The Indiana State Police is currently assisting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the investigation of an airplane crash. The crash took place at the French Lick Airport.

At approximately 9:09 p.m. on Saturday, August 27, 2022, Orange County Dispatch received 911 calls reporting that a small plane had crashed at the French Lick airport. When officers and first responders arrived at the scene, they located a single-engine fixed wing plane on fire.

The preliminary investigation revealed that there was one occupant in the plane who was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Orange County Coroner. The victim’s name is being withheld until proper identification and notification has been made to their next of kin.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been contacted and the crash scene will be turned over to them upon their arrival. The Indiana State Police will continue to assist the FAA, however, any determinations made relating to the cause of the crash will be released by their agency concluding a thorough investigation.

The Indiana State Police were assisted by the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Orange County Sheriff Department, French Lick and West Baden Police Departments, French Lick and West Baden Fire Departments, Orange County Rural District #1 Fire Department, and the Orange County Coroner.

An investigation by Indiana State Police has led to a Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy being charged with two felonies after he allegedly sent an accusatory email falsely identifying himself as another officer who currently works for the New Albany Police Department.  

Arrested was Ralph M. Weaver, 37, of Lanesville, Indiana.

The warrant was for one count of Identity Deception and one count of Obstruction of Justice. Both charges are Level 6 Felonies. 

Weaver voluntarily turned himself into the court on Monday afternoon.  

Ralph Weaver is currently employed as a Sheriff’s Deputy with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and was a former New Albany City Police Officer. 

In May of 2022, an individual sent an email to several area recipients, including officers at the Indiana State Police Post in Sellersburg, the Floyd County Prosecutor’s office, The Floyd County Sheriff, the Floyd County Courts system, and two Louisville news broadcasting stations.

The email’s author identified themselves as a particular and current New Albany police officer.

The email made allegations of officer misconduct at the New Albany Police Department.

It also alleged that although the sender had reported the allegations, the issues were not being addressed.

The sender not only identified himself as a particular New Albany Officer but also included a telephone number and identifying information about his family.  

Upon receipt of the email and at the request of the Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office, ISP detectives began a probe into the allegations.

First, ISP Detective Mike Bennett contacted the New Albany officer listed as the email’s author.

That officer advised that he had not sent the email and had no knowledge of such communication being sent.

Detective Bennett then started investigating possible identity deception while continuing to look into the allegations mentioned in the email with the assistance of additional State Police Detectives.  

After investigating the identity deception, Detective Bennett submitted his findings to the Floyd County Prosecutor.

As a result, on Monday, August 29, the Floyd County Superior court issued an arrest warrant for Weaver. 

During the concurrent inquiry by State Police Detectives regarding the alleged offenses in the initial email, detectives found the New Albany Police Department and the Indiana State Police had previously addressed or investigated those issues. The Floyd County Prosecutor discussed the results with the investigators and concurred with their findings.  

Schneck Medical Center wants to ensure that no woman in our community goes without regular pap smears and breast exams due to their inability to pay.

A free Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening will be held on Saturday, October 8, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Schneck Obstetrics & Gynecology, on the campus of Schneck Medical Center.

Please enter through the Emergency Department Entrance. 

The event is designed to provide exams to women who may not already have access to these services and includes a clinical breast exam (not a mammogram) and a cervical exam with a pap test. 

All exams will be performed by qualified nurse practitioners. 

The free Pap test is being funded by a generous grant from the Schneck Foundation. 

To be eligible for the free Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening, a woman must be at least 21 years old and have not had a breast or cervical exam during the last 2 years. 

Per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulations, individuals with Medicare, Medicaid, or similar replacement plans are not eligible for the free screenings held during this event.

Clinical Breast Exams and Cervical Screenings are a covered benefit under these plans, and may be performed or ordered by the patient’s physician of choice.  

To schedule your screening, register online at SchneckMed.org/Events, or call the Cancer Center screening line at 812-522-0477. 

Please provide your name and phone number and your message will be returned promptly.  

A limited number of appointments are available, so please register early. 

According to Indiana Department of Transportation’s Natalie Garrett, the road construction projects in Salem are moving along well.

She said one of the three projects is completed and one more should be completed in November.

“The Brock Creek Bridge project should be completed in late November,” Garrett said in an email to WSLM.

“It is likely that SR 56 will remain closed through Salem until fall of 2023,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to open 56 to the bridge because traffic (including semis and other large vehicles) wouldn’t have anywhere to go as construction continues. We may be able to open additional cross streets going forward.”

Due to the start of school and the road construction interfering with the normal route of traffic to and from Salem Schools, the intersection of Hackberry and Water Street was recently opened to allow traffic to proceed down Water Street and to Homer Street. 

Currently this will remain open to allow traffic to and from the schools. 

Garrett said additional outlets could open later this year. 

“At this point in construction, opening Water St. across SR 56 is all we can do to help with school traffic,” she said. “We may be able to open other access points this fall/winter after more paving is complete, depending on how things progress.”

Garrett said, “We are in communication with the school system, the City and emergency services with regular updates. We ask drivers to be patient as construction continues, allow plenty of time to reach their destinations, and drive carefully near construction crews and equipment.”

There are three components of the recent road construction in Salem — the intersection and State Road 135 resurface, Brock Creek Bridge Replacement and State Road 56 Road renovation. 

The SR 135 resurface project has been completed. 

The final component – the work to completely rebuild the section of State Road 56 from Posey Street to near the 56/60 split. 

A 32-year-old man was found dead in a northern Washington County pond one Saturday afternoon.

Jesse, J. Acton of Jackson County was found in a pond near 11000 Haleysburg Road. 

The family of the deceased has been notified.  

This investigation is ongoing.   

Officers from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police Trooper Kevin Bowling responded after a 911 call at about 12:30p. 

A short time later, Detective Sergeant Dave Mitchell, Detective Mike Bennett, and ISP Crime Scene Technician Sergeant Phil D’Angelo also responded to investigate.  

When officers arrived, they observed the body of a deceased male located at the edge of a pond on private property.

As part of the investigation, ISP divers assisted detectives by searching the pond for any items potentially related to the case.

Investigators state the case is currently a death investigation as they continue to gather any possible evidence and conduct interviews.

An autopsy was performed on Sunday morning through the Washington County Coroner’s Office; however, a cause of death has not yet been determined. 

The Washington County Sheriff’s Department, the Washington County Coroner’s Office, the Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Department, and the Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department assisted Troopers at the scene.