Snow Arriving Tonight, Staying for the Week
A winter weather advisory has been issued for Michiana. Snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected to arrive this afternoon and continue through the end of the week.
The week of wintry weather will conclude with the arrival of a cold front Saturday that will bring single digit temperatures.
The Indiana State Police are asking drivers to be cautious and slow down as road conditions deteriorate.
From Left: Lazaro Perales,
Sotero Perales, and Miguel Angel Calixto
Brother of Accused Killer Pleads Guilty as Accessory
The brother of a Florida man accused of killing Miguel Angel Calixto at Berrybrook Farm in Wayne Township, Cass County, Michigan last September pled guilty Monday to accessory after the fact.
After pleading guilty at his arraignment, Sotero said his brother, Lazaro Lopez Perales, shot and killed Calixto, and he helped him dispose of the body.
Sotero will be sentenced January 30th. Lazaro remains at large.
Clifton
Wilkins, Jr. Crystal Pease
Child Found At Milford Meth Lab
Two Milford residents were arrested yesterday and a 1-year-old child was taken into protective custody after an active meth lab was discovered in a home in the 300 block of East Smith Street.
Clifton Wilkins, Jr. and Crystal Pease were arrested for felony charges of dealing a controlled substance.
Pease is the mother of the child removed from the scene.
Murder Witnessed By Children of Slain Couple
Police say a murder/suicide in Winimac involved a couple that was separating, and their children apparently witnessed the whole thing Monday.
According to reports, Jonathan Minix allegedly shot his estranged wife Ella in her vehicle in front of the couple’s 13-year old son and 10-year-old daughter after ramming her pickup to stop it in traffic. He shot and killed himself in his vehicle a short time later.
There was reportedly an altercation between the couple earlier at the courthouse. Ella was apparently given custody of the children and was seeking a restraining order against her husband.
LaPorte Judge Injured in Shooting Takes the Bench
Newly-elected LaPorte Superior Court Judge Jennifer Evans is at work.
On December 22, the 34-year old former Deputy Prosecutor was grazed in the head by a bullet from a gun fired in her home. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still under investigation.
The case is being handled by St. Joseph County Prosecutor Mike Dvorak who will decide if any charges should be filed.
Power Back In Middlebury
Power was out early Tuesday for the entire town of Middlebury.
NIPSCO says a static wire failed sometime after midnight at a substation and has since been repaired. All power was restored as of 8am.
Middlebury Schools were delayed for two hours due to the outage.
Carbon Monoxide Forces Fire Station Evacuation
Carbon monoxide forced the temporary evacuation of South Bend Fire Station 9 for several hours Monday.
According to officials, detectors have been picking up sporadic spikes of carbon monoxide levels for about a week at the station on Mishawaka Avenue.
The investigation continues as NIPSCO and South Bend’s Building Department inspectors work to isolate the problem.
Baney Incompetent to Stand Trial
81-year old Wayne Baney of South Bend, afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, is incompetent to stand trial for attempted murder.
That’s the ruling of a Judge John Marnocha, the Tribune reports, in connection with Baney’s shooting of his 48-year old son in 2007 after an argument.
Marnocha says Baney’s case unusual because of the degenerative nature of Alzheimer’s and because there is no cure.
Motion to Dismiss Charge Against Clay Township Woman
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office has moved to dismiss charges against a Clay Township woman accused of not seeking help for her granddaughter.
Elaine Schrock was charged with Neglect of a Dependent Causing Serious Bodily Injury, after her daughter Barbara Schrock injured the then 3-month-old in 2005. Natalia Benson was rushed to the hospital suffering from a severe brain injury, a detached retina and broken bones.
Barbara was put on trial, during which medical experts testified that the first injury to Natalia was so severe that any injuries that followed would not have resulted in additional serious bodily injury. Barbara was convicted of Battery and Neglect of a Dependant in a second trial in 2008.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Eric Tamashasky said that because of the medical testimony Elaine Schrock’s placement of Natalia after the initial injuries could not have caused the “serious bodily injury” necessary for the charge to proceed.
Emergency Landing in Kosciusko County
Imagine you’re flying at about 35-hundred feet and a big part of the propeller on your single-engine airplane suddenly flies off.
That was the situation facing Chad Miller, of Topeka, Indiana and his instructor William Reid, of Howe, Indiana when they were forced to make an emergency landing in a bean field near the Elkhart/Kosciusko County line.
The two were able to land the plane safely with minimal damage.
Both men inspected the propeller before take-off and found no evidence of stress at that time. FAA officials from South Bend and a mechanical team from the Goshen Airport were contacted to inspect the aircraft.
Miller and Reid had planned to make “stop and go/touch and go” landings in Goshen.
Granholm Won’t Take Position in Obama Administration
Despite the rumors, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm will finish out her two years in Lansing.
It’s been reported that Granholm was on a short list of candidates for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce position with the Obama administration.
A spokesman for the Governor says Granholm plans to finish her term before thinking about taking a post in Washington.
SB Police Respond to Multiple, Unrelated Crimes
South Bend Police had their hands full around midday Monday. They were called to respond to an attempted robbery, 2 car chases, and an attempted burglary.
Just before 11:30AM, police responded to an attempted robbery at the One-Stop Quick Mart in the 1300 block of North Portage. A suspect was arrested.
Then, just after 11:30, police were led on a car chase from the 1400 block of Western to the intersection of Washington and Maple after they attempted to pull over a vehicle. The suspect bailed from his car and ran but was eventually arrested.
At 11:50, authorities were led on another chase, this one ending with the suspect crashing the vehicle in the 1600 block of Elwood. That suspect also ran from the scene but was arrested. No one was hurt.
Finally, police responded to an attempted burglary at a home in 200 block of East Donmoyer. One suspect was arrested.
Authorities have not yet sorted out the different suspects’ identities.
Elkhart Considers Fuel Hedge Program
In its first meeting of 2009, the Elkhart City Council considered a plan that could save the city money on fuel, according to the Truth.
The council passed a resolution allowing the city to look into joining a motor fuel hedge program designed .to allow cities to pool resources to lock in fuel rates for 2009 with suppliers.
If the market price rises above the locked-in rate, the city would be reimbursed for the difference. But if prices go lower, the city would have to pay the difference.
Plasma
Donation Center Opens Tuesday in Elkhart
If your blood passes the test, you can donate plasma and get paid for it. BioLife Plasma Services is opening Tuesday in Elkhart on Emerson Drive.
It’s a plasma donation center where donors have plasma separated from their blood that’s used as a clotting factor for patients with clotting disorders and for open heart and oncology patients.
Donors can give up to two times a week and be paid $20 dollars for the first donation, $30 for the second.
Elkhart Chamber Wants to Lead Economic Recovery
There are plans to aggressively grow the Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, which include membership recruitment events this week, in addition to television ads and billboards that inform the community of the Chamber’s benefits.
President Phil Penn says, especially during tough economic times, companies need to increase their marketing exposure and business contacts.
Cryus Brown
Elderly Woman Holds Suspect At Gunpoint
A 70-year-old woman with a gun held a man in her home until police got there to arrest him Sunday night.
St. Joseph County police say 28-year old Cyrus Brown crashed his car into a utility pole near the woman’s home in the 51-thousand block of Portage, then broke into the woman’s house where she held him at gunpoint.
Brown claimed he crashed after being chased by gang members trying to kill him. He faces charges of Burglary, Resisting Arrest and Intimidation.
Lowell Owens
*Courtesy WVLT-TV
Warsaw Couple Killed in Plane Crash
The investigation continues into the plane crash over the weekend in Tennessee that killed a Warsaw couple.
64-year-old Lowell Owens and his wife, 51-year-old Susan, died when their single engine plane crashed into a mountainside near Washburn, TN.
A preliminary cause of the crash could be released by the NTSB within a couple of weeks, but officials say a full report won’t be available for about a year.
Lowell owned Owens was a CPA and owner of Owens & Co. with offices in Warsaw and Syracuse.
Kevin Martin
FCC Chairman Visits South Bend
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin visited several Indiana cities Monday, including South Bend.
It’s part of an extensive nationwide initiative the commission has launched to increase awareness about the upcoming digital t-v transition which happens February 17th. Analog TV signals will no longer be used.
Monaco Coach Hires Help for Self-Evaluation
RV-maker
Monaco Coach has hired Imperial Capital LLP as a financial advisor and Avondale Partners LLC as a strategy advisor to evaluate its business operations including its facilities in Goshen and Milford, the Truth reports.
The company is apparently considering joint ventures and mergers as possible strategies for regaining financial stability.
Last year, the company shut down its plants in Wakarusa and Nappanee, laying off around 1,400 workers in the process.
SB Nanotechnology Site has New Name
A place that will always be remembered as a part of South Bend’s history now has a new name for its future.
Ignition Park will be home to a portion of Indiana’s first two-site State Certified Technology Park with Innovation Park at Notre Dame.
The name for the 83 acre site, which once housed the former Studebaker Corridor, was selected through a community review process.
Mayor Luecke says Ignition Park is a place where efforts are under way to invest millions in resources to capture a portion of the projected $1-trillion U.S. nanoelectronics industry.