All posts by Rusty Nixon

Select scholars of Plymouth High School were recognized at the annual Academic Excellence Banquet on Monday, March 3rd, at The REES. The event celebrated the top 5% of the graduating class, each of whom selected a Most Inspirational Educator to honor during the evening.

​BOURBON — On Wednesday,​ Feb 26,​ at 6:45 a.m., Marshall County Deputies were dispatched to the area of US 30 and 12B Road for a Semi-Tractor that had run off the roadway and disconnected from its trailer.

The driver of the Semi-Tractor, identified as Richard J. Morris, 66, of Hobart,​ was transported to Plymouth Hospital with complaints of chest pain.
Agencies involved were the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department,​ Bourbon Police Department,​ Indiana State Police,​ Bourbon Fire & EMS,​ Tippecanoe Fire Department,​ Etna Green Fire Department,​ and Reichert ​& Knepp ​Wrecker Service.

PLYMOUTH — On March 2 at 3:10 a.m., a Plymouth Police officer observed a vehicle driving recklessly through the intersection of Jefferson Street and Michigan. The vehicle immediately attempted to flee, and a pursuit was initiated.

The vehicle attempted to evade police before coming to a stop behind a residence on East Jefferson Street. The driver, Ronny Bohorquez-Barboza, 20, of Plymouth, was immediately taken into custody. It was found that Bohorquez-Barboza was almost three times the legal limit and he was transported to the Marshall County Jail where he was lodged for resisting law enforcement, operating a vehicle while intoxicated at .15% or greater, endangerment, reckless driving, operating a vehicle without obtaining a license and minor in possession of alcohol.

Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

PLYMOUTH — On Feb. 28 at 5:29 p.m., Officers with the Plymouth Police Department were dispatched to Red Rock Inn for a fight in progress. Officers were informed that one of the men involved had green hair.

When officers arrived on the scene, they located a man with green hair who appeared to be arguing with a woman standing on the balcony. Officers confronted the man and asked what had happened. He said he didn’t know. The man had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person. The man refused to give his ID, and he was detained and resisted. He was later identified as William Freck, 36, of Warsaw.
It was alleged that Freck was causing a disturbance and being aggressive towards others and that he had poked a man in the eye. Freck was headbutted during that argument.
Freck took a portable breath test (PBT) and registered at .244 BAC. He was transported to Plymouth Hospital for jail clearance, where he resisted officers going inside, forcing them to carry him. Freck then kicked a Plymouth officer twice in the groin. Freck was medically cleared and was transported to Marshall County Jail.

BOURBON — On Sunday,​ March 3, at 3:29 p.m.,​ Marshall County Dispatch broadcast a report of a single-vehicle accident with an unknown location somewhere on Lincoln Hwy between Bourbon and Plymouth involving a red truck.

Marshall County Officers and a Bourbon Officer responded and located a vehicle matching the description along the side of the roadway.
The driver,​ Trent D Ross, 35, of Bourbon, was exhibiting signs of alcohol intoxication. Ross was transported to the Marshall County Jail for ​operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .15% or more and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated endangering.

Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

PLYMOUTH — On Feb. 27 at 9:01 p.m., Officers with the Plymouth Police Department stopped a vehicle for disregarding a stop sign at Western and Council Drive. The vehicle was pulled over on Western north of North Street.

During the traffic stop, the driver told the officer that the passenger had a warrant. The passenger was later identified as Jonathan Oxenham, 26, of Akron.
Marshall County Dispatch confirmed that Oxenham had a warrant out of Fulton County. He was taken into custody and transported to the Plymouth Hospital for medical clearance before being taken to Marshall County Jail and booked in for his warrant.

Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

LAPAZ — Marshall County Coroner Dean Byers was notified of a death on February 27, 2025, at 5:21pm at 212 South St. Lapaz, IN.  

The deceased, Francis Shafer age 79 was discovered inside his home at 212 South St. while a house fire was being extinguished.  

An autopsy has been scheduled to assist Investigators in determining the cause and manner of death. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Lapaz Fire Dept, Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.

Lapaz Fire Dept. was assisted by Bremen, Plymouth, Lakeville and Polk Twp. Fire Depts. 

PLYMOUTH — On Thursday, February 27, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Drug Task Force, assisted by the Plymouth Police, Indiana State Police, and Net 43, executed a search warrant in the 800 block of North Walnut Street in Plymouth.

During the investigation 50 year 50-year-old Brian Fearnow of Plymouth was arrested and transported to the Marshall County Jail. He is currently being held on a $3000.00 cash bond for possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a common nuisance, and neglect of a dependent.
The Indiana Department of Child Services also removed two children from the home.

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth Community School Corporation has named Aaron Esper as the new Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for North Central CTE.

Esper brings extensive experience in CTE programming, industry certifications, and dual credit initiatives. He has successfully led compliance efforts through evolving educational standards, including Next Level Programs of Study (NLPS). Under his leadership at his previous organization, industry-recognized certification attainment has grown by more than 1,000%, and early college and dual credit programs have expanded to the 95th percentile of college credits earned in Indiana.
In addition to his expertise in career and technical education, Esper has been instrumental in supporting English Language Learner (ELL) students, increasing the exit rate of students in ELL programming by 15% over two years. His leadership in grant writing has secured over $10 million in funding, directly benefiting students and educators.
Esper holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Purdue University, along with multiple building and district-level administration certifications, including experience in those areas, special populations, and CTE directly.
Throughout his career, he has served as a CTE Director, teacher, team leader, and administrator, developing innovative curriculum pathways and expanding access to underrepresented programs. His work has fostered strategic partnerships with universities and industry leaders, creating opportunities for students to gain real-world experience and career readiness.
“I’m looking forward to continuing the great tradition that the North Central CTE Cooperative has established in the last 40 years and finding ways to help grow and sustain it for the next 40,” said Esper.
Esper’s leadership will be instrumental in advancing CTE initiatives and expanding career pathways for students across North Central Indiana.

PLYMOUTH — On Feb. 27 at 2:09 p.m., Officers with the Plymouth Police Department were called to 500 West Jefferson Street for a male party who had just left the Handy Spot Liquor Store and appeared to be intoxicated.

Officers were unable to locate the vehicle. A second Plymouth Officer was on Michigan Street and located the vehicle with the same plate that had pulled out of Millea’s Liquor Store and started heading south on Michigan Street, nearly running into the rear end of another vehicle that was turning.
A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, and the driver was later identified as Mason Thorne, 25 years, of Knox. Thorne showed signs of being intoxicated and a field sobriety test was conducted. a portable breath test was given, and Thorne registered .241. Thorne was given a certified test at the Plymouth Hospital, which showed Thorne’s blood alcohol content was .310.
Thorne was then medically cleared and transported to Marshall County Jail, where he was booked for Operating while intoxicated, operating while intoxicated above .15.

Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

PLYMOUTH — The REES Theatre in historic downtown Plymouth is ushering in Lent by offering a Fat Tuesday lunch, which will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the theatre, 100 N Michigan Street.

Opie’s is cooking up jambalaya and cornbread. Individual king cakes will provide a bit of a sweet treat. Iced tea, lemonade and water will also be available with each $12 ticket.
A limited number of tickets are available at http://www.reestheatre.org, at the door on Tuesday, or by calling 574-276-3616.

BREMEN — While Bremen won’t have a new field house, the school corporation will still start the process of some improvements in the coming year.

The proposed field house was part of the READI grant request for the town of Bremen. The town received the grant, but the amount was lower than asked for, putting the proposed facility on the back burner for other higher priority projects. Bremen Superintendent James White told the members of the School Board that the building wasn’t feasible for the schools without a large input of financial support from the town, but the corporation will pursue the same route of working on some needed improvements around the facilities as part of a general obligation bond issue.
White said security of the buildings was a high priority and would like to re-locate the administrative offices at the high school to make the front entrance more secure. He told the board that paperwork for an agreement with the town for a School Resource Officer was underway and would like to include an office in the renovation for an SRO.
White also pointed to the need for a commercial kitchen in the schools as a tool for the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) curriculum.
A culinary program at Bremen would be limited without access to such a kitchen. He said that the Ag department could also utilize the kitchen as part of their food science education.
White also mentioned the HVAC system at the school that needs an upgrade but said that because of the funding needed, it would be a more long-term project. The current HVAC is not efficient, and at times, rooms can be uncomfortable, but he told the board that the corporation could keep the system running in the interim.
The Bremen School Board will next meet on March 12.

ARGOS — On Feb. 21 at 4:32 p.m.,​ Marshall County Central Dispatch advised of a reckless driver near the construction zone at 13th Rd. and U.S. 31. ​

The vehicles involved both continued south on U.S. 31 to the Argos area. The vehicle that was reported as originally driving recklessly was described as a black Ford F250 with cargo in a cardboard box in the bed of the truck. During the incident,​ the reporting party had apparently been following the black Ford for several miles in a white pickup truck. The black Ford involved later drove off of the roadway and into a corn
field near the area of 17th Rd. and Kenilworth Rd.,​ south of Argos. ​
During the incident,​ the reporting party advised that the driver of the black Ford had displayed and shot a
firearm while standing in the field. ​
The black ​Ford pickup was not located by officers when they arrived in the area during the initial call. Officers later conducted a search of the corn field and performed subsequent interviews. No evidence was found that any firearms were involved in this incident. The investigation of the case is complete,​ and a report will be forwarded to the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office for any potential criminal charges.

PLYMOUTH — On Monday,​ Feb. 24, at 5:48 p.m.,​ Marshall County Central Dispatch received a call regarding a single-vehicle motorcycle accident on US 30 eastbound,​ east of Plymouth-Goshen Trail.

The caller advised that the ​rider was conscious and alert and had minor complaints of ​injuries. When Officers arrived on scene, it was learned that the 2004 Honda CBR ridden by Timothy Murphy,​ of Plymouth,​ ​was traveling east on US 30 at a high rate of speed. Murphy ​attempted to pass another vehicle when he struck the rear of a semi-trailer, causing him to lose control.
Murphy and the motorcycle came to a rest in the grass on the south side of the road. ​Plymouth EMS transported him with minor complaints of pain.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department was assisted by Plymouth Fire & EMS, along with Lyons Wrecker Service. ​

PLYMOUTH — On Feb. 25 at 11:19 p.m., Plymouth Police officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle at the intersection of Laporte St. and Lake Ave.

The driver, Joe Wayne Duncan, 22, of Plymouth, was found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Duncan was transported to the Marshall County Jail.

Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

PLYMOUTH — On Feb. 25 at 8:45 p.m., Marshall County Central Dispatch was made aware of a video visit at the Marshall County Jail with an inmate.

It was discovered that the inmate had a protection order on the female, and she was in violation of that order. Plymouth Police were made aware of this and discovered that the female was forty-one-year-old Susie Nichols of Plymouth. Plymouth Officer Thornton made contact with Nichols, and she was placed into custody shortly after and transported to Marshall County Jail where she was booked and lodged for invasion of privacy. Nichols was given a court date and a bond of $500.00 and held on an automatic twenty-four hold due to the charge.

Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

LaPORTE – Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc. will close State Road 104 between C.R. 525 S and C.R. 700 S on or after Monday, March 3.

State Road 104 will be closed for bridge work at the Kankakee River through mid-June. Motorists should seek alternate routes. The official detour will follow State Road 4 and State Road 23.
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