As part of the Scott County Safety Partnership, The Scott County Sheriff’s Office and the Scottsburg Police Department announced today they will join efforts with over 250 Indiana state and local law enforcement agencies to increase education and enforcement around dangerous and impaired driving.

From March 3 through March 26, 2017, officers across the state will conduct high-visibility patrols specifically designated to identify and intercept those driving aggressively and under the influence.

“As a state known for basketball hysteria, March is a time of celebration and fun here in Indiana,” said Sheriff Dan McClain. “Throw in St. Patrick’s Day as well, and its critical we drive home the message that the only way to celebrate, is responsibly. For this reason, our officers will be working day and night all across the state looking out for our fellow Hoosiers, because if we do see you driving dangerously or impaired, we will pull you over.”

Increased enforcement during March is a statewide effort supported by federal funding allocated to Scott County Sheriff’s Office and Scottsburg Police Department from the Traffic Safety Division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). More than 15 officers within these two departments will work overtime to conduct observational patrols and sobriety checkpoints around the clock.

According to ICJI, in March 2016 there were 495 alcohol-related crashes across Indiana, resulting in 231 injuries and 11 fatalities. Additionally, during the same period, crash reports indicate 1,128 collisions occurred due to dangerous driving, resulting in 260 injuries and two fatalities. Dangerous driving includes factors such as “speed too fast for weather conditions,” “driver distracted,” and “driver asleep or fatigued.”

“Protecting all those traveling Indiana’s roadways is an action we do not take lightly,” said ICJI Executive Director Dave Murtaugh. “With various celebratory events taking place during the month of March, it’s important we remind all drivers and passengers the responsibility of staying safe on the road, lies at their feet. I want to thank our hard working and dedicated officers who will be out in full patrol working to ensure this message is front and center in the mind of all those behind the wheel. The key to safe travel is simple. Buckle up and drive sober.”

Crashes resulting from dangerous and impaired driving are preventable. The Scott County Safety Partnership and ICJI would like to remind motorists safe driving is as simple as following these easy steps:

• Before the celebration begins, plan a safe way home
• Do not drive impaired
• If you do drink, use a taxi, public transportation, ridesharing service or designate a sober friend or family member, and give them your keys
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help make arrangements to get them home safely. 

Data compiled in the Indiana Youth Institute’s (IYI) 2017 KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book reveals that, in many cases, Hoosier youth are not thriving. Instead, they are merely surviving.

Washington County’s youth poverty rate (22.9 %) is well under the highest in the state (Delaware County’s 31.2 %) but 2.3 percent over the Indiana average. 

The Data Book shows Indiana’s children are more likely to be victims of poverty and maltreatment than their peers nationally. In addition, Hoosier teens report higher levels of dating violence and suicidal ideation than in many other states.

“The success of our state is directly connected to the well-being of our children,” says Tami Silverman, IYI’s president and CEO. “All of our children, regardless of their circumstances, deserve a safe, productive environment where they can learn, grow and thrive. Indiana can and should be a great place to grow up – and we need to keep working to make this a reality for all Hoosier kids.”

Child Abuse/Neglect:

The littlest Hoosiers are often the most vulnerable. The state’s child abuse and neglect rate has risen steadily since 2011. In 2015, 17 out of every 1,000 Hoosier children were the victims of abuse or neglect. The data shows a stark and steady increase linked to cases involving parental substance abuse. More than half (52 percent) of the children removed by Indiana’s Department of Child Services in 2016 were removed due to a parental substance issue. That rate is up from 48 percent in 2015, 43 percent in 2014 and 32 percent in 2013.

Child Poverty:

The state’s child poverty rate is not improving as rapidly as the state’s economy. One in five Hoosier kids still lives in poverty, with single-mother households facing the greatest hurdles. More than half (50.6 percent) of children in single-mother families live in poverty. That is more than twice as many as in single-father families (23.2 percent) and is higher than the national rate (46.0 percent) for single-mother households. Single mothers earn significantly less than what single fathers make and a larger portion of their income goes toward child care.

Teen Dating Violence:

A survey of Indiana’s high school students reveals many of them are involved in risky and potentially dangerous relationships. Across the board, Indiana has higher rates of teen dating violence than the national average. In one national survey of more than 30 states, Indiana ranked third highest for sexual dating violence among teens (12.6 percent). One in ten Hoosier high schoolers reports they have been forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to by a significant other, ranking Indiana 6th in the survey. Additionally, ten percent of Hoosier high schoolers reports being intentionally physically hurt by someone they were dating.

Teen Suicidal Ideation:

The data shows that Hoosier teens struggle when it comes to suicide. A national-level survey of more than 30 states ranked the state as 3rd for high schoolers who have seriously considered suicide (19.8 percent), 3rd for those who made a suicide plan (17.0 percent), 10th for students who actually attempted to take their own lives (9.9 percent) and 9th for high schoolers whose suicide attempts required professional medical attention. These issues are frequently linked to mental health problems, the most common of which is depression. In 2015, 29.3 percent of Hoosier high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they stopped doing some of their normal activities for two or more weeks in a row.

Other issues highlighted in this year’s Data Book include:

• Indiana’s 2015 infant mortality rate is at 7.3 per 1,000.

• Hoosier mothers-to-be smoke at rates nearly double the national level, but rates have fallen.

• The number of youth homicides (ages 1-19) continues to increase.

• Indiana’s rate of school bullying has fallen below national levels.

• Indiana’s number of homeless students decreased for the first time since 2006.

• A greater percentage of Indiana’s teens are enrolled in school and/or in the labor force than in the previous year.

• A greater percentage of full-time college students are earning their degrees on time compared to previous years.

The 2017 KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book from the Indiana Youth Institute complies data from hundreds of national and statewide sources to paint a picture of what it’s like to be a child in the Hoosier state.

The Indiana Youth Institute produces the KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book as part of a national network of state-level projects coordinated and supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). Some data from this book also will be included in AECF’s national KIDS COUNT Data Book, which provides state-by-state comparisons of child well-being and will be released later this year.

The Indiana Youth Institute promotes the healthy development of Indiana children and youth by serving the people, institutions and communities that impact their well-being.

A Kentucky man is in jail in Clark County after a traffic stop in New Washington where Indiana State Police find marijuana and crack Cocaine literally in the crack of his buttocks. 

DeWayne L. Smith, 45, from N. Hite Avenue in Louisville, KY. 

He was charged with; Possession of Cocaine Five-Ten Grams, Felony; Trafficking a Controlled Substance with an Inmate, Felony; Invasion of Privacy with a Prior, Felony; Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Felony and Possession of Marijuana, Misdemeanor.

On Saturday afternoon, shortly after 12:30 pm, Trooper Nathan Abbott with his K-9 partner, Teague, initiated a traffic stop for a traffic infraction at State Road #62 and Main Street in New Washington. As he approached the vehicle, a gold Ford, he saw the driver with his right hand shoved down the back of his pants.
 
As trooper Abbott spoke to the male driver identified Smith, he could smell an odor of burnt marijuana coming from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. 

Trooper Abbott deployed K-9 Teague around the vehicle and obtained a positive alert for the odor of narcotics.

A computer check also showed that DeWayne Smith had a protective order against him and the protected person was in the car with him.
 
A search of the vehicle was negative for drugs and/or paraphernalia. 

However, once DeWayne Smith was transported to the Clark County Jail where he was being incarcerated for Invasion of Privacy due to the violation of the protective order.

During a search, police found approximately 10 Grams of suspected “Crack” Cocaine and suspected Marijuana was located in the crack of his buttocks. 
 

Emergency crews responded to a 911 call at 7:56a on Sunday about a truck driving through the former Newlon’s Grocery store in Pekin.

Washington County Sheriff’s Department said a black pick-up truck, driven by Daniel Floyd, early 20s, was traveling southeast on State Road 60 when he left the road on the west side.

He traveled through the front yard of the home sitting next to Newlon’s, which police say had just recovered from the last wreck it was involved in, clipped a car parked between the house and the store and drove right through the front of the building.

Police said Floyd had a gash on his head, but refused treatment by EMS.

Floyd was taken to the hospital to be checked out. No one else was injured.

The sheriff’s department, Washington County EMS, Pierce-Polk Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders assisted at the scene. The truck was finally removed from the store about 10a.