, and California-based DJO Global was to purchase an elbow implant and bone cement business from Biomet.
During remarks ahead of the unveiling of the new Zimmer Biomet sign in front of Zimmer’s Main Street facility, Thallemer observed that Dr. Dane Miller launched Biomet about 50 years after Zimmer started. Founded on the same sweat and ideals, he said, they followed parallel competitive paths for years before finally converging.
“Warsaw celebrates this merger, and the community amplifies your commitment to move forward,” Thallemer said. “We congratulate you and we’re proud to be your home.”
The merger solidifies Warsaw as the world capital of the $45 billion musculoskeletal healthcare market, Dvorak remarked.
“We all have the same goal, improving lives one patient at a time,” he said. “Zimmer and Biomet are each proud to call Warsaw home.”
The combined company now has operations in more than 25 countries and sells products in more than 100 countries, according to the announcement issued on the closure of the deal.
5.. An investigation by local and state fire officials into the Feb. 6 fire at Warsaw Chemical determined that the blaze, which originated in the center of the structure, was accidental.
The fire occurred at the company's facility at 290 Argonne Road, Warsaw. Due to concerns regarding the inhalation of chemicals found in the plant, at least six wastewater personnel and three firefighters were transported to the hospital for treatment.
The fire report indicates the fire suppression system in the building may not have fully deployed.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security performed air monitoring during the incident to protect neighboring residents from potentially hazardous fumes. Based on readings, the area was determined safe by mid-afternoon, allowing the evacuation order to be lifted.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Grace College Center for Lakes & Streams were present during response activities to monitor conditions within Winona Lake during the fire suppression activities. Aeration was used to introduce oxygen into the water and help protect aquatic life. There has been no indication that fish quantity or quality was impacted by the incident, nor do officials anticipate that the summer swimming season will be impacted, a press release from Mayor Joe Thallemer’s office stated.
Environmental cleanup at the site included the removal of solid waste and the disposal of liquid waste. The Grace College Center for Lakes & Streams continued to monitor the impact on Winona Lake throughout the year.
After the fire and spill in February, City of Warsaw officials realized that while their response was good, there was more they could do to respond to emergencies in the future. On Dec. 18, the Board of Public Works and Safety approved an agreement with retired Warsaw Police Dept. officer Michael Cox for emergency management services. The contract is for one year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016.
6. Two teenagers drowned in May and two juveniles were charged in connection to the drug-related deaths in Warsaw.
Kaleb Lampkin and Korbin Foster, both 17, drowned in a pond at Lampkin’s residence, 2028 S. Maple Run, Warsaw, during a birthday party on May 30.
Deangello Granados, 18, was present with the deceased at one point during the night but was transported to the hospital due to alleged drug use.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department connected Granados, the deceased and the two arrested juveniles to $80 worth of acid, according to a previous release from KCSD.
The two juveniles arrested for dealing schedule I, II or III drugs and corrupt business influence in connection to the deaths were scheduled to be present in Kosciusko County Superior Court July 14. Juvenile hearings are private.
Jared Thomas Frantz, 28, of 1400 N. Haiden Drive, Syracuse, was arrested July 7 by the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force for dealing a schedule I, II or III controlled substance in relation to the deaths of Lampkin and Foster.
7. In another murder in the county this past year, a family lost their father when one of his sons shot him.
Ryan D. Poe, who was arrested July 3 for murdering his father, entered a plea agreement in Kosciusko County Circuit Court Dec. 21.
Ryan Poe, 35, of 690 E. Levi Lee Road, Warsaw, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a sentence enhancement, a level 2 felony, according to Kosciusko court clerks. Judge Michael Reed accepted the plea offer and has until Jan. 24, 2016, to make a decision. The plea is for a fixed 40-year sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Ryan Poe shot and killed his father, Ronnie Poe, 60. According to a previous Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department press release, Aaron Poe said his mother, Deanna Poe, and brother, Ryan, were in the mobile home at 690 E. Levi Lee Road, Warsaw, at the time of the shooting. KCSD confirmed both the victim and suspect lived in the trailer.
Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office pronounced Ronnie dead at the scene from the gunshot wound.
Ronnie Poe just turned 60 May 17 and they had lived in the trailer for 20 years. The family was having dinner when Ryan and Ronnie began to argue.
8. Through a referendum early in 2015 that Warsaw Community Schools won, the school corporation will be gaining a new Lincoln Elementary School and renovations/additions to Washington STEM Academy and Edgewood Middle School.
During the May 5 primary election, there were 2,999 votes for “yes” on the referendum question and 1,814 for “no.”
“We’re just grateful for the support of the community and all the volunteers who came out to assist us the last few months,” Dr. David Hoffert, superintendent of WCS, said after the results were in.
“As Warsaw Community Schools, we are grateful for the opportunity to address safety, security and educational needs at Lincoln, Washington and Edgewood through this referendum. Our community is very proud of our local schools, and today’s outcome provides all students a safe and equitable learning environment.”
The question on the ballot asked, “Shall Warsaw Community Schools issue bonds or enter into a lease to finance the construction of a replacement of Lincoln Elementary School and the renovation of and improvements to the Washington Elementary School and Edgewood Middle School, which is estimated to cost not more than $39,900,000 and is estimated to increase the property tax rate for debt service by a maximum of $0.138 per $100 of assessed valuation over the 20 year life of the bonds?”
This was the first time voters in Warsaw were asked to answer a question like this, though it’s not the first time WCS has constructed any buildings. A law change in 2008 requires voters to approve building projects worth $12 million or more via referendum if new property taxes are needed to pay for them.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lincoln was Dec. 17, with Performance Services as the contractor for the project.
9. Syracuse resident Jaron Wiggs faced multiple charges after police say he confined a woman and her children to their house, attempted arson and threatened to shoot officers.
Wiggs, 27, of 402 W. Pickwick Drive, Syracuse, was arrested Aug. 30 by Syracuse police for criminal confinement, intimidation, arson, criminal recklessness and invasion of privacy.
According to Kosciusko County officials, police encountered Wiggs near Wawasee High School’s auto mechanic shop after 5 p.m. Wiggs ran toward the officer, stating that his house was on fire and that he wanted the officer to shoot him in the head. He told police that if they didn’t shoot him, then he would shoot them in the head. When asked if he had a weapon, Wiggs replied “maybe.” Officers convinced Wiggs to lay on the ground and then detained him.
Police summoned the Syracuse Fire Department to the Pickwick Drive residence. Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott later confirmed that lighter fluid was spread throughout the house and that the fire had gone out by the time the fire department arrived.
Police then interrogated the owner of the home, who said that when Wiggs arrived at her home earlier that day, she assumed he was under the influence of a controlled substance so she attempted to leave with her two children. Wiggs, holding a metal rod, said that if she attempted to leave or contact police he would kill her in front of her children, according to police. Wiggs eventually let the victim and her children leave the house hours later.
Wiggs’ mother later contacted the victim looking for Wiggs. She told police that Wiggs had called her saying that he hated his life and was going to kill himself.
The victim had a protective order stating that Wiggs was not to have contact with her.
Wiggs was booked into Kosciusko County Jail on a $15,250 bond.
On Dec. 3, the court granted a motion for a two-day jury trial to commence April 5 at 9 a.m., with the final pre-trial conference Feb. 8 at 8:30 a.m.
10. On Jan. 4, the newest season of ABC’s “The Bachelor” will feature Warsaw Community High School 2008 graduate Ben Higgins.
The season also will feature some local Warsaw and Winona Lake locations as the reality dating show filmed several times in the area over the past several months.
Higgins was a contestant on the last season of “The Bachelorette.” After becoming a fan favorite, he was named the next “Bachelor” for the ABC show.
In September, Higgins rode in a Corvette for the high school’s homecoming parade, with Tony Elliott driving the yellow vehicle.
But the show really came to Warsaw when it set up a carnival downtown Oct. 25 for Higgins to have a date with Amanda Stanton. The night before, he went on another date with another contestant at Rex’s Rendezvous, and the show’s “rose ceremony” was held Oct. 26 though that wasn’t open to the public.
The carnival started letting the public in at about 7 p.m., but Higgins and his date didn’t arrive until almost 10 p.m. An estimated 2,500 people were there throughout the night, with the line going from Main Street south to Market Street.
“The Bachelor” narrator and host Chris Harrison also was in town that weekend for filming.
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