INCIDENTS
City:
Wednesday, 2:14 p.m., apartment at Spring Wayne apartments. Unresponsive older male. Officers, Bluffton Fire Department first responders and Wells County EMS paged. Wells County Coroner requested.
Wednesday, 4:07 p.m., 1200 block of Virginia Court. Burglar alarm. Officers responded. Alarm tripped accidentally.
Wednesday, 5:54 p.m., residence in the 500 block of Eastmoor Drive, Bluffton Woods mobile home park. Caller reported a neighborhood boy shot a Nerf gun at her daughter and niece. Officer responded and spoke with the boy about shooting Nerf guns at people who do not want to be shot with Nerf guns.
Wednesday, 7:24 p.m., Main Street at Capri Court. Caller reported a dark-colored Jeep kept starting and stopping while northbound on Main Street. A state trooper got behind the vehicle and pulled it over in the parking lot of the Lowe’s Home Improvement store. Joshua Michael Saraceno, 35, Fort Wayne, was arrested on one count of driving while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor. Bond set at $500.
Thursday, 1:44 a.m., residence in the 1000 block of West Washington Street. Caller reported hearing someone open the front door to the residence. Officers responded but did not see anyone around.
Thursday, 6:15 a.m., Almco Steel Products, 59 N. Oak St. Extended. Burglar alarm. Officers responded. Alarm accidentally tripped.
Thursday, 9:43 a.m., 600 block of North Main Street. Report of a person passed out in the roadway and unresponsive. Bluffton Fire Department first responders, Wells County EMS and officers dispatched. The person reportedly was suffering from a heart ailment and passed out. Transported to Bluffton Regional Medical Center.
County:
Thursday, 2:16 a.m., Ind. 1 at 800N. Sheriff’s deputy clocked an oncoming 2012 Dodge Durango at 66 mph-55 zone, turned around and pulled the vehicle over. The driver of the vehicle, Virginia Cruz Lopez, 40, Fort Wayne, allegedly admitted that she had never received a driver’s license and only had a Mexican passport as her form of identification. She was charged with operating a motor vehicle while never having been issued a driver’s license, a Class C misdemeanor. She was released on her own recognizance. During a search of Lopez’s vehicle, the deputy reportedly found a work identification that had Lopez’s photo on it but the name of Jocelyn Garza. Lopez allegedly admitted to the deputy that Garza is a false identification she uses for work purposes. She then reportedly requested the deputy to contact the Mexican consulate.
Thursday, 9:19 a.m., Southern Wells Schools, 9120S-300W, Poneto. Report of a 16-year-old female student passed out in a restroom. Chester Township Fire Department first responders and Wells County EMS dispatched. Reportedly the student had a recent history of losing consciousness and had not eaten.
Ossian:
Thursday, Nov. 3, Jefferson Street at Davis Road. Officer clocked a southbound Ford at 53 mph-45 zone, and pulled it over on Ogden Street south of LaFever Street. Preston Talarico, age not listed, Fort Wayne, was cited into Wells Superior Court on charges of driving while suspended and operating a motor vehicle without insurance, both Class A misdemeanors.
Friday, Nov. 4, 3:19 p.m., semi turning into Trusted Manufacturing Inc., 1625 Baker Drive, missed the turn and ended up getting hung up in the ditch in front of the business. Tow company contacted. Damage was only to the yard of Trusted.
Monday, 10:50 a.m., Ossian Health & Rehabilitation, 215 Davis Rd. Seventy-year-old female with Alzheimer’s disease managed to exit the facility and walk away. Ossian police, Ossian Fire Department firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and private citizens were mobilized to search for the woman. She was located, unharmed, seated in front of the fire department on North Jefferson Street and returned to the facility
Tuesday, 2:28 p.m., 1600 block of Diane Drive. Officer helped quiet a shouting match between neighbors over politics.
ACCIDENTS
City:
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Main Street at Dustman Road. Courtney A. Gerbers, 42, rural Bluffton, made a right turn from Dustman onto Main and was starting to drive her 2018 Buick Enclave north on Main when a dark green mini van merged into her lane into the side of her Enclave and then sped away. The driver of the van is believed to be a blonde woman with long hair. Damage exceeded $2,500.
Wednesday, 3:04 p.m., Oak Street at Market Street. Karna R. Calvisky, 50, rural Bluffton, was southbound on Oak. She thought that Elijah Swann, 56, Fort Wayne, who had stopped at the stop sign at the intersection, was getting ready to proceed into the intersection so Calvisky moved forward. The front bumper of her 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee bumped the rear bumper of Swann’s 2016 Chevrolet Colorado causing more than $1,000 damage.
Wednesday, 4:33 p.m., 400 block of North Main Street. Two vehicle crash. Officers, Bluffton Fire Rescue and Wells County EMS paged. No further information available.
County:
Wednesday, 9:45 a.m., Ind. 116 south of 150N. Deborah S. Resler, 60, Ossian, hit a deer with a 2021 Chevrolet Express mini school bus registered to Northern Wells Community Schools, Ossian. None of the three occupants on board the bus were injured. Damage to the van exceeded $2,500.
Wednesday, 4:49 p.m., 800N at 100E. Marilyn J. Douglas, 89, Markle, was driving a 2018 Cadillac XT4 west on 800N. She stopped for 100E but failed to see a southbound 1992 GMC Sonoma driven by Asher W. Vitatoe, 17, Ossian, and entered the intersection. The ensuing collision caused more than $5,000 damage to the two vehicles. Douglas suffered a laceration to her left hand but declined having medics dispatched to the scene.
Wednesday, 7:40 p.m., Ind. 1 near 350N. Park W. Reiff, 49, Bluffton, hit a deer with his 2012 Chrysler Town & Country van. Damage to the van exceeded $2,500.
Thursday, 7:05 a.m., 700E near U.S. 224. A deer ran into the side of a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Shawn A. Bonar, 45, Hoagland. The pickup truck, a Wells County Highway Department vehicle, sustained more than $2,500 damage.
Ossian:
Friday, Nov. 4, 2:10 p.m., Mill Street near Jefferson Street. Richard D. Branyan, 77, Bluffton, backed a 2022 Kia Rio out of a parking space under the awning at Heyerly’s bakery and backed into a 2016 Ford Fusion that had just pulled up to the traffic light at the intersection driven by Taylor M. White, 22, Ossian. Damage exceeded $2,500.
FIRES
Wednesday, 12:54 p.m., Delbert and Sharon McCune residence, 4443S-700E. Fire from burning leaf piles spread to the woods. Nottingham Township Fire Department dispatched. Berne Fire Department requested for mutual aid.
Wednesday, 2:19 p.m., 10890SE-Jeff Rd. Chester Township and Montpelier fire departments dispatched for a woods on fire. Fire under control at 2:51 p.m.
Wednesday, 3:21 p.m., David and Elaine Barth residence, 3472SW-Church Rd., near Vera Cruz. Corn stubble field fire. Bluffton Fire Department dispatched. About one to two acres burned. Firefighters had the fire under control at 3:37 p.m.
Wednesday, 4:14 p.m., 4162E-Ind. 124. Wood pile on fire next to a tractor. Bluffton Fire Department dispatched and brought the fire under control by 4:37 p.m.
Wednesday, 6:41 p.m., U.S. 224 near Meridian Road. Ditch on fire on the north side of the road. Ossian and Liberty Township fire departments dispatched and doused the fire.
Wednesday, 6:42 p.m., Ind. 218 near 600W. Smell of natural gas in the area. Liberty Township Fire Department dispatched. Area was checked but no odor of natural gas was detected.
Thursday, 2:51 a.m., Ind. 3 north of 1000S. Working field fire spread from a controlled brush fire. Fire departments from Chester Township, Warren and Montpelier dispatched. Fire under control at 3:18 a.m.
ARRESTS
Sabbian Jesse Zachari Miller, 24, Huntington; probation violation. No bond set.
Kathleen Lynn Crawley, 30, Albany; failure to appear, a Class A misdemeanor. No bond set.
