The next Junior Historical Society meeting will be at 10am, on Saturday, July 22nd, in the basement of the Stevens Museum. 

In cooperation with WSLM, we will be creating and participating in the SalemIndianaRocks program that’s been made popular on Facebook. 

Our meeting will have all the supplies needed for us to create our own rocks, adding a little county historical trivia to the backs. 

“Once they have dried, we will travel to DePauw Park, the Courthouse lawn and back to the Pioneer Village to document and hide our rocks.  It should be a rockin’ good time,” said Washington County Historian Jeremy Elliott. 

Also the Junior Historical Society T-shirts will be available at this meeting.

Monday, July 10, 2017, will mark the start of the 16th annual Cops Cycling for Survivors bicycle ride around Indiana. A departure ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m. EDT at the Police and Fire Fighters Memorial on the capital grounds in downtown Indianapolis.

The cyclists will depart shortly after comments by Governor Eric Holcomb and Howard County Sheriff, Steve Rogers.  After the 9:00 a.m. departure from the memorial, the cyclists will head north to Kokomo where they will meet with Deputy Carl Koontz’s family, friends, and co-workers to honor and remember his ultimate sacrifice for Hoosiers on March 20, 2016.  

The cyclists’ journey will last 13 days and cover nearly 1,000 miles bicycling the perimeter of Indiana honoring fallen police officers and their families.

Cops Cycling for Survivors Foundation, Inc. annual bike ride consists of active and retired policeofficers, law enforcement survivors, law enforcement family members and friends of law enforcement riding their bicycles around the perimeter of Indiana to raise funds and awareness of the sacrifices made by Hoosier law enforcement families across Indiana.

Funds raised from this event are used to perpetuate the memories of officers killed in the line-of-duty and to aid surviving family members and co-workers of officers killed in the line-of-duty.

Previously raised funds have been directly donated to foundations, scholarships and camps that have been started in memory of fallen officers or by Indiana survivors in honor of their fallen heroes.  In addition, Project Blue Light at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy has been supported.

The ride is scheduled to conclude the afternoon of Saturday, July 22, 2017, at Crown Hill Cemetery, Heroes of Public Safety Section.  

The closing ceremony will begin at 2:00pm EDT.  Cops Cycling for Survivors President, Rich Crawford, will provide the closing message.  All are welcome to attend.

There will also be a stationary ride fundraising event on Monument Circle in front of Emmis Communication on Friday, July 7, 2017, from 7:00 am to 3:00pm.   Come out and meet some of the cyclists, sign the support truck, buy some Cycling for Survivors swag, donate, or just hang out.

The general route of the ride will be as follows:

Day 1, Monday, July 10, 2010 – Indianapolis to Kokomo

Day 2, Tuesday, July 11, 2017 – Kokomo to Bluffton

Day 3, Wednesday, July 12, 2017 – Bluffton to Angola

Day 4, Thursday, July 13, 2017 – Angola to Mishawaka

Day 5, Friday, July 14, 2017 – Mishawaka to Merrillville

Day 6, Saturday, July 15, 2017 – Merrillville to Kentland

Day 7, Sunday, July 16, 2017 – Kentland to Terre Haute

Day 8, Monday, July 17, 2017 – Terre Haute to Princeton

Day 9, Tuesday, July 18, 2017 – Princeton to Huntingburg

Day 10, Wednesday, July 19, 2017 – Huntingburg to Jeffersonville

Day 11, Thursday, July 20, 2017 – Jeffersonville to Madison

Day 13, Saturday, July 22, 2017 – Bloomington to Indianapolis

By July 7th, additional information on specific locations of meals and overnights can be found by clicking on the Calendar tab of the website. Click view calendar and the month of July. http://www.copscycling4survivors.org/events.php

To track the ride’s progress, stops, and activities, please like and follow them on the Cops Cycling for Survivors Foundation Facebook page (Cops Cycling for Survivors).

For more information about the organization, donations made, or this year’s ride, visit their website: http://www.copscycling4survivors.org/ , or contact Rich Crawford, President of Cops Cycling for Survivors Foundation, Inc. at 317-650-8961.

Over the last two days, the Indiana State Police Versailles District All Crimes Policing Unit conducted two traffic stops on I-65 near Seymour, Indiana which led to the arrests of two men on numerous charges.

As a result two men from Madison and Jeffersonville were arrested. 

The first traffic stop that occurred on July 3rd, at approximately 3:20 pm, was initiated by Trp. Randel Miller when he stopped a Chevrolet Malibu for a traffic violation. 

During the stop, Trp. Miller deployed his K-9 Jinx who alerted to the odor of an illegal drug coming from the vehicle. 

A search of the vehicle uncovered a handgun, syringes, a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia. 

The driver of the vehicle, Jay Martt, age 44, Madison, Indiana was arrested on felony charges of possession of a handgun by a serious violent felon, possession of syringes, and maintaining a common nuisance and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Martt was incarcerated at the Jackson County Jail pending his initial court appearance in the Jackson County Circuit Court.  Trp. Miller was assisted by All Crimes Policing Unit members Trps. James Wells, Rick Hewitt, and Jason Hankins.

The second traffic stop occurred on July 4th, at approximately 5:30 pm, when Trp. Randel Miller stopped a Nissan Sentra on I-65 near the 51 mile marker for a traffic violation. 

Due to the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, Trp. Miller conducted a search of the car. 

Trp. Miller located marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and numerous fraudulent blank checks and devices used to manufacture fraudulent checks. 

The driver of the vehicle, Shamone D. Williams, age 26, Jeffersonville, Indiana was arrested on numerous felony charges of forgery and maintaining a common nuisance and misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Williams was incarcerated at the Jackson County Jail pending his initial appearance in the Jackson County Circuit Court.  Trp. Miller was assisted by Trp. James Wells and Trp. Michael Thiron.

A reward is being offered for information about the 2016 death of a French Lick man.

Investigators say there is now a $5000 reward being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of 66-year-old James A. Bryson of French Lick. 

Bryson was found deceased on December 27, 2016 at 11387 West County Road 50 South in French Lick, after concerned family members asked police to check on Bryson’s welfare. 

Bryson was last seen on December 24, 2016, three days prior to being found.

State Police investigators, along with grieving family members, are pleading for information that may help solve this case. 

Anyone with even the smallest piece of information is asked to contact the Indiana State Police Jasper Post by calling 1-812-482-1441.

A South Bend man, last night, was arrested on the Indiana Toll Road for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) with minors in the vehicle, OWI Prior Conviction, Dealing Marijuana, and Operating without receiving a Driver’s License.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Alaa Hamed revealed at approximately 10:26 p.m,, yesterday, July 4th, 2017, evening, he was sitting stationary on the Indiana Toll Road in the cross over at the 2.5 mile marker (this is 2 ½ miles east of the Indiana/Illinois state line). 

Hamed observed a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu east bound in the left lane at a high rate of speed. 

Hamed was able to obtain a clock with his radar of 108 miles per-hour in a well posted 70 miles per-hour zone.

As Hamed was going after the Malibu with his emergency lights and siren on he watched the Malibu make an unsafe lane movement and nearly sideswipe another car.

After stopping the Malibu, Hamed noticed a female passenger in the front seat, and a male passenger and three children in the rear passenger seats. 

The children ages were 15, 13 and 5 years old.  The 5 year old was sitting in the lap of the male rear passenger (child’s father).

The driver, identified as Steven P. Smith (by his Indiana Identification Card) 37 of South Bend, IN, had an overwhelming odor of alcoholic beverage and slurred speech. 

Further investigation revealed that Smith refused to submit to a chemical test and that he had approximately 15 grams of marijuana individually packaged on his person.

Smith was taken and incarcerated at lake County Jail in Crown Point and was charged with:

• Operating While Intoxicated with minor in car-Level 6 Felony
• Operating While Intoxicated Prior Conviction-Level 6 Felony
• Dealing Marijuana-Class A Misdemeanor
• Operating without receiving a license-Class C Misdemeanor

The car and occupants were turned over to the male passenger who was a valid driver and sober.

All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law