Implications obtained through interviews with a murder suspect have led to similar charges against another man - the suspect's father.

Ralph Freddrick "Fred" Fisher, 47, of Goshen, was taken into custody early Saturday morning at his Elkhart County home, where two SWAT teams assisted in the arrest. Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine said Fisher's residence was under surveillance since before the warrant was issued Friday afternoon for his arrest. Police moved in when it appear that Fisher, who had a recreational vehicle parked in front of his home, was planning to flee. Rovenstine said he believes Fisher "knew something was up."

After being booked into the Kosciusko County Jail, Fisher was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, where he was kept under police guard until being medically released Sunday. He complained of chest pain shortly after his arrest and reportedly had a blood pressure of 236/121 prior to being transported to the hospital. He is charged with murder and is being held in the KCJ without bond.

Jason Fisher, 23, of Middlebury, has been incarcerated since January 2001, when he was charged with the murder of 48-year-old Kathy Vroman of Milford. Vroman's partially snow-covered body was recovered from a wooded area near Three Rivers, Mich., several days after she was reported missing early last year. An autopsy revealed that she died of a gunshot wound to the head. A total of two gunshot wounds were uncovered in the autopsy.

Police reports and court records indicate that Fisher, who was owner of Country Car Co. in Milford, was involved in an auto theft ring. Vroman was an employee of the business, and the elder Fisher; Vroman's husband, William Vroman; Lawrence Grant; and George Aldrich all had connections to the used car dealership. The latter three pleaded guilty to burglary and theft charges in connection with a December 2000 break-in to Rice Ford in Warsaw, where more than $100,000 worth of vehicles were stolen.

All three men have been sentenced for their involvement in the crime and were expected to testify in the murder trial against Jason Fisher.

Kathy Vroman was reported missing by her husband on Jan. 15. When the missing person case became a murder investigation, Fred Fisher was charged with assisting a criminal and unlawful movement of a body. Those charges were later dismissed - the first because of provisions in the law which say that a parent, spouse or child cannot be charged for assisting a relative in such a crime. In May, a charge of obstruction of justice, a Class D felony, was filed against the elder Fisher, and the original charges against him were dismissed.

Jason Fisher was scheduled to go on trial for murder in December, but new information in the case forced a delay. The younger Fisher was additionally charged with burglary and theft related to the Rice Ford case and, though authorities didn't release the information at that time, the new light in the murder investigation was lit by defense investigations with Jason Fisher.

Fred Fisher was scheduled to appear in Kosciusko Circuit Court this morning for an initial hearing on the murder charge.

Kociusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner declined to comment as to how the new charge against Fred Fisher will affect the charges pending against either of the Fisher men. [[In-content Ad]]