This past week, Executive Director of the Indiana Sheriff’s Association, Stephen P. Luce, announced in the association’s summer/fall publication that Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin was chosen as the Indiana Sheriff of the Year by the associations’ board of directors.

This is a very prestigious award as the Indiana Sheriff’s Association represents all ninety-two Sheriff’s in the state of Indiana.

Just some of the reasons Sheriff Goodin was chosen as Sheriff of the year is, his Firm but Fair approach to crime, his office’s record number of criminal arrests, his implementation of Community Oriented Policing techniques into Scott County, his relentless pursuit of arresting drug dealers, his program for drug addicts once they are incarcerated in the Scott County Jail, his programs to teach offenders how to assimilate back into society, his job skills training for inmates, the fact he was able to have the Scott County Jail pass the state jail inspection for the first time in over twenty years and his open ear/open door policy for every citizen of Scott County.

Sheriff Goodin commented, “it is a great honor and very humbling to be chosen when there are so many great Sheriff’s across the state of Indiana.” “The real gratitude should go to the hard-working Scott County Deputies and Scott County Jail Officers whose dedication and belief in our ideas made all the good things happen.” “The great citizens of Scott County are also a very important and strategic part of our plan by keeping our phone lines busy with incoming information.”

Sheriff Goodin closed his comments by saying “I truly care for and love Scott Countians and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office is just getting off the ground with training, professionalism, and courtesy to our citizens.” 

As the rate of Coronavirus continues to rise in Indiana, the Indiana Department of Health today announced that 2,765 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at the state laboratory, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and private laboratories.

That brings to 160,454 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.

A total of 3,882 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 24 from the previous day. Another 236 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record.

According to the Regenstrief Institute which tracks recoveries in Indiana, there is now a 77.4 percent recovery rate, which had decreased over the past month. 

They say 113,498 people have recovered from Covid-19

Deaths are reported based on when data are received by the state and occurred over multiple days.           

To date, 1,618,331 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 1,605,596 on Sunday.

A total of 2,681,197 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26.

The agency also is reporting 236 total probable deaths in Indiana. Probable deaths are those for which a physician listed COVID-19 as a contributing cause based on X-rays, scans and other clinical symptoms but for which no positive test is on record.

Washington County has had 35 new cases in the past week and 111 cases of Covid-19 in October. 

There was one new death this week, bringing the total to 3. 

Washington County has a 12.5 percent positivity rate. 

Here is a breakdown of cases around the WSLM Listening Area:

170 NEW CASES IN OUR LOCAL AREA Since Yesterday’s Numbers

3 NEW DEATHS IN OUR LISTENING AREA

Lawrence County

• 8453 (86 New) Tests, 940 Cases, 37 Deaths 32 New Cases 
• 11.2 percent positivity rate

Jackson County

• 9190  117 New) Tests, 1164 Cases, 17 deaths (1 new)  – 20 new cases 
• 8.4 percent positivity rate

Jennings County

• 4446 (24 New) Tests, 373 Cases, 13  deaths, 4 new cases 
• 7  percent positivity rate

Orange County

• 3940 (38 New) Tests, 417 Cases, 25 deaths – 8 new cases 
• 7.7  percent positivity rate

Washington County

• 4411 (32 New) Tests, 384 Cases, 3 deaths, 6 new cases 
• 12.5 percent  positivity rate

Scott County

• 5990 (39 New) Tests, 534 Cases, 13 deaths  –  10 new cases
• 5.1 percent positivity rate

Clark County

• 27,820 (406 New) Tests, 3007 Cases, 63 deaths (1 new) – 40 new cases 
• 7 percent positivity rate

Floyd County

• 18,152 (211 New) Tests, 1839 Cases, 68 deaths (1 new), 38 new cases 
• 5.8 percent positivity rate

Harrison County

• 8600 (55 New) Tests, 783 Cases, 24 deaths, 11 new cases 
• 4.5 percent positivity rate

Crawford County

• 2151 (29 New)  Tests, 160 Cases, 1 deaths – 1 new cases 
• 7.1 percent positivity rate

An early morning car versus deer crash resulted in a separate fatality crash involving the car and a northbound semi-truck. 

Shortly after 4:00 Saturday morning, a 2015 Nissan Versa Note traveling northbound on I-65 near the 26.5 mile-marker struck a deer in the roadway. 

The vehicle was disabled due to the crash and remained partially in the right-hand lane. The driver, Veronica McCall of Crothersville, Indiana, then exited the car due to its position in the road. 

A short time later, a 2014 Volvo Semi Tractor-Trailer approached from the south and struck the unoccupied Nissan Versa from behind. 

After colliding with the car, the semi traveled off the east side of I-65 and up an embankment coming to rest in a treeline. 

The Scott County Sheriff’s Department and Scottsburg City Police Department responded, along with the Scottsburg City Fire Department and the Monroe Township Fire Department. 

The driver of the semi-truck required extradition, and due to weather conditions, medical helicopters were not able to respond. 

Units on-scene requested assistance from the Indiana State Police (ISP), including an ISP crash reconstruction team. 

The semi-truck driver, 71-year-old Johnny G. Skarb of Wonder Lake, Illinois, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Scott County Coroner’s Office. 

Next of Kin was notified by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department. 

The driver of the Nissan was not injured in the crash.

I-65 northbound remained closed until approximately 9:30 a.m., and all northbound traffic was diverted off onto US31 while the interstate was closed. 

Early this morning, Detectives with the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post were called to investigate an officer-involved shooting and a separate homicide that occurred in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. 

Two Lawrenceburg residents died as a result of the incidents.

At approximately 3:00 am, on October 24, 2020, officers with the Lawrenceburg, Indiana Police Department were called to the Summit Pointe Apartments located on Deer Run Drive in Lawrenceburg reference a disturbance. 

The first officer arrived shortly after the call was dispatched. 

Upon entering the apartment building and standing in the hallway, the officer was confronted by Brandon G. Evans, age 33, who was naked and holding a knife.  The Lawrenceburg officer fired at least one round from his department handgun, striking Evans. 

The LPD officer along with other officers from the Lawrenceburg Police Department, Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office, and Greendale Police Department attempted to administer first aid to Evans. 

Evans succumbed to the injuries he received.  He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Dearborn County Coroner’s Office.  The officer was not injured.

While canvassing the apartments, officers located Staci L. Coyne, age 37, deceased inside one of the apartments. 

The investigation determined that Coyne was the victim of a homicide. 

She was pronounced deceased at the scene by the coroner’s office. 

Investigators believe the two incidents were connected and that Evans and Coyne knew each other. 

Detectives also discovered that Evans had allegedly entered a different apartment in the building and caused damage inside the unoccupied apartment prior to officers arriving on the scene.    

The Lawrenceburg Police Department requested that detectives from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post respond and conduct an investigation into the incident.

The investigation is ongoing at this time.  Autopsies are scheduled to be performed Monday in Hamilton County, Ohio.  The involved LPD Officer’s name will be released in a later news release.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the case will be forwarded to the Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

The Indiana State Police was assisted by the Lawrenceburg Police Department, Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office, Greendale Police Department, Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office, and Dearborn County Coroner’s Office.

The White River Military Coordination Alliance was recognized Tuesday, Oct. 13 for its efforts to increase collaboration between Naval Support Activity Crane and the communities neighboring the installation during the ROI Annual Report to the Region and Indiana Uplands Regional Innovation Awards.

The Alliance received the 2020 Regional Collaboration Award for its work to build partnerships among the local communities, regional organizations, state agencies, and NSA Crane to improve communications, protect jobs and foster compatible economic development. Virtually accepting the award was Matt Craig, Director of Crane Community Support for Radius Indiana and Alliance member.

“The Alliance is a true testament on how the community, stakeholders, and the military have come together to enhance collaboration and partnerships in the region,” said CDR James Smith, Commanding Officer for Naval Support Activity Crane. “Thank you to ROI and to everyone for the support and efforts that have led to the success of the Alliance and all the amazing work throughout the Indiana Uplands.”

ROI’s virtual event celebrated the hard work, innovation, and collaboration that is moving the Indiana Uplands toward a more prosperous future, with the awards specifically acknowledging meaningful improvements to education, economic development, and/or quality of place within the 11 counties of the Uplands region.

“It is an honor to be recognized by ROI and the Indiana Uplands for the 2020 Regional Collaboration Award,” said Gene McCracken, chair of the Alliance. “We are proud of the accomplishments our members have made thus far and look forward to further enhancing the region through collaborative efforts.”

Meaningful improvements to the Indiana Uplands region since the formation of the Alliance in late 2019 include:

• Coordination of a 911 Call Transfer and coordination MOU with the Navy and county dispatch centers in the five-county area to improve public safety and facilitate mutual aid.
• The development of a public information website designed to keep the community informed about Crane and provide a vehicle to contact Crane with questions or concerns
• A GIS-based Conservation Inventive Toolkit designed to help landowners identify opportunities to protect farmland, forestland, and wetlands in the communities that neighbor NSA Crane and Lake Glendora Test Facility, which is an important part of preserving jobs at Crane by keeping the land surrounding the installation compatible with the work Crane does
• A Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, NSA Crane, the Alliance, the counties neighboring Crane and two incorporated towns within three miles of the installation — to formalize a commitment to open lines of communication and increase collaboration
• First-of-their-kind State of the Installation and State of the Community briefings to identify opportunities for collaboration between Crane and communities neighboring the installation