Relevance Date

Teen Faces Charges In Auto Theft

Joyriding was short-lived when an alleged car thief was stopped for speeding about an hour after a Warsaw woman reported her car missing. Jason Thorn, 16, no address available, is preliminarily charged with auto theft in Kosciusko County and faces an infraction charge of driving while suspended in Noble County. According to reports from the Kosciusko and Noble county sheriff's departments, Thorn was stopped about 3:16 a.m.today by Ligonier police for allegedly traveling at high speed near the intersection of U.S.6 and Westwood Drive in Noble County. Thorn reportedly told the Ligonier officer that he borrowed the car from a friend's father, but he couldn't provide the officer with the name of the car owner. At 2:03 a.m.today, Suzy M.Fortress of EMS B36B1 Lane, Warsaw, called the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department after watching her 1997 Monte Carlo being driven away from her residence.
Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Pierceton Woman Faces Charges After 'Crack' Bust

Drug Task Force officers made the largest crack-cocaine bust in Kosciusko County history Tuesday afternoon. Acting on tips, police seized about 49 crack rocks from Donna Anderson's Pierceton residence.A task force officer said the crack was packaged for sale in amounts typically sold for $20 and $50. Police also found marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at the residence. Anderson, 29, of 419 Village St., Pierceton, was arrested and booked into Kosciusko County Jail on charges of dealing in cocaine, a Class A felony; dealing in marijuana, a Class D felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Class D felony; and maintaining a common nuisance. Crack cocaine is "a problem just starting to get into our county," a task force officer said."Once it's here, it only gets worse." The officer said one problem with crack is that it is highly addictive.Property crimes often increase in areas with many crack-cocaine addicts.
KRISTA PRIMROSE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Fisher Trial To Stay Here

Jason Fisher of Millersburg will stand trial in Kosciusko County. Fisher, 22, was before Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed Wednesday afternoon seeking a change of venue in the murder case pending against him. Fisher's court-appointed attorney, Mike Miner, argued that there has been an abundance of local media publicity that could prejudice his client from receiving a fair and impartial trial.However, Reed denied the motion for a change of venue, as well as an alternative motion for an out-of-county jury panel. Fisher is accused of the shooting death of 48-year-old Kathy Vroman of Milford.Vroman's husband, William Vroman, reported her missing on Jan.15 after she failed to return home from work.Kathy Vroman was employed by Country Car Co.at Milford, a business that was owned by Fisher.
RUTH ANNE LIPKA, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Police Recover Guns Stolen In Burglary

Working on a tip from another police agency, Warsaw police on Tuesday recovered nine of 10 guns stolen during a March 29 burglary of the home of a conservation officer and arrested two men for the crime.The 10th gun is reportedly in the custody of authorities in New York. An unrelated arrest of a man in Whitley County led officers from the sheriff's department there to learn that a group of people the man knew allegedly had stolen guns in the trunk of a car in Warsaw.The two men arrested here Tuesday reportedly were staying at the Days Inn. Two brothers, Phillip Goodman, 23, of 3527 Lake City Highway #227, Warsaw, and Jeremy Lee Goodman, 20, of 418 Village Road, Pierceton, are being held in the Kosciusko County Jail on charges of burglary to a residence and theft from a residence.Bond will be set by the court during the men's initial hearing.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

Convicted Robber Faces 70 Years

A Fort Wayne man convicted of armed robbery Feb.22 will spend 70 years in prison. During a three-day trial in February, a jury found Richard A.Mitchell, 45, of Fort Wayne, guilty of armed robbery, being a serious violent felon in possession of a handgun and being a habitual felony offender.Mitchell robbed Stimmelators Gentlemen's Club, North Webster, with a gun Aug.12, 2003. Before Judge Rex Reed handed down the sentence Thursday, Mitchell addressed the court. "I cannot be remorseful for something I did not do," Mitchell said, adding that he should be home with his bride instead of sitting in jail. Mitchell said his wife and his parents were victims of his incarceration and said he missed several family events while in jail. After Mitchell's address in Kosciusko Circuit Court, Judge Reed explained the aggravating and mitigating factors he considered in determining the sentence.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Jason Fisher Testifies Against His Father

Jason Fisher took the stand this morning in the second day of testimony in Kosciusko Circuit Court in the murder trial of Ralph Freddrick "Fred" Fisher, 47, of Goshen, and told jurors that his father was alone in the Milford business on the day Kathy Vroman was killed. He also told jurors that the murder charge against him is to be dismissed in exchange for his testimony. Ralph Fisher is accused of killing 48-year-old Kathy Vroman Jan.15, 2001, inside the Country Car Co., a Milford business owned by his son, Jason Fisher.Originally, Jason Fisher, 24, of Millersburg, was charged with Vroman's murder.However, in December, Jason Fisher turned the focus of the investigation on his father when he implicated Ralph Fisher as the shooter.Jason Fisher spent 10 months in the Kosciusko County Jail before accusing his father of the murder.He has since been released from incarceration, pending trial for which a date has not been set.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

Victim's Husband Testifies That Witness Is Lying

After Jason Fisher spent most of Wednesday on the witness stand in Kosciusko Circuit Court, the murder victim's widower tearfully testified that Jason Fisher is a liar.Also, Jason Fisher claims that another man involved in the case was paid by Ralph Fisher to say Jason Fisher was the murderer. At the start of the trial today, the state rested its case and the defense moved for, but was denied, a directed verdict. A directed verdict means the defense counsel believes the prosecution did not prove its case and asks that the judge rule on the matter without the intervention of the jury.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

County Health Department Gives Annual Report

The 2004 Kosciusko County Health Department annual report provides information on the work the department has done in the past year, from grant writing to water laboratory certification. At the Kosciusko County Board of Health meeting Wednesday, county health administrator Bob Weaver said copies of the report have been provided to the county council, commissioners, auditor and county administrator, as well as board members. Grants the health department received in 2004 include a $30,000 local health maintenance grant, $34,000 tobacco master settlement grant, $19,200 tobacco supplement and $14,175 prenatal grant, all from the Indiana State Department of Health; and a $40,000 Well Child grant from the United Way of Kosciusko County.The 2004 general budget for the health department was $501,971, with expenditures of $441,293.57, resulting in a balance of $60,677.43.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Fisher Murder Charge Dropped

As promised by Kosciusko County's prosecutor, a charge of murder was dismissed against a Millersburg man accused in the Jan.15, 2001, death of a Milford woman. The charge against Jason Fisher, 23, was officially dismissed Monday, just more than two weeks after the trial in which his father, Ralph Fredderick Fisher, 47, of Goshen, was acquitted of the same charge. Jason Fisher spent more than 10 months in the Kosciusko County Jail charged with the death of Kathy Vroman, 48, of Milford, before he told officials that it was his father who committed the crime. Kosciusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner then charged Ralph Fisher with the murder and, as was learned during the elder man's trial last month, promised to dismiss the murder charge against Jason Fisher in exchange for his testimony against his father.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

2 Held In Theft Of Computer From Wal-Mart

Alleging that they picked up a computer system from layaway, two men reportedly fled Wal-Mart Supercenter Monday morning with the $1,248 item. However, after loading the system into the trunk of their car, Brian David Krull, 32, of Knox, and Jeff Glenn Patterson, 49, of South Bend, only got a few miles west on U.S.30 from the store before being apprehended by police. A Wal-Mart employee notified Warsaw police of the theft at 10:31 a.m.According to in-store surveillance video, one of the men reportedly placed the computer system in a cart inside the store.He then walked out past a greeter, who asked to see the receipt for the item.The man told the female employee that he just picked the item up from layaway and that he wasn't given a receipt.He then allegedly ran from the store, still pushing the cart.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

Jefferson Twp. Police Chase Ends In Crash, Arrest

An early-morning police chase ended when the suspect crashed the vehicle he was driving near Gravelton in Jefferson Township, just south of the Elkhart County line.The pickup involved was allegedly stolen from the Sellers Lake area. The incident began about 3:47 a.m.today when a Warsaw police officer saw a pickup parked along U.S.30 at CR 500W with no lights on.Ptl.Brian Hupp shined a light into the vehicle and saw there was someone inside, so he stopped to check on the driver. Hupp had been looking for a semi tractor/trailer whose driver was to be notified to return to Fort Wayne.He was following a rig that matched the description when he was told to disregard that matter.He then encountered the pickup.
RUTH ANNE LIPKA, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Defense Rests In Ralph Fisher Murder Trial

Receipts for goods and services, coupled with the testimony of two men who had dealings with Ralph Fisher on Jan.15, 2001, show Fisher couldn't have killed Kathy Vroman, his defense attorney says. The fate of Ralph Fredderick "Fred" Fisher, 47, of Goshen, is now in the hands of the jury.The defense rested this morning, and closing arguments were under way as of press time.The case was expected to go to the jury by lunchtime today.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

Caruso A Candidate For Superior II Judgeship

Mark Caruso, 40, has filed his candidacy for judge of Superior Court II on the Republican ticket. The incumbent is James Jarrette. Caruso, originally from New Jersey, began working as a deputy prosecuting attorney in June 1997.For more than four years he was assigned to Superior Court II, handling thousands of misdemeanor and infraction cases each year. He is presently assigned to Superior Court III, where he prosecutes felony traffic offenses and felony non-support-of-a-dependent cases. "During my four years in Superior Court II, I was able to establish a good working relationship with law enforcement officials and the defense bar," he said."Among my frustrations, and one of the reasons I am running for judge, is that the court's calendar needs to be controlled better, requiring accountability from the criminal defendants and flexibility for attorneys and witnesses.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Manchester Police Suspend Probe Into Racist E-Mail

NORTH MANCHESTER - Police have suspended the investigation into a racist e-mail sent to minority Manchester College student groups. North Manchester Police said the single message originated from a computer terminal within the school.They also said it was worded in such a way to skirt laws that may have applied if the wording had been different. The racist e-mail was believed to be linked to two bar fights that took place in North Manchester last weekend. Police said Thursday that although they know of no connection, both fights apparently were started with racial remarks and involved some of the same people.The investigation is continuing into the fights. The police said they decided to suspend the investigation of the e-mail after conferring with the Wabash County prosecutor and reviewing Indiana statutes.
Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Woman Pleads In Forgery Case

A Warsaw woman pleaded guilty to forgery charges in Kosciusko Superior Court I Wednesday after diverting $10,000 from the Warsaw Volunteer Fire Department in March and April 2004.If Judge Duane Huffer accepts her plea agreement, a Class D felony theft charge will be dropped when she is sentenced April 18. Abbey J.Hagan, 34, of Shady Lane, Warsaw, pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, a Class C felony, Wednesday.Although prosecutors recommended that she be sentenced to no more than two years in prison, forgery carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. Hagan had access to the account through her husband, who was the fire department's accountant at the time.Hagan forged her husband's signature on eight Warsaw Volunteer Fire Department checks ranging from $500 to $2,500 between March 1 and April 27, 2004, to help pay bills.The last of the checks, written for $1,000 April 27, was not cashed because officials at the fire department saw discrepancies in records.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Webster Teen Held In Burglary

A North Webster teen has been preliminarily charged as an adult in connection with an area burglary. Russell Wayne Stidams, 16, of 9374 E.Backwater Road, was charged Monday with burglary and theft.He is being held without bond in the Kosciusko County Jail. Stidams was arrested in connection with the burglary of a Leesburg home.Accord-ing to police reports, Sti-dams, with other teens, allegedly took a pistol, a cellular phone, Swiss army knife, personal checks and electronic equipment from a truck. Stidams allegedly then passed a stolen check for $336 check in merchandise at Pamida in Syracuse. Police also turned over charges to be filed against Stidams in connection with alleged vandalism in the Oswego area and an alleged burglary in Milford, said Det.Sgt.Sam Whitaker of the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department. Milford Police Department assisted KCSD with the investigation.
Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

County Police Recover Stolen Property

BURKET - While investigating a domestic disturbance at Diamond Lake Thursday, a Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department officer learned of a stolen four-wheeler at the residence. A title check verified that information and further information gathered at the Diamond Lake location led to a drug investigation at the residence of Brian Slone, 224 W.Tucker St., Burket. A search warrant was obtained by the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force and served at the Slone residence by the task force, detective and patrol divisions.Winona Lake Police Department Officer Danny Hall also provided assistance as items belonging to him were recovered at the Burket residence. The search netted an estimated $60,000 in construction tools and equipment as well as another stolen four-wheeler and a small motorcycle.To transport the stolen items to the sheriff's office, five truck loads and a full 16-foot trailer had to be used.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Mentone Chamber Seeks 'Egg' Tower Donations

Rita Price, president of the Mentone Chamber of Commerce, is collecting egg money. At a Tuesday night meeting Price and the Mentone chamber decided to be the collection point for private funds for the proposed egg-shaped water tower. "We've got a lot of people who want to donate money to this," said Price."There is tremendous financial support behind this." Price said the chamber is waiting to announce its financial goal until substantial donors reveal their donations to the fund drive.The egg could cost $25,000-$50,000 more than a plain tower. "We have the opportunity to do something to set (Mentone) apart and it's not going to cost taxpayers anything," said Price. She refused to name any potential donors, and said she believes the largest potential donor may never wish to reveal his identity. Price said the chamber would collect donations for the egg from private donors and then pay the difference between a standard tank and the novelty.
GREG BROWN, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Two Suspects At Large After Barbee Auto Theft

Two suspects are still at large after an early-morning auto theft near Barbee Lake. A car belonging to John Norman, EMS B48 Lane, was reported stolen at 1:06 this morning from the Norman home. A Kosciusko County sheriff's deputy on patrol spotted the stolen car stuck in a field near CR 1000N and 500E. The two suspects saw the police as they were attempting to get the car out of the field.They then fled on foot into a nearby woods. Police chased them into the woods and brought a K-9 unit to help search for the suspects. The recovered car sustained damage.The investigation is continuing.
TIFFANY SHAW, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

State Releases ISTEP Scores

Results of last fall's ISTEP+ tests show that almost 70 percent of high school sophomores in Kosciusko County will graduate after their first attempt at the required exam. However, that means another 30 percent will have to continue taking the test until they pass. The Indiana Department of Education released scores last week to individual school corporations. The students who did not pass the test in their sophomore year last fall will have two chances to take the test again in their junior year and another two chances in their senior year. The state started the qualifying exam last year for the class of 2000.Students must pass the exam during high school before then can graduate. In Kosciusko County, the breakdown for high school sophomores is: Warsaw Community High School: math - 66 percent above state standards, 30 percent below, 4 percent undetermined; language arts - 76 percent above, 21 percent below, 3 percent undetermined.
Laurie Hahn, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016
Previous Next