Washington County Sheriff’s Department
Kimberly D Lamaster, 46, Salem
Serena Valentine Duggins, 24, Salem
Indiana State Police
Nicole Michelle Piercefield, 41, Scottsburg
State Rep. Steve Davisson (R-Salem) recently welcomed Addison and Cannon Roop to the Statehouse where they served as pages.
Addison and Cannon Roop, from Campbellsburg, attend West Washington Middle School.
As House pages, the students toured the governor’s office, the House and Senate chambers, and the Indiana Supreme Court. They also helped staff with their daily tasks and met with Davisson to learn more about the legislative process.
“Serving as a House page gives young Hoosiers a chance to watch the legislative process and experience a day at the Statehouse,” Davisson said. “This is a great opportunity that young people from our community should look into for next year’s legislative session.”
Students between the ages of 13 to 18 who are interested in paging during the 2020 session can learn more and sign up atwww.indianahouserepublicans.com/pageprogram. Participants receive an excused absence from school and groups can request to page together.
State Rep. Steve Davisson (R-Salem) represents House District 73 which includes Washington County, and portions of Orange, Lawrence, Jackson, Clark and Harrison counties.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jeffrey A. Chalfant has issued a decision on the April officer-involved shooting that resulted in the dead of Barry Alan Rucker.
Chalfant concludes that Brownstown Police Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly were justified in using deadly force against Rucker, who was involved in an altercation at the local police department.
Summary of Conclusion: On April 3, 2019 at approximately 8:29 a.m. in Brownstown, Indiana, Brownstown Police Department Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly lawfully used deadly force against Barry Alan Rucker in an act of self-defense.
Applicable law: Indiana law provides that a law enforcement officer has the same right as any other person to assert self-defense under Indiana Code 35-41-3-2. The use of deadly force is authorized in Indiana when a person reasonably believes that deadly force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to that person or a third person – Indiana Code 35-41-3-2(c).
Summary of investigation: The Indiana State Police, by way of lead investigator Andrew Mitchell and with the assistance of other Indiana State Police investigators, conducted a thorough investigation, which consisted of multiple witness interviews, review of videos and documents.
On the morning of April 3, 2019 Kathryn Branaman took her daughter to school in Brownstown, and then drove away in her pick-up truck. Branaman reached behind the truck seats and felt and then saw Barry Rucker who was hiding in the back of the truck. Ms. Branaman previously had been in a relationship with Mr. Rucker, but the relationship ended in late 2018 after Mr. Rucker had threatened Ms. Branaman with a machete. Mr. Rucker pulled out a handgun, pointed it at Ms. Branaman, and told her to drive into the country. Ms. Branaman instead drove to the Brownstown Police Department and ran inside to get help.
The Brownstown Police Department is a small department, and the only two officers on duty were assisting with traffic at the local schools.
Mr. Rucker pursued Ms. Branaman into the Brownstown Police Department, drug her outside, and said to Ms. Branaman, “I’m gonna kill you [expletive]. You better get out. I’ll shoot you right here.”
A citizen driving by noticed the struggle, called 911, and reported the man had a gun.
Chief Hanner and Assistant Chief Kelly arrived and confronted Mr. Rucker.
Chief Hanner’s body camera captured significant portions of the encounter. The officers ordered Mr. Rucker away from Ms. Branaman and to show his hands, but Mr. Rucker did not cooperate.
The officers attempted to use “less lethal” measures by their use of Tasers on Mr. Rucker, but the Tasers did not completely incapacitate Mr. Rucker.
After Mr. Rucker fell to the ground, he pointed a handgun at Chief Hanner.
The handgun is visible in Mr. Rucker’s hands on Chief Hanner’s body camera video. The officers told Mr. Rucker repeatedly to drop his weapon, but Mr. Rucker did not comply and remained a deadly force threat to the officers.
The firearm that Mr. Rucker was armed with was a handgun which by design was capable of firing shotgun shells, and was in fact loaded with shotgun shells.
Chief Hanner and Assistant Chief Kelly shot Mr. Rucker. Law enforcement officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department responded and rendered emergency medical aid to Mr. Rucker.
The Jackson County Ambulance Service transported Mr. Rucker to Schneck Medical Center, where Mr. Rucker was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed that Mr. Rucker died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The autopsy also revealed that Mr. Rucker’s blood contained Methamphetamine and Fentanyl.
The Indiana State Police investigated the incident and forwarded the investigation to the Office of the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney for review.
Conclusion: Brownstown Police Department Chief Tom Hanner and Assistant Chief Joe Kelly were faced with an actual deadly force threat on April 3, 2019. Pursuant to Indiana law the officers were justified in using deadly force to protect themselves and citizens in the area from that threat and there is no criminal liability on the part of the officers. Chief Hanner and Assistance Chief Kelly and the citizen who called 911 most likely saved Kathryn Branaman’s life.
On Monday, May 13, 2019, shortly after 7 p.m., Indiana State Policeunits from the Sellersburg Post were dispatched to a crash on Eastern Blvd. and US 31 in Clarksville to investigate a collision in which a marked Jeffersonville Police cruiser had been “T-boned” by a white Chevrolet pickup truck.
During the crash investigation, both drivers were transported by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries to area hospitals.
The driver of the white pickup, Gary Vincent Crowe Jr., 53, Clarksville, was transported to an area hospital in Louisville to be examined and also to obtain a blood-draw for possible OWI charges.
Once at the hospital it is alleged that Gary Crowe Jr. fled upon arrival.
He was later apprehended by officers with the St. Matthews Police Department and transported to the University of Louisville Hospital for completion of the testing.
A warrant was subsequently issued in Indiana for Mr. Crowe. St. Mathews Police then arrested Gary Crowe on the warrant, and he was remanded into the custody of Metro Corrections in Louisville, KY.
Gary Crowe Jr. is preliminarily charged with the following:
Officer Hunter Powell of the Jeffersonville Police Department was driving the fully-marked policecruiser at the time of the crash. Officer Hunter was released from the hospital and is recovering at home with his family.
This investigation is ongoing. Indiana State Police Troopers were assisted by units from the Clarksville Police Department, the Clarksville Fire Department, and the Jeffersonville PoliceDepartment.
A 72-year-old Seymour man was killed in Tuesday afternoon on I-65 near the Uniontown exit.
Shortly before 5:00 pm, the Indiana State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on I-65 southbound near the 40 mile marker that claimed the life of a Seymour man.
The initial investigation by Trooper Korry Clark, Indiana State Police-Versailles Crash Reconstruction Team, indicated that a 2005 Ford truck being driven by Randall F. Carr, age 72, Seymour, was traveling southbound on I-65 near the 40 mile marker, just south of the Uniontown exit.
For an unknown reason, Carr’s vehicle drove off the west side of the roadway. Carr’s vehicle hit an embankment and rolled over before coming to rest in a field on the west side of I-65.
As a result of the collision, Carr sustained fatal injuries.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.
Toxicology results are pending at this time. The crash remains under investigation.
All lanes of I-65 remained open during the crash investigation and cleanup.
Randall Carr’s family has been notified.
Trp. Clark was assisted by other troopers from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post. He was also assisted by the Crothersville Police Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Jackson County EMS, Jackson County Coroner’s Office, and Howard’s Wrecker Service.
City of Salem Police
Christian A Beck, 37, Salem
United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development State Director for Indiana Michael Dora today announced that the Town of West Terre Haute and the City of Salem have been awarded federal funding to improve rural water infrastructure. USDA is investing in 40 projects in 20 states to improve rural water infrastructure.
The City of Salem was awarded USDA funds of $1,895,000 loan to improve the city’s water system.
The water system is under an Agreed Order with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for water quality violations and does not meet the capacity requirements of the Recommended Standards for Water Works.
In addition, many system components are beyond their useful life. These factors pose a safety risk to employees and a health risk to customers.
The project will address these health and sanitary issues by optimizing the treatment process to meet water quality regulations and replacing equipment and treatment components to achieve safety, health and capacity requirements defined by regulatory standards.
The project was previously awarded a $12,888,000 loan leveraged with an applicant contribution of $383,169.
“The two Indiana projects will have a positive impact on the rural residents, businesses, and the communities as a whole,” said Dora. “Modern community infrastructure is a foundation for enhanced quality of life and prosperity in the rural Hoosier State.”
The Town of West Terre Haute was awarded USDA funds of $237,000 loan and $540,500 grant to provide additional funding to upgrade meters, lines, and mains. The project was previously awarded $4 million in loans and grants leveraged with an applicant contribution of $83,500.
Nationwide, USDA is investing $82 million through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Rural communities, water districts and other eligible entities can use the funds for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems. The projects must be in rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.
USDA is announcing investments in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
This month troopers from the Lafayette District of the Indiana State Police, and Districts across the state will join law enforcement agencies across the nation to increase enforcement of seat-belt laws for Click It or Ticket. Multiple weeks of highly visible patrols will be watching for unrestrained passengers in cars and trucks, both children and adults, the front seat and back, both day and night.
Indiana law requires the driver and all passengers to buckle up. Children under age eight must be properly restrained in child car seat or booster seat.Click It or Ticket continues through the Memorial Day holiday and the start of the summer travel season. Overtime police patrols are paid with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).
Don’t be a statistic: The share of Hoosiers not buckling up has dropped to 6.6 percent, below the national average of 10.4 percent. But new data from ICJI and the Indiana University Public Policy Institute show that unrestrained motorists still make up 53 percent of traffic deaths.
Unrestrained motorists are more likely to die in crashes by 10 times in cars and SUVs, 14 times in pickup trucks and 15 times in vans.
Drivers under age 25, especially young male drivers, are the least likely to be buckled during a crash. Injury rates among unrestrained motorists are also higher:
Find more seat-belt statistics in the first of several 2018 Crash Fact Sheets by clicking this link: Crash Fact Sheet
Don’t buckle up just for yourself: During a crash, unrestrained passengers become projectiles that can injure or kill others in the car.
Traffic crashes are the leading killer of children ages 1 to 13, and adults set the example. Parents and caregivers who do not buckle up are more likely to have kids who are improperly restrained. That means one ticket for the driver and one for each unrestrained child.
Choose the safest car seat for your child’s height and weight at https://www.nhtsa.gov/
Seat-belt tips: What is the best way to reduce your chances of injury or death? Buckle up! Below are tips for proper seat-belt use:
If your seat belt doesn’t fit you, or you have an older car with lap belts only, ask your dealer or vehicle manufacturer about seat-belt adjusters, extenders or retrofits.
Watch pioneer demonstrations, including blacksmithing, tomahawk throwing, and the operation of an oxen-powered 1850 haypress, during O’Bannon Woods State Park’s Memorial Day
Weekend events May 25th and 26th.
Activities take place at Hickory Hollow Interpretive Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Other activities will include a “primitive dunking booth,” and demonstrations of leather working,
weaving, quilting and spinning. Visitors can also see a pioneer home, trappers shed and cooper shop all while listening to live music.
The haypress demonstration is at 1 p.m. Visitors can meet Forest and Gump, the park’s short-horned oxen who are trained to work the haypress.
On Monday, May 27 th , there will be viewing only of the Pioneer Farmstead and Haypress.
The event is free after paying the regular park gate entrance fee of $7 per in-state vehicle and $9 per out-of-state vehicle.
Other weekend events include the opening days for Wyandotte Caves and the Aquatic Center.
The next living farmstead and haypress demonstration will be July 6 & 7.
