Indiana State Troopers arrested a Clarksville man on Clark County warrants and local charges after he led them on a vehicle pursuit and then fled on foot.  

Around 11:20 Monday morning, Trooper Kyle Taylor attempted to pull over a black 2010 Ford Fusion for speeding as the car traveled south on State Road 135 near Dutch Creek Road in Washington County.

When Trooper Taylor activated his emergency lights, the car pulled into the driveway of a nearby residence and started to stop. 

However, before the vehicle stopped, the driver, later identified as 41-year-old Anthony Arnold of Clarksville, Indiana, sped off through the yard and back onto the highway.  

Trooper Taylor gave pursuit, and other troopers and officers responded toward the area. 

The pursuit continued south on State Road 135 before turning onto Liberty Church Road and later South Palmyra Road. 

As the pursuit approached Strickland Road, Arnold exited the Fusion and fled on foot towards Blue River. 

Arnold crossed Blue River and was taken into custody in an open field shortly after by Trooper Jeremy Simcoe, who had responded to assist. 

Upon apprehending Anthony Arnold, officers discovered he was wanted out of Clark County, Indiana, for Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon(a level 4 felony), Burglary(a level 5 felony), and Possession of Methamphetamine(a level 6 felony). Following his arrest, Arnold was transported to the Washington County Jail without incident after receiving medical clearance from EMS personnel.

In addition to the Clark County charges, officers charged Anthony Arnold with Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle, a level 6 felony, and Resisting Law Enforcement, a class A misdemeanor. 

Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and Washington County EMS personnel assisted troopers in this detail.  

Officers arrested a Madison man on a warrant for possession of child pornography following a year-long investigation by Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigators.  

On Monday evening, Jefferson County deputies arrested 42-year-old Ryan K. Adams of Madison following an investigation initiated in April of 2023. The investigation began after task force officers allege Adams shared child pornography images with an undercover detective.   

In May 2023, detectives served a search warrant on Ryan Adam’s residence. Investigators then analyzed digital devices recovered during that search. On March 22, 2024, and as a result of the investigation, the Jefferson County Superior Court issued an arrest warrant for Ryan Adams for five counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Each charge is a level 5 felony.   

On Monday, March 25, 2024, Jefferson County deputies arrested Adams at his residence without incident. Officers then transported Adams to the Jefferson County Jail, where he is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.   

The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a multiagency task force that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children, and the Indiana State Police oversees the task force. 

The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages Hoosiers to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website. To report a crime with your child as a victim involving the Internet or other electronic means, please contact your local Indiana law enforcement agency. 

ICAC Taskforce website: https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/

Indiana State Police Troopers arrested a 32-year-old Salem man on Tuesday for child molestation and several related felony charges in two southern Indiana Counties. 

As a result of the investigation, ISP Detective Baker believed illegal contact occurred between a child in the Washington County School System and the adult male, 32-year-old James Crawford Jr. of Salem, in both Washington and Clark Counties over a period spanning several months.  

After the initial investigation, Detective Baker requested arrest warrants for James Crawford Jr. for the following charges: 

Crawford was charged in Washington County with the following crimes: 

1. Child Molesting – Level 1 Felony, two counts.  
2. Child Molesting – Level 4 Felony, one count. 
3. Tattooing a Minor – Class A Misdemeanor, one count. 

Crawford was charged in Clark County with the following crimes: 

1. Child Seduction – Level 4 Felony, one count. 
2. Sexual Misconduct with a Minor – Level 4 Felony, one count. 
3. Child Solicitation – Level 4 Felony, one count. 

The investigation began in February 2024 when a Washington County school system resource officer contacted Detective Travis Baker and advised a child in the school had possibly been molested by an adult male.

Baker immediately began an investigation, which included a sexual assault forensic examination at a local hospital.

The investigation also included a forensic interview conducted at a local child advocacy center in conjunction with a caseworker with the Indiana Department of Child Services.  

Troopers served both warrants on Tuesday at the Washington County Jail, where James Crawford Jr. is incarcerated on unrelated charges.

Crawford is being held without bond in Washington County and has a $50,000 cash only bond on the Clark County charges.

Heidelberg Materials North America is pleased to announce it has been selected for
award negotiation to receive up to $500 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP).

“I know Heidelberg, and I know their integrity and their commitment to excellence and ability to produce cement now in a new, sustainable, modern way. This is what Hoosiers are all about. We’ve long been pioneers, and now we’re pioneering the future of cement,” said Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. 

The purpose of this project is to advance the integration of full-scale carbon capture, transport, and storage at the new state-of-the-art cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana.

The funding will build on prior funding that has been awarded by the DOE toward successfully completing the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) work necessary to verify the project’s technical feasibility.

The application was submitted in 2023, and Heidelberg Materials will participate in substantial cost share that will leverage up to $500M in DOE project funding. The selection is part of the DOE’s Industrial Demonstrations Program to provide up to a total of $6 billion in funding to demonstrate commercial-scale decarbonization solutions needed to move energy-intensive industries toward net- zero across the U.S. and is one of 33 projects selected across 20 states as part of this program.

The new Mitchell cement plant, recently modernized to produce more than triple its previous capacity, incorporates features to minimize energy consumption and enable the use of alternative fuels and raw materials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The proposed project for this funding award will capture, treat and prepare for storage or use approximately 2 million tons of CO 2 each year from the cement plant.

“This substantial federal funding will help create the first full-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage on a cement plant in the U.S.,” said Chris Ward, President and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America.

“Through this project at the Mitchell facility, Heidelberg Materials is investing in leading the development and application of CCUS in our industry, and successful implementation of this technology at scale will play a critical role in achieving our goal of decarbonization,” continued Ward.

“Spurring on the next generation of decarbonization technologies in key industries like steel, paper, concrete, and glass will keep America the most competitive nation on Earth,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to President Biden’s industrial strategy, DOE is making the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in the history of the United States. These investments
will slash emissions from these difficult-to-decarbonize sectors and ensure American businesses and American workers remain at the forefront of the global economy.”

Heidelberg Materials is committed to leading the cement industry in developing viable carbon capture projects, which are essential to achieving the company’s ambitious sustainability goals.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a national high-visibility enforcement effort this April to deter distracted driving.

“Distractions behind the wheel can have devastating consequences,” said Devon McDonald, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Executive Director. “We urge all motorists to focus on the road and avoid any activity that takes their attention away from driving safely.”

Law enforcement officers nationwide will work together to enforce texting and distracted-driving laws and remind people to put away distractions while on the road. This effort comes during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

“People know using their phone while driving is dangerous and often illegal, but they do it anyway, and put themselves and others at risk,” said Lieutenant Jason Allen. Drivers will see increased law enforcement efforts, as officers will be stopping and ticketing anyone who is caught texting and driving.”

Violating Indiana’s distracted driving laws can be costly. Violators of Indiana’s hands-free law could face a Class C infraction with fines of up to $500 and have points added to their license.

Cell phone use while driving is dangerous and illegal. Break the cycle. For more information, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/distracted-driving.

Troopers with the Indiana State Police Versailles Post arrested a Greenwood man on felony drug and weapons charges Sunday. 

The arrest occurred when troopers stopped to check the driver’s well-being after his vehicle stalled in the roadway.  

Around nine Sunday morning, Trooper Randal Miller and Probationary Trooper Tyler Busch observed a black Ford SUV stopped on the side of US 50 just west of North Vernon. 

The vehicle partially blocked the eastbound lanes, so the troopers stopped to assist. 

The driver, later identified as 33-year-old Christopher Spall of Greenwood, Indiana, stated he did not need any assistance; however, the troopers observed signs of possible drug activity in the vehicle.  

Troopers then deployed K9 Bosco, who alerted to the odor of drugs coming from the car. 

During a subsequent search of the SUV, officers located approximately 23 grams of suspected methamphetamine, a loaded AR-15-style rifle, marijuana, and paraphernalia.   

Jennings County Deputies Max Marcoux, Morgan Gabbard, and AJ Roney assisted the troopers during the stop.  Christopher Spall was transported to the Jennings County Jail and arrested on the following charges: 

1. Possession of Methamphetamine with a firearm – Level 3 Felony.
2. Possession of a Firearm by a Felon with Prior Conviction – Level 5 Felony.
3. Possession of marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor.
4. Possession of paraphernalia – Class C Misdemeanor.  

Indiana State Police arrested a Michigan man found unresponsive while behind the wheel of his vehicle at a gas station fuel pump in Memphis.    

While investigating an unrelated call at a Memphis, Indiana, gas station, Sergeant Tracy Spencer encountered a man allegedly passed out behind the wheel of his GMC truck around 1:30 Saturday morning.

The truck, which was also pulling a trailer loaded with motorcycles, was at the fuel pump island with the hose inserted into the vehicle.

During his investigation, Sgt. Spencer learned the truck and driver had been sitting at the pump for approximately 2 hours before his arrival.

Sgt. Spencer also observed suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia when he checked on the driver’s status and attempted to wake him.

While Sergeant Spencer continued his investigation, EMS personnel medically cleared the driver, 43-year-old John Hilbert Kuiper of Grandville, Michigan.

As a result of the investigation, Kuiper was arrested for Possession of a Narcotic Drug (Level 6 Felony), Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (A Misdemeanor).  

John Kuiper was taken into custody and incarcerated at the Clark County Jail without further incident.   

Area legislators are recognizing the latest local recipients of the Hoosier Homestead Award, which recognizes farms owned and maintained by the same family for 100 years or more.

Represented by State Sen. Gary Byrne (R-Byrneville), State Rep. Edward Clere (R-New Albany) and State Rep. Karen Engleman (R-Georgetown), the Dorton farm in Harrison County received a Bicentennial Award and the Leonard C. Lemmel farm in Floyd County received a Centennial Award.

The Hoosier Homestead Award Program honors families who have made significant contributions to Indiana agriculture. Instituted in 1976, the program has recognized more than 6,000 family farms that have impacted Indiana’s economic, cultural and social advancement.

“As a Hoosier Homestead recipient myself, I understand how much hard work and dedication goes into maintaining a farm for more than 100 years,” Byrne said. “It is no small feat, which is why I am proud to congratulate the Dorton and Leonard C. Lemmel farms for reaching this milestone.”

“The Lemmels and other local farmers deserve to be recognized for preserving their family’s legacy and business through generations,” Clere said. “It’s really incredible to think about all the hardships these homesteaders had to overcome in the last century and the perseverance it took to remain in operation.”

“We have relied on the hard work and dedication of our farmers to both help feed the state and grow our economy,” said Engleman, whose family farm has also been in operation for over 100 years. “Thanks to Hoosier families who have passed down their homesteads for generations, Indiana will continue to thrive.” 

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year. The award distinctions are centennial, sesquicentennial and bicentennial – for 100, 150 and 200 years, respectively.