This afternoon at approximately 3:50 P.M., an Indiana State Police Trooper and an officer with the West Baden Police Department responded to a residence on West Ohio Street in French Lick, for a report of a physical domestic situation.

Officers were informed that a male was strangling his wife. Officers arrived at the residence and attempted to speak with the male, who had fled from the house to a garage behind the residence. Officers attempted to speak with the male, who at that time would not converse with officers.

The male picked up a large metal pipe from a pile of scrap materials in the garage, and begin approaching officers. Numerous commands to drop the pipe were given to the male; however, he failed to comply with their order.

An officer fired his Taser at the male, but the device was ineffective. The male stepped directly up to the officer with the metal pipe, pulling the pipe back in a motion to strike the officer in the head with it. At that point, officers fired their handguns at the male, striking him.

The male was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Orange County Coroner’s Office. There is no other threat to public safety from this situation at this time. Investigators are speaking with witnesses while crime scene technicians document and process the scene.

Names of those involved will be released at a later time.

A Washington, Indiana man was arrested yesterday for possessing methamphetamine and other narcotics after trying to sneak around a State Trooper and dispose of the drugs.

Around 1:10 P.M. yesterday, Senior Trooper Jarrod Lents pulled into the Marathon gas station parking lot in Loogootee. Lents observed a male walking away from the property, but continuing to watch Lents.

Lents observed the male continue to watch him, until the male suddenly sprinted behind a parked semi trailer. Lents could see the male bend down under the trailer, stand back up, and sprint back to his original location.

Concerned that the activity was suspicious, Lents approached the man who identified himself as Joseph P. Smith, 55, Washington.

Lents walked with Smith back to the semi trailer, where Lents found a pill bottle that Smith hid containing methamphetamine, hydrocodone, and marijuana.

Smith was arrested and lodged without incident in the Martin County Jail.

Arrested and Charges:
Joseph P. Smith, 55
1106 East National Highway, Washington, IN
– Possession of Methamphetamine, Level 6 Felony
– Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, Class A Misdemeanor
– Possession of Marijuana, Class B Misdemeanor

A 39 year old Campbellsburg man was arrested on Wednesday on Cocaine charges.

Eric D. Worley, 39, 363 West State Road 60, Campbellsburg, IN was arrested on Wednesday after the Washington County Drug team executed an arrest warrant following their months-long investigation.

At approximately 6:16p on Wednesday, an Indiana Conservation Officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Worley, based on an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for dealing Cocaine or a narcotic drug (Level 5 Felony) and possession of Cocaine or a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony).

During the arrest, Worley was also charged with possession of Cocaine or a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony).

Worley was transported to the Washington County Detention Center.

Assisting agencies included the Salem Police Department, Conservation Officer of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Washington County Sheriff’s Department and the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.

A Shoals man is in jail and has been charged in a double homicide.

Arrested and Charged with two counts of murder was Nathan Baker, 33, Rural Shoals. Both counts are level 1 felonies.

Dead are Alan Sims, 82, and Tom Tharp, 52, both of 8030 Fred Sims Road, Shoals, IN

During the evening of Tuesday, August 25 and into the morning hours of Wednesday, August 26, law enforcement officers in Martin County had been searching for Tom Tharp, 52 , Shoals, who had been reported missing by his family.

At approximately 9:53 A.M., Martin County Deputy Kevin McBeth arrived at 8030 Fred Sims Road, Shoals, to attempt to locate Tharp.

Deputy McBeth, while checking a detached garage, located Alan Sims, 82, Shoals, lying in the garage deceased.

Investigators believe that Sims had suffered a single gunshot wound in what appeared to be a homicide.

Through the course of the investigation, deputies, with troopers and investigators from the Indiana State Police, began attempting to locate Baker.

Investigators were informed that Baker had previously lived on Sims’s property and had been asked to leave. Additionally, investigators learned that Baker had been seen on the property multiple times within the last several days.

Investigators had previously dispatched a request for officers to observe for a green 1997 Pontiac Sunfire, belonging to Tharp. Around 2:17 P.M., Lawrence County deputies located the Pontiac traveling northbound on State Road 450.

After attempting to initiate a traffic stop on the Pontiac, the driver failed to stop and led deputies on a pursuit to State Road 158, where he crashed.

Officers immediately found that Baker was the driver; he was taken into custody without further incident at2:32 P.M. Additionally, a shotgun that investigators believe to be the alleged murder weapon was located inside the Pontiac.

While officers were again searching the Sims’ property, officers located Tharp lying in a garden, deceased, approximately 30 yards south of the detached garage in which Sims was located. Investigators believe Tharp had also suffered a single gunshot wound.

After continuing their investigation, investigators believe that they had sufficient probable cause to charge Baker with two counts of Murder. He is currently being held in the Martin County Jail.

Investigating Agency: Indiana State Police; Assisting Agencies: Martin, Lawrence, and Daviess County Sheriff’s Departments, Washington Police Department.

This morning troopers from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg looked into a complaint of possible drug activity taking place at 331 Muriel Drive in Scottsburg.

When troopers arrived at the residence they saw what was believed to be drug activity taking place inside of the home. They filed for and received a search warrant through the Scott County Courts.

As a result of the search warrant troopers located Schedule Two and Three Controlled Substances, Methamphetamine and Paraphernalia.

Troopers arrested five people out of the home on drug related charges and incarcerated them at the Scott County Jail. Sandra Hardin, one of the arrested, was also charged with Disorderly Conduct after she allegedly defecated on herself and threatened to wipe it all over a trooper’s police car.

Arrested and Charges: 1) Sandra Hardin, 66, 331 Muriel Drive in Scottsburg. Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance, Possession of a Schedule Three Controlled Substance, Maintaining a Common Nuisance and Disorderly Conduct.

2) Anthony Fortner, 44, 331 Muriel Drive in Scottsburg Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance, Possession of a Schedule Three Controlled Substance and Maintaining a Common Nuisance.

3) Justin “Booger” Roberts, 37, 5305 North Water Tower Road, Austin, IN. Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance, Possession of a Schedule Three Controlled Substance and Visiting a Common Nuisance.

4) Elisa Hanner, 36, 1254 Pearl Street, Austin, IN. Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance, Possession of a Schedule Three Controlled Substance and Visiting a Common Nuisance.

5) Jason Schneck, 40, 3201 N. Bethlehem Road, Austin, IN. Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Schedule Two Controlled Substance, Possession of a Schedule Three Controlled Substance and Visiting a Common Nuisance.

This investigation is continuing.