Construction is scheduled to begin in early April at the S.R. 135 bridge over Pleasant Valley Creek in Brown County. On or after Monday, April 4, S.R. 135 will be reduced to one lane with temporary traffic signals during a superstructure replacement project.

The bridge is located approximately 4.64 miles south of S.R. 46 near Van Buren Elementary School. A similar project was completed last year on the bridge to the north, located 4.44 miles south of S.R. 46. The signals are expected to remain at the south bridge through early July.

The $2 million contract was awarded to Milestone Contractors LP in September 2020. INDOT reminds drivers to use extra caution, avoid distractions, and consider worker safety when traveling through active construction zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. plans to begin work on or after Monday, April 4, to patch, mill and repave a two-mile section of S.R. 250 in Jefferson County.

Resurface work will take place under single-lane closures with flagging between U.S. 421 and S.R. 62. Motorists should also be aware of a 10-foot width restriction during construction.

The $550,000 contract was awarded to Dave O’Mara last summer and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2022. 

INDOT reminds drivers to use extra caution, avoid distractions, and consider worker safety when traveling through active construction zones.

All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

On Saturday, March 26, 2021, Detective Allen Deel with the Indiana State Police Bloomington District Field Investigations, executed an arrest warrant for a Missouri resident who has been visiting family in Lawrence County on the charges of Child Molesting.

The investigation by Detective Deel began in February 2021, when he was made aware of allegations made by a 13-year-old victim. The investigation led to Detective Deel submitting a probable cause affidavit to Lawrence County Superior Court I on Saturday morning. The Honorable Judge John Plummer found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant for Gary E. Jones, 70 years old, who was arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Jail on the following charge,

• One Count of Child Molesting, Level 1 Felony

Detective Deel was assisted by Trooper Ben Burris and representatives from the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office and the Indiana Department of Child Services.

Temporary signals to control traffic on Norman Drive

Indiana Department of Transportation contractor E&B Paving Inc. plans to begin work in early April on a $5 million large pipe replacement project on I-65 at Camp Run Creek in Clark County. The contractor will replace twin pipe structures with a 28-foot archway under the interstate and install a weir or low dam in the creek bed to help alleviate flooding in the area. Work will be completed in phases through late October.

On/after Monday, April 4: Inside lanes of I-65 closed in both directions between Exit 7 (S.R. 60) and Exit 9 (C.R. 311) near Sellersburg, I-65 SB entrance ramps closed at Exit 9 for duration of project

Late April/early May: Northbound traffic moved to southbound side of I-65 via crossover

Late July/early August: Traffic switched to northbound side of I-65 via crossover

In addition to traffic impacts on I-65, on or after Wednesday, April 13, Norman Drive, which runs along the east side of I-65, will be reduced to one lane with temporary traffic signals while crews complete work under the roadway. The signals are expected to remain in place through mid-July.

INDOT reminds drivers to use extra caution, avoid distractions, and consider worker safety when traveling through active construction zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

A Palmyra man was arrested on multiple charges early Sunday morning after a Trooper attempted to stop him for speeding. 

Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Trooper Dakota Novak was patrolling southbound on State Road 135 in Harrison County, north of Flatwood Road.  

Officer Daniel Evans, with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, was also traveling southbound on State Road 135 and advised he had observed a truck traveling northbound towards Trooper Novak at an extremely high rate of speed.

Trooper Novak soon spotted the vehicle and obtained a speed of 75mph in and 55mph zone.  

Trooper Novak turned around on the speeding truck and observed it was not slowing down. Trooper Novak also watched as it passed another northbound car.

Trooper Novak activated his lights and siren and attempted to catch up to the driver who had turned west onto Hancock Chapel Road and was driving at speeds up to 90mph.

The driver, later identified as Christopher J. Williams, 30, of Palmyra, then turned north onto Crawford Road and continued to speed before turning into a private drive on Crawford Road.  

Trooper Novak ordered the Williams out of the vehicle and was eventually able to gain compliance. 

Officer Evans also arrived on the scene to assist. While talking with Christopher Williams, Trooper Novak detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and began an OWI investigation.

During the investigation, Williams’s blood alcohol content was found to be .08%.  

As a result of the traffic stop and Investigation, Christopher J. Williams was charged with the following: 

• Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle – Level 6 Felony
• Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) – Endangerment – Class A Misdemeanor
• OWI (.08 – .14BAC)- Class C Misdemeanor 
• Reckless Driving – Class C Misdemeanor

Christopher Williams was taken to the Harrison County Jail without further incident. 

Last night, March 27, 2022, shortly after 11:00 pm, Troopers from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post began investigating a crash on I-65 Southbound near Seymour, Indiana that claimed the life of an Indianapolis, Indiana woman.

The initial investigation by troopers with the Indiana State Police-Versailles District Crash Reconstruction Team indicated that a 2003 Toyota passenger car, being driven by Erika J. Jimenez, age 35, Indianapolis, Indiana was traveling southbound on I-65 near the 51 mile marker, just north of the Seymour exit. 

Investigators believe that Jimenez’ vehicle became disabled and came to rest in the right driving lane of I-65 Southbound. 

The investigation determined that Jimenez exited her vehicle and was standing near it when it was struck by a southbound 2018 Dodge Box Truck, being driven by Lenny Gorelik, age 61, Kennesaw, Georgia. 

Jimenez was struck during the collision and sustained fatal injuries. 

She was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.  Gorelik was not injured in the crash.

Jimenez’ family has been notified.

The crash remains under investigation.

Traffic on I-65 Southbound near Seymour was affected for nearly five hours for crash investigation and cleanup.

The Indiana State Police was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson County EMS, Redding Township Fire Department, and the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.    

On Tuesday morning, an autopsy was completed regarding last Friday’s crash involving Samuel Aaron Robb, 30, of Valparaiso, Indiana. 

In a news release, Harrison County Coroner, Jeremy McKim, lists the preliminary cause of death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the manner of death as suicide. 

The release also advises the final autopsy report is pending receipt of toxicology testing. 

A firearm and other evidence was recovered from the scene during the initial crash investigation. 

Initial indications at the scene alluded to a self-inflicted gunshot, however, an autopsy was conducted to positively confirm the cause of death.  

Around 5 a.m. last Friday, area law enforcement was advised to be on the lookout for a gold Buick passenger car and its driver in reference to a double homicide that occurred late Thursday night in Evansville, Indiana.

While searching for the car, Trooper Dakota Novak spotted a car matching the description backed into a hotel parking spot just north of I-64 in Corydon, Indiana.

Trooper Novak noted that the car was occupied and requested assistance before approaching the car.

A short time later the car pulled out of the parking spot and Trooper Novak followed just as Harrison County Deputies also arrived.

After the Buick turned north onto State Road 135, Trooper Novak attempted to stop the car, however, the car sped off at a high rate of speed, and Trooper Novak advised he was in pursuit. In a matter of seconds, the gold Buick crossed over the center line and drove off the west side of the roadway.

The car then ramped over a driveway and became airborne before striking a utility pole and coming to rest upside down off the west side of the highway.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Harrison County Coroner.  

A crash reconstruction team arrived to investigate the crash and detectives from the Evansville Police Department were also contacted.  

The investigation revealed that the driver was, in fact, the suspect wanted in connection with the two murders in Evansville on Thursday evening.

The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a complete road closure for State Road 58 near Bedford for a culvert pipe replacement.

Beginning on or around Monday, April 4, INDOT maintenance crews will begin the process to extract and replace a culvert pipe across S.R. 58 between Vocational School Road and Rocky Creek West. This operation requires a full width pavement cut to excavate and replace the pipe. Workers will then fill the pavement cut with gravel, which will be allowed to compact under traffic conditions before repaving at a later date.

The project is expected to take about one day depending upon weather conditions. The road will close following the morning peak hours to accommodate school traffic. Local residents will have access up to the point of closure, but all through traffic should follow the official detour using S.R. 37, U.S. 50 and S.R. 446.

INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert near crews

A Cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) led to the arrest of a Clark County man for possession of child pornography.  

Master Trooper/Detective Scott Stewart with the Indiana State Police – Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force began an investigation in February of 2022, after receiving a cyber tip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The cyber tip report indicated that a specific account was possibly used to transmit child pornography images or video files.

Master Trooper Stewart requested a search warrant based on information gathered during his investigation. On Tuesday, members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant at an Equestrian Drive address in Sellersburg.

As a result of the investigation and search, Jeremy Sceifers, 42, of Sellersburg, was arrested on two counts of Possession of Child Pornography.  Each charge is a Level 5 Felony. 

Jeremy Sceifers was transported and remanded into the custody of the Clark County Jail without incident.