INCIDENTS
City:
Friday, 4:38 p.m., Lancaster Senior Villas. Caller reported that she was notified there was an unauthorized charge of $500 on her PayPal account. The caller did not have a PayPal account.
Friday, 5:18 p.m., 900 block of North Main Street. Loud family dispute. Officers responded. Situation calmed.
Friday, 10:01 p.m., 1st Source Bank parking lot. Report of a woman lying in the parking lot. Officers responded and located the woman walking on the west side of the courthouse. She advised she was just out taking a walk.
Friday, 10:39 p.m., 300 block of South Main Street. Bluffton police officer pulled over a sport utility vehicle for not having its lights on and arrested the driver, Makiya Devanna Nicol Craine, 18, Bihalia, Miss. See Court News.
Saturday, 12:18 a.m., residence in the 900 block of West South Street. Report of six people fighting. Officers responded. Situation calmed. Parties separated. Everyone warned for disorderly conduct.
Saturday, 9:33 a.m., Family Farm and Home, 990 N. Main St. Wells County EMS and Bluffton Fire Department first responders dispatched on a report that a 77-year-old woman had fallen face first in the store.
Saturday, 12:40 p.m., apartment at Capri Meadows. Caller reported that a male acquaintance came to his front door. When he answered the door, the man punched him in the face and then left. Officers responded. Information taken for a report.
Saturday, 2:12 p.m., residence in the 700 block of South Morgan Street. Caller reported he lent his mower to a male acquaintance and now he was declining to return it and had changed his cell phone number.
Saturday, 7:15 p.m., PNC Bank, 304 W. Market St. Burglar alarm. Officers responded. Alarm tripped by a power outage.
Saturday, 7:53 p.m., Market Street at Baldwin Street. Officer spoke with two people who were yelling at each other at the corner. They were apparently arguing over driving behavior.
Sunday, 4:21 p.m., Spring Wayne Apartments, 525 E. Spring St. Report of a man and a woman screaming at each other. Officers responded. Situation calmed, parties separated.
Sunday, 9:06 p.m., residence in the 400 block of West Lancaster Street. Bicycle stolen.
County:
Friday, 8:18 p.m., U.S. 224 near Main Street in Uniondale. Deputies pulled over a vehicle after receiving a report that the man and the woman in the vehicle had been arguing quite animatedly and the caller was concerned the man might be battering the woman. After speaking with the couple, the deputies were able to determine no battery occurred.
Friday, 8:32 p.m., U.S. 224 near Meridian Road. An Indiana state police trooper clocked a westbound Ford Escape at 68 mph in a 55 zone, turned his patrol vehicle around, and pulled the SUV over. The driver was identified as Charlotte E. Rothgeb, 46, Ossian. In the passenger seat next to Rothgeb reportedly was a woman who had a protective order in place against Rothgeb. Rothgeb was placed under arrest on one count of invasion of privacy, a Class A misdemeanor.
Saturday, 7:56 a.m., residence on West Washington Street in Poneto. Officers responded to a report of a verbal altercation between a man and a woman. Situation calmed.
Saturday, 9:42 a.m., 6138N-Main St. Tocsin residence of Jacob D. Alford. Large tree blown down onto the house and dragged down power lines, cutting Indiana Michigan power to the surrounding area.
Saturday, 11:25 a.m., 6174S-200W. Strong thunderstorm uprooted a large pine tree and caused it to fall onto the road.
Saturday, 2:12 p.m., 3603 E. Market St. Petroleum residence of Heather Oliver. Large tree blown down into the street. Farmer removed it with his tractor.
Saturday, 2:59 p.m., 5706S-400W residence of Solomon and Heather Robles. Large tree blow ndown onto garage and car.
Saturday, 3:15 p.m., Wellsburg. Tree down on the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Railroad notified.
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Ind. 3 near 1000S. Deputy removed some small trees that had blown down into the highway.
Saturday, 3:42 p.m., 600W north of 100S. Large tree down in the road. Wells County Highway Department contacted.
Saturday, 3:54 p.m., 900S near Jeff Road. Large tree down in the road.
Saturday, 4:50 p.m., 100W a half mile south of 800S. Large tree blown down in the roadway.
Saturday, 5:17 p.m., 1150S east of 450E. Large tree down in the roadway.
Saturday, 8:32 p.m., Ind. 124 at 300W. Deputy attempted to pull over a “naked” sport bike for 75 mph-55 zone and passing vehicles on a double yellow line. The motorcycle was failing to stop for the deputy and the deputy gave chase at speeds in excess of 135 mph and the motorcycle was still pulling away. Eventually the motorcycle pulled so far away it could no longer be located.
Sunday, 12:09 a.m., residence on 300W north of Ind. 218. Loud verbal altercation between a man and a woman. Deputies responded. While both claimed to have been battered by the other, neither wished to pursue the matter further. The situation was calmed and the parties were separated.
Sunday, 3:36 a.m., Countryside Drive, Markle. Report of a suspicious pickup truck Deputies responded and located the pickup truck. The driver was asleep behind the steering wheel. One of the deputies performed a license plate check on the 1998 Chevrolet pickup truck and discovered that it as registered to Jeffrey A. Denton Jr., 36, Huntington, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The deputy knocked on the window, the driver awakened and reportedly identified himself as Joshua A. Delagrange, 33, and gave the deputy a Social Security number that did not check out. The deputy then had dispatch send him a photo of Denton and compared it to the man who identified himself as Delagrange. It reportedly was a match. While placing Denton under arrest, deputies reportedly found a “dime bag” of heroin under one of his feet. Also, allegedly in plain view on the seat where Denton had been sitting was a hypodermic syringe. Denton was charged with possession of a hypodermic syringe, a Level 6 felony; identity deception, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of a narcotic drug, a Level 5 felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. He was booked into the Wells County Jail without bond. A search of his pickup truck also reportedly turned up drug paraphernalia and four fentanyl test strips.
Sunday, 7:46 a.m., residence on 100W near Uniondale. Four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle and numerous tools stolen. The thieves reportedly left behind two home theater systems.
Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Hoosier Highway between 200 and 300S. Report of a suspicious man walked up to a man and a woman in the front yard of the residence and started talking about crop circles and Jesus. The couple was disturbed by the man’s behavior as he started to behave aggressively then reportedly attempted to enter the residence through a back door — beating on and damaging the door. When the mother of the male answered the door, the man said he wanted a glass of water. The woman gave him a glass of water and he reportedly left walking southwest on Hoosier Highway. Deputy located the man at Hoosier Highway and Ash Road walking in the ditch on the west side of the road. When the deputy tried to speak to the man, he reportedly took off running down the road. The deputy told him to stop or he would be “tased.” The man stopped briefly then reportedly tried to walk away again. The deputy caught up to the man and grabbed him by the arm. A second deputy had arrived and the man reportedly resisted efforts to be placed into handcuffs and then resisted the officers’ efforts to place him in a patrol vehicle. He was eventually subdued and after being placed into custody told deputies his “earth name” was Steven Patrick Lewis, 51, Bluffton. He was charged with residential entry, a Level 6 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of a controlled substance, a Class C misdemeanor. Bond set at $13,000.
ACCIDENTS
City:
Saturday, 9:10 a.m., Monroe Street at Fieldcrest Drive. Michael D. Loshe, 48, rural Decatur, hit a deer with his 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe. Damage to the sport utility vehicle exceeded $1,000.
Sunday, 8:30 p.m., Beth Avenue at Wiley Avenue. Leilah Harmon, age and address not listed, struck a parked car and a tree at the intersection, suffering serious injuries. A report on the accident was not completed at press time.
County:
Friday, 9:50 p.m., 600E in Tocsin north of U.S. 224. Ronald L. Carpenter, 56, Tocsin, had maneuvered his 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck across the center line while northbound on 600E in attempt to back the truck and the boat and trailer he was towing into his driveway. Carpenter lives where the old Tocsin school was located and which has been a private residence for many years. He failed to see an oncoming 2005 Chrysler Sebring driven by Abigail Nusbaumer, 18, rural Ossian, heading south on 600E. The two vehicles collided nearly head-on causing the pickup truck to spin right 90 degrees and drive into a field. The car — a convertible — ended up facing south just into Carpenter’s driveway. The collision caused more than $10,000 damage to the two vehicles. Both Nusbaumer and one of her four passengers, Alyssa Stevens, 18, rural Ossian, were injured in the crash and were transported to Bluffton Regional Medical Center by Wells County EMS for treatment. Ossian Fire Rescue was also dispatched to the scene. The other three passengers were examined by medics at the scene but not transported. Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash as Carpenter reportedly blew a .18 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test. He was also taken to Bluffton Regional Medical Center for a blood draw and any further legal action is pending the results of that blood test.
FIRES
Saturday, 9:16 a.m., 401 Morton Lane, Ossian. Large tree limb blown down into power lines causing arcing and sparking. Ossian Fire Department dispatched. American Electric Power notified.
Saturday, 10:32 a.m., River Terrace Estates, 400 Caylor Blvd. Fire alarm. Bluffton Fire Department dispatched. No fire. A hole in a water pipe had set off the alarm.
Saturday, 11:38 a.m., Briana Suzan Webb residence, 3176W-Ind. 124. Tree on fire about 10 to feet feet from the house. Liberty Township Fire Department dispatched.
Saturday, 3:05 p.m., Raymond and Christina Hartman residence, 1244E-900S, Keystone. Large tree toppled by high winds and pulled down power lines into the road. Nottingham Township Fire Department dispatched. Wells County Highway Department contacted.
Saturday, 3:06 p.m., Zachary E. Kelly residence, 2137W-1000S. Large tree and electrical lines blow down onto the house. Nottingham Township and Chester Township fire departments dispatched. American Electric Power contacted.
Saturday, 3:22 p.m., debra Heller residence, 3595 E. First St., Petroleum. Electrical wires blown down. Nottingham Township Fire Department dispatched.
Sunday, 11:12 p.m., Brian and Nondis Ginter residence. Shed behind house on fire. Liberty Township, Poneto and Bluffton fire departments dispatched. Shed had burned to the ground before firefighters were able to arrive.
