News – Page 63 – MAX 98.3

PLYMOUTH — On May 19 at 7:45 a.m., Plymouth officers were dispatched to the area of Baker St and Michigan about a female reporting that a 10-year-old girl was trying to wave down vehicles, and stating that she needed help.

During a thorough investigation, also involving Plymouth Police detectives and the medical staff, it was determined that a battery had occurred.
Fernanda Reyes was taken into custody and transported to the Marshall County Jail, where she was lodged for the domestic battery and neglect of a dependent.

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

Lots of changes as County Health Department makes move

PLYMOUTH — As the Marshall County Health Department prepares to move to their new home in the old Bowen health building on Plymouth’s east side from their current home at the Community Resource Center on Plymouth’s west side.

The Health Department will be closed the week of June 9–13 to move into the building at 990 Illinois St, Plymouth. The department sent a press release on Tuesday to remind citizens that all services will be unavailable during that week.
Meanwhile, the department will have a new Administrator when they make the move. Current Health Department Administrator Sandy Dunfee has submitted her resignation. County Health Officer Dr. Byron Holm reported to the Marshall County Commissioners at their meeting on Monday that the Board of Health had offered that position on an interim basis to Lisa Letsinger.
The Commissioners also approved several maintenance items for the building as the department prepares for its move.
Hyperwave and Surf Internet have been employed to get the department up and running on the Internet after the move, with Hyperwave installing the hardware and other items needed for the connectivity of the building and the special needs of the department.
Resealing and markings for the parking lot were approved for National Asphalt Solutions to perform the work in late May at a cost of $3989.
Bowmans was awarded a quote for work on the building’s HVAC system that will take place in sections while the department is in operation, with a hopeful completion of the work the second week of July.
The cost of the system overhaul will be just under $109,000.
Signage will also be changed to reflect the Health Department’s occupancy.
All the costs of the projects will be covered by Health Department funds received from the state of Indiana.

If there are any questions or concerns, you can contact the office at 574-935- 8565.

Possession of marijuana

PLYMOUTH — On May 17 at 9:15 p.m., Plymouth Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling south on N Michigan St. near the US 30 on ramp.

Inside the vehicle, police found more than 50 grams of Marijuana. The driver of the vehicle, Rickey Johnson, 55 of Craig, CO., was arrested and transported to the Marshall County Jail.

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

Treasures under Maxinkuckee waters kick off summer history programs

CULVER — Lost historical ‘treasures’ from beneath the waters of Lake Maxinkuckee will be front and center at the first of the Culver Historical Society’s summer history programs on Saturday, May 24, starting at 10:30 am in the east pavilion of Culver’s town park/beach.

As everyone who’s boated or walked the piers of the lake knows, some things fall off, some things break, some things get dropped overboard, accidentally or on purpose. Longtime metal detectorist Mike Beaver, an extremely active member of the Northern Indiana Research and Recovery Society of Warsaw, has found examples of all these and more on the bed of Lake Maxinkuckee, donating his hundreds of finds to the Culver Historical Society and the Culver Academies Museum. In this special program at the lakeshore, he will share several of his favorite finds and describe and demonstrate his historical hobby.
“Maxinkuckee Lost and Found” kicks off a summer of CHS programs primarily focused on the history and heritage of the arts in the Culver/Lake Maxinkuckee area.
These include:
— “From Winter to Williams and Beyond: Visual Arts in Culver” with CHS President the Very Rev. John Wm. Houghton, Ph.D. (Sat., June 21, 10:30 AM);
— “Drama by the Lake: Culver’s Theatrical History,” with Dan Adams and Jeff Kenney (Sat., July 12, 10:30 AM);
— An Evening with The Dave Bennett Quartet (the Society’s annual fundraiser, Sat., Aug. 9, 7:30 PM);
— “Underneath the Maxinkuckee Moon: Culver in Music” with retired Culver Academies Bandmaster Maj. Bill Browne (Sat., Aug. 16, 10:30 AM);
— “Stories and Stones” at Culver’s Masonic Cemetery (Sat., Sept. 20, 1 PM).
Details about each program will be forthcoming as their respective dates approach.

Multi-vehicle collision

On Friday, May 16, at 5:54 pm, Marshall County Central Dispatch received a call regarding a 2 motor vehicle collision with a horse-drawn buggy at the intersection of US 6 and Dogwood Road.

When Officers arrived on the scene, it was determined that a 2024 Chevy Silverado pulling a trailer was stopped on the south side of US 6. The driver of the Chevy, Brian Blake, 41, of South Bend, entered the intersection and failed to yield to a west-bound 2013 Volvo XC70, being driven by Michael Henry, 20, of Bremen. The collision caused the Chevy to run into a stopped horse-drawn Buggy, being operated by Nathan Slabaugh, of Wakarusa.
All the occupants of the Buggy were transported to Memorial Hospital to be evaluated. The other two drivers were checked out on scene by EMS but denied treatment.
Newcomer’s Towing and Reichert-Knepp Towing were called to the scene to remove the motor vehicles. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department was assisted on scene by Bremen Police, Fire, and EMS, Nappanee EMS, Newcomer’s Towing, and Reichert-Knepp Towing.

U.S. 31 railroad overpass project nearing completion

PLYMOUTH – Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Phend & Brown will conduct alternating lane closures on U.S. 31 between 13th Rd and 14th Rd over the next three weeks.

Motorists should be prepared for changing traffic patterns in the area as final construction tasks are completed on the overpass bridge at Elkhart Western Railroad. Construction is expected to wrap up the first week of June, with all four lanes open to traffic once complete.
INDOT encourages drivers to allow extra time when driving through this area and follow traffic directions carefully. Motorists should slow down, exercise caution, and drive distraction-free through all work zones.

Gas prices take a jump around the state

Average gasoline prices in Indiana have risen 11.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.17/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 3,271 stations in Indiana. Prices in Indiana are 15.0 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 44.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 2.9 cents in the last week and stands at $3.502 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Indiana was priced at $2.69/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.49/g, a difference of 80.0 cents per gallon.
“Gasoline prices jumped in over three-quarters of U.S. states over the last week, as oil prices surged following former President Trump’s decision to reduce tariffs and strike new trade deals—moves that inspired optimism that a major tariff-induced economic slowdown might be avoided,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “In addition to gains in price-cycling markets, rising oil prices—fueled by economic optimism and tightening gasoline inventories—contributed to broader upward pressure on prices. While Americans are still seeing significant savings compared to a year ago, that gap has narrowed as oil prices have rebounded. As we approach Memorial Day, GasBuddy is preparing to release its summer travel survey results and issue a gas price forecast for the season. For now, motorists can expect one of the most affordable summers for hitting the road since the pandemic, with gas prices tracking at some of the lowest inflation-adjusted levels in years.”
GasBuddy’s averages, graphs, maps and historical pricing data covering the U.S. and Canada is available 24/7 at http://prices.GasBuddy.com.

Traffic stop brings possession arrest

PLYMOUTH — On May 18, at 12:30 AM, a Marshall County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Deputy conducted a traffic stop with a vehicle in the area of US 31 and 19th Road.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 19- 19-year-old Mason Mayer. During the traffic stop, a handgun, suspected psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, as well as alcohol were located in the vehicle. Mayer was transported to the Marshall County Jail and booked for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, and Illegal Possession of an Alcoholic Beverage by a Minor.

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

Culver Academy Theatre Dept. presents free show this weekend

CULVER — Spring is in the air, and nothing says spring like zombies.

Culver Academies Department of Theatre will present “Night of the Living Dead”, a play adapted from the 1968 film, on Friday, May 23, and Saturday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m.
The show is free to the public at Eppley Auditorium with open seating.
This fast-paced, fun live theatrical adaptation of George A. Romero’s film Night of the Living Dead also incorporates a variety of media that pays homage to this classic horror film with overhead projection, film, live stream video, fog, lights, and sound. miniature models, and more.
For more information, reach out to Stacy Joyce, Unofficial Eppley Zombie Wrangler at stacyjoyce9@gmail.com.

Reckless driving arrest

PLYMOUTH — On May 15 at 8:26 p.m., Officers with the Plymouth Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle whose plate came back with the registered owner having an infraction for a suspended license.

The officer confirmed the registered owner was driving the vehicle. When the officer began to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle cut off a box truck, causing them to hit their brakes, and then didn’t stop right away. While the vehicle was moving, the driver had the passenger switch seats with them and nearly hit the back end of a truck pulling cars.
The vehicle then stopped at US 30 and Oak Drive. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Mason Markley, 19, of Grabill, Indiana. Markley was arrested for Reckless Driving and transported to Marshall County Jail and booked in for Reckless Driving.

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

Man arrested for cocaine possession

LAPAZ — On May 15 at 7:30 p.m., Marshall County Central Dispatch received a call in reference to a suspicious man located at the Lapaz Quick Mart.

Marshall County Deputies responded to the area and made contact with James R. Voreis, 38, of Fort Wayne. During the investigation, K9 officer Bear conducted a free air sniff of the suspect’s vehicle. K9 Bear alerted to the presence of narcotic odor in the vehicle and a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted.
Deputies located suspected cocaine and methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia. Voreis was subsequently arrested for Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Methamphetamine.

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

Plymouth Comprehensive Plan gains award

PLYMOUTH — The City of Plymouth has received recognition for its efforts in creating the city’s new comprehensive plan.

City officials with the assistance of the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) began work on the plan earlier in the year and it’s completion drew the attention of the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association who awarded the city with the Hoosier Planning Award for Outstanding Comprehensive Plan Honorable Mention at their Spring Conference earlier this month.

Republican caucus to fill Council vacancy

PLYMOUTH — The Marshall County Republican Party will hold a caucus at 6 p.m. on June 3 for the purpose of filling a vacancy on the Marshall County Council left by the resignation of District 4 representative Steve Gorski.

Any person interested in the position should file a declaration of Candidacy no later than 72 hours in advance of the meeting with Deb VanDeMark, Chairman of the Marshall County Republican Party, P.O. Box 102, Plymouth IN, 46563, or call 574-274-8325, email deb0831@outlook.com

Warrant service resisted

PLYMOUTH — On May 9 at 4:17 p.m., Officers with the Plymouth Police Department were advised of a wanted person at an address on Sycamore Street in Plymouth.

The caller advised that Timothy Taylor, 46, of Plymouth, was at that residence. An officer was driving by and saw Taylor sitting on the ground outside the house. Taylor ran into the house.
The owner of the house gave the officer permission to go inside. After several announcements of there being a K9 on scene, Taylor then came down from upstairs where he was hiding.
Taylor was transported to Marshall County Jail and booked in for 2 warrants out of Marshall County and 1 Warrant out of Saint Joseph County was given an additional charge for resisting arrest.

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

Bremen schools look at ‘future debt’

BREMEN — The Bremen Community School Board talked “future debt” at their meeting on Wednesday, in the wake of the General Assembly’s SB 1 that addressed property taxes in the state.

The Indiana Assembly’s bill addressed property tax relief, and since schools are funded by property taxes, the trickle-down effect of which is a lessening of funds available for public education. Bremen Superintendent Jim White approached the board about how they would like to move forward, regarding necessary projects already on the board for the corporation.
Currently, the next project involves security with the move of the office to the front of the building and adding features to make the entrance to the school secure. Included in that project would be an office for the Bremen School Resource Officer, and also include upgrading of the FACS area to enable the offering of more culinary educational programming.
White told the board that the corporation could adopt a “tread water and see what happens” approach or keep moving forward by adopting one of two options: a general operations bond or a first mortgage approach.
White said that both have a five-and-a-half-year payoff, but the law, as written by the state assembly, is that paying off the debt early on a general operations bond would involve a year’s “time out” before another project could be funded.
White said that the first mortgage option would allow the school to fund the planned project fully at around $6.6 million and have some left over to address smaller projects. It would also not cause a rise in the current tax rate.
The school also has a need to address HVAC concerns, but the funding for such would be $8-10 million and could be addressed in two years.
The board voted to pursue the first mortgage option.

Marshall County Prosecutor’s office announces arrest from a search warrant

BOURBON — On Tuesday, May 13, Officers with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Drug Task Force, Indiana State Police, Net 43, Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, Bourbon Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant in the 300-block of S. Harris Street in Bourbon. During the execution of the search warrant, officers seized suspected methamphetamine, items indicative of Dealing in Methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia.

Arrested during the operation was 46-year-old Norman Tackett, of Bourbon. Tackett is reputed to be the President of the South Bench Chapter of the Hell’s Angels. He is currently being held at the Marshall County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond for Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony, Possession of Methamphetamine, a Level 5 Felony, and Maintaining a Common Nuisance, a Level 6 Felony.
The initial hearing date has yet to be set in Marshall Superior Court.
Suspects charged are presumed innocent throughout the proceedings and are entitled to be represented by counsel and to a trial by jury at which the State is obligated to provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a judgment of guilt may be made.

Multiple charges in a traffic stop

PLYMOUTH — On May 10, at 7 PM a Marshall County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Deputy conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle in the area of US 31 and 9A Road.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 32-year-old Harvey Burkett Jr. During the traffic stop, suspected cocaine, marijuana, and a firearm were located in the vehicle. Burkett was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances.
He was transported to the Plymouth Hospital for a certified chemical test. Burkett was found to be over the legal limit of alcohol and was transported to the Marshall County Jail and booked for Possession of Cocaine or Narcotic Drug, Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Endangering a Person, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Paraphernalia.

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

Public intox arrest

PLYMOUTH — On May 14, at 6:17 pm, Plymouth Police were dispatched to the Economy Inn for a man who was making threats to kill people.

Upon arrival, Officers encountered the male, identified as Israel Negrete, 36, squatted down on a second-floor balcony. Negrete was showing signs of drug use with involuntary movement and statements that were not making sense.
He was unable to answer questions appropriately and continuously talked unprovoked about fictional things. Officers took Negrete into custody and, during a search of his person, located a glass pipe that tested positive for methamphetamine. He was transported to the hospital for medical clearance and then to the Marshall County Jail and lodged for Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Paraphernalia, and Public Intoxication by Drugs.

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

Possession arrest