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Last updated on Thursday, December 31, 2015
(UNDATED) - In October: a new D.A.R.E Camaro hit the streets, an IU student was arrested after attacking a Muslim woman, a Mitchell woman is accused of stealing more than $260,000, a Bedford man was arrested after causing a fatal accident and fleeing the scene, a Coveyville woman was killed in a mobile home fire and a Marengo man is facing life in prison.
New D.A.R.E Camaro Unveiled
The Bedford Police Department new D.A.R.E. vehicle hit the streets on October 8.
The bright yellow Camaro, nicknamed Bumblebee, will be driven by D.A.R.E. Officer Major Steve.
The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro was purchased through generous donations.
GM Bedford Casting with the help youth groups, including North Lawrence Community Schools, Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence County, United Auto Workers Local 440 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 16 raised funds to purchase the vehicle.
Mitchell Woman Arrested After Allegedly Stealing $260,000 From Monroe County Correctional Center Cash Bond Fund
A Mitchell woman was arrested on fraud and embezzlement charges after she allegedly stole more than $260,000 from the Monroe County Correctional Center cash bond fund.
45-year-old Karen S. Bridges, was arrested October 16.
According to police, from 1996 until June 2015, Bridges served as an administrative coordinator for the Monroe County Correctional Center and oversaw the cash bond account which is used for the receipt of jail bonds for Monroe County. She was terminated from her job on June 1.
The cash bond account is used as a pass through account for the receipt of inmate bond funds which are later disbursed to the Monroe County Clerk of the Courts.
As part of the scheme to hide her embezzlement, Bridges allegedly submitted false invoices to the county purporting to be from Advanced Correctional Healthcare (ACH), including invoices for work which had not been completed. ACH provided health care to jail inmates. When ACH discovered the overpayments from Monroe County, it sent refunds to Bridges' attention at the Monroe County Correctional Facility. The refunds from ACH were deposited into the Cash Fund Bond account to cover the shortages that resulted from her embezzlement.
On several occasions, Bridges reported falsely to the Indiana State Board of Accounts that shortages in the cash bond fund were "in transit" meaning, the checks for bond payments had not yet been processed by the account holder's financial institution. The result of Bridges' alleged embezzlement is approximately $264,000.
IU Student Arrested After Attacking Muslim Woman
A 19-year-old Indiana University Student was arrested October 17, after he assaulted a Muslim woman in what police are saying was a racially motivated attack.
The attack happened at Sofra Cafe on South Walnut Street.
According to the Bloomington police, a 47-year-old Muslim woman was sitting at a table with her 9-year-old daughter when Triceton Bickford began shouting racial epithets and then grabbed her by the neck forcing her head toward the table. He also grabbed the woman's headscarf choking her. Her husband intervened stopping the attack and held him on the sidewalk till police arrived.
During the struggle, Bickford spit in the husband's and the male bystander's face, while continuing to make threats on their lives and the police.
After being handcuffed in placed in the police car, Bickford attempted to kick out the windows of the patrol car. Upon his arrival at Monroe County Jail at 7:54 p.m., Bickford bit an officer on the calf.
Bickford is facing charges of intimidation, public intoxication, two counts of misdemeanor battery, one felony level charge of battery, being a minor in possession or consumption of alcohol and strangulation.
According to the Monroe County Jail, Bickford's blood alcohol content was 0.195.
Defense attorneys did seek a change of venue which was granted. A trial date is set for May 1, 2016.
Kenworthy Named Grand Marshal Of 2015 Christmas Parade
In October, Jack Kenworthy, former president and chief executive officer of Bedford Federal Savings Bank and active volunteer in the community was named grand marshal for the 2015 Bedford Christmas parade.
The parade theme was "It's a Wonderful Life."
Marengo Man Could Face Life In Prison, Asks For Change Of Venue
In October, the defense for a Marengo man accused of two murders requested a change of venue, saying because of media stories and social media posts he cannot receive a fair trial in Orange County.
Nick J. Herthel, John Carpenter's attorney, believes pretrial publicity including articles featured in newspapers, on radio and TV stations "will make it impossible for him to receive a fair trial."
Herthel, however, added that 37-year-old Carpenter "does not oppose selection of a jury from another county for purposes of conducting the trial in Orange County."
Judge Larry Blanton has taken the motion under advisement and has not made a ruling.
Orange County Prosecutor Kelly Minton is seeking a life sentence without out parole.
Judge Blanton did appoint Dr. Michale Keith Coots of Indiana University Health Paoli Hospital to perform a psychiatric evaluation of Carpenter. The purpose is to determine if he's competent to stand trial. The motion says Carpenter suffered a serious head injury in an accident making him incompetent to stand trial.
Carpenter is facing two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. He, along with two other men, is believed to have killed two people in June 2014 and seriously injured a third.
Carpenter is accused of killing 56-year-old Nicky Fields of Paoli and 25-year-old Corey Michael Harris, who were shot to death at Fields' home. He is also charged with shooting then 29-year-old Daniel Smitson in the mouth at Field's home on Sandy Hook Road in Paoli.
A jury trial is scheduled for April 19, 2016 at 9 a.m.
Coveyville Woman Dies In Mobile Home Fire
A Coveyville woman died when a fire destroyed her home on October 25.
37-year-old Mandie Tolliver Prince was found dead in the bathroom of her mobile home in the 3100 block of Coveyville Road.
According to Pleasant Run Volunteer firefighters the fire started in the area of the furnace.
The person who reported the fire at 12:22 p.m. told police he heard calls for help and tried to go into the house to rescue Tolliver, but couldn't because of the smoke.
When firefighters arrived the mobile home was engulfed in flames.
Bedford Man Arrested For Causing Fatal Greene County Accident
24-year-old Joshua Wells of Bedford was arrested after police say he caused a fatal accident on October 28 and then fled the scene. He is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury.
Greene County police say he was the driver of a Ford F-350 truck that was involved in a single-vehicle accident leaving one of his passengers injured and a 14-year-old Solsberry girl dead. The crash happened at 1:30 a.m. on State Road 54 at Sharkey Road near Bloomfield. After crashing the truck, Wells allegedly fled the scene.One passenger, Shelsey Proctor, of Worthington, according to her family suffered a laceration to her head that required 12 staples and bruises. Bailey Miller, an Eastern Greene student, died from injuries suffered in the crash. Wells was also wanted on Lawrence County warrants for failure to appear on a prior court date and for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Wells has plead not guilty to the crimes and is being held in the Greene County Jail.
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