WARSAW — On Monday, Chris Kehler starts a job he views as tailor-made for his skillset. The 57-year-old longtime Warsaw attorney was sworn in as the first judge of the new Superior Court 4 on Tuesday, June 25, and will begin work in less than a week on July 1. Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Kehler …read more.

WARSAW — A Winona Lake woman received a suspended sentence for an incident where a bag of heroin reportedly fell from her purse while she was in line at the bank. Danyelle Rebecca Palmer, 26, 1216 Biblers Ave., Winona Lake, pleaded guilty on May 6, to possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony. …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man received multiple sentences on drug charges with only a year to serve. Caleb Michael Devine, 27, 326 Eisenhower Parkway, Warsaw, pleaded guilty on May 20 to possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, possession of both marijuana and paraphernalia, class A and C misdemeanors respectively. He appeared in Kosciusko County …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Walkerton woman was sentenced to three years at the Kosciusko County Jail for allegedly driving the getaway car for a male who burglarized a home in Kosciusko County.  Madison Marie Stafford, 21, 880 Walkerton Trail, Walkerton, pleaded guilty to burglary, a level 5 felony, Monday, April 1, in Kosciusko Circuit Court.   …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A North Webster man was sentenced to three years at the Indiana Department of Corrections for his involvement in a drug deal that took place at a local nursing home.  Kevin Stuckman, 20, 5430 North CR 900E, North Webster, pleaded guilty to dealing in methamphetamine, a level 5 felony, in Kosciusko Circuit Court …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Syracuse man was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court today, March 11, to six years at the Indiana Department of Corrections, with two years suspended on formal probation, after fleeing from officers while having methamphetamine in his vehicle. Michael Lee Manges, 33, 6847 E. CR 1120N, Syracuse, was charged with dealing in methamphetamine, …read more.

WARSAW — An Indianapolis man will serve a bit more time behind bars before transitioning into probation as a result of an arrest made last year when police say he was found in possession of drugs during a traffic stop for speeding. Quincy Akeem Jenkins, 25, 2313 Mayhew Drive, Indianapolis, pleaded guilty in Kosciusko Circuit …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Pierceton woman was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court today, Jan. 28, in four different cases involving auto theft and methamphetamine. In the first case, Monica Lynn Mullins, 23, 708 W. Catholic St., Pierceton, was charged with possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony. In a second case, Mullins was charged with auto …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Syracuse man was sentenced to five years in the Indiana Department of Corrections in Kosciusko Circuit Court Wednesday, Dec. 26, for dealing methamphetamine while children were present at a residence. Jerry Wayne Jilton, 29, 509 Prairie Drive, Syracuse, through a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to dealing in methamphetamine, a level 4 felony, …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — Although Kyle Patrick Dukes will not officially take over duties as Kosciusko County sheriff until Jan. 1, 2019, a ceremony was held Tuesday, Dec. 18, to swear in Dukes and other elected officials. Brad Jackson, who will serve as the 2019 vice president of the Kosciusko Commissioners, started off the event by welcoming those …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Warsaw woman was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court Thursday, Nov. 15, in three drug cases. One drug case involved a theft from Big R. Alexis Erin Davies, 939 E. Garfield St., Warsaw, was charged with unlawful possession of a syringe and failure to appear, both level 6 felonies; and possession of paraphernalia, …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Silver Lake man was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court today, Nov. 5, after conspiring to commit trafficking with an inmate at the Kosciusko County Jail. Donald Ray Bryant, Jr., 26, 106 N. High St., Silver Lake, was charged with conspiracy to commit trafficking with an inmate, a level 5 felony; and conspiracy …read more.

WARSAW — Half a dozen Kosciusko County elected officials are running unopposed in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 6. The officials, all Republican, are Michael W. Reed, circuit court judge; Daniel H. Hampton, prosecuting attorney; Michelle L. Puckett, auditor; Joetta Mitchell, recorder; Kyle P. Dukes, sheriff; and Susan D. Engelberth, assessor. Michael W. Reed Reed was …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was sentenced to jail time with both the Indiana Department of Corrections as well as the Kosciusko County Jail after he was found guilty of drug offenses while out of jail on work release. Shane Dale Cox, 40, 321 S. High St., Warsaw, was charged with two counts of possession …read more.

WARSAW — A Syracuse woman who provided a man the drugs that police say killed him in a drug overdose was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday, July 23. Pamela Godsey, 49, 605 N. Huntington St., Apt. B, Syracuse was charged with dealing methamphetamine, a level 5 felony and possession of methamphetamine, a …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man who fired shots at police in February 2017, was sentenced to 17 and a half years behind bars on Tuesday, July 17. Daniel S. Vanderpool, 56, 2204 Dubois Drive, Warsaw, was initially charged with attempted murder, criminal recklessness and attempted voluntary manslaughter in a Feb. 19, 2017 incident where he …read more.

WARSAW — Police stopped a Warsaw man twice in two separate vehicles, both of which had loud exhausts, and found drugs in the car on both occasions. The same man was witnessed trying to sell drugs on yet another occasion and will now serve a six and a half year jail sentence for all three …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man who is already incarcerated in the Kosciusko County Jail, and who has a history of violence toward police officers, was sentenced to additional jail time in connection to more violence and drug incidents from inside the jail. Rydeem Othello Hudson, 21, 404 N. Parker St., Warsaw, was charged with two …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man could spend eight years of a nine-year sentence behind bars as a result of multiple drug arrests and a domestic violence incident involving him shooting a firearm at people fleeing in a car. Aaron Michael Phillips, 36, 1522 Brook View Avenue, Warsaw, was charged with dealing methamphetamine, a level 3 …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — A Warsaw man was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court Monday, May 7, after officers discovered methamphetamine and syringes in his vehicle. Jamey Dorian Roberts, who is shown with addresses at 205 E. Smith St., Milford, and 3781 N. Maple Drive, Warsaw, was charged with possession of methamphetamine with enhancing circumstances, a level 5 …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man who fired shots at police in February, 2017, pleaded guilty to one of the lesser of three initial charges. Daniel Vanderpool, 55, 2204 Dubois Drive, Warsaw, was initially charged with attempted murder, criminal recklessness and attempted voluntary manslaughter in a Feb. 19, 2017 incident where he fired shots at Warsaw …read more.

WARSAW—A Mentone man was sentenced today in Kosciusko Circuit Court after robbing the Warsaw CVS store last year. Jesse Ray Combs, 27, 3705 S. SR 25, Mentone, was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon, a level 3 felony; and possession of a narcotic drug, a level 3 felony. According to the affidavit of probable …read more.

WARSAW — A 2017 incident where a sledgehammer was used to bust open a vending machine has resulted in consecutive one-year suspended jail sentences for a Fort Wayne woman. Jenna Niblick was arrested by local police along with Charles Pettigrew in July 2017 in connection by the vandalism of a vending machine at Zale Drugs …read more.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — The 2018 May primary may be four months away, but activity for candidates officially begins Wednesday, Jan. 10. That is the first day candidates can file declarations for the primary. Filing will end at noon Feb. 9. Kosciusko County voters are already aware there will be one race, that of sheriff, on …read more.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth of a four-part series on the Kosciusko County Courts.) KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — The coming year will see a change in what cases are heard in what courts. This is based on what is known as a county court’s local rule, filed every two years with the Indiana Supreme Court. …read more.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a four-part series on the Kosciusko County Courts.) KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Indiana Office of Court Services provides a report each year on actions of trial courts throughout the state. This report has shown a need for more judicial officers in Kosciusko County. This need was brought before the …read more.

KOSCIUSKO — The appointment of a special judge and a motion for a change of venue have been filed in the case of Clifford Clevenger, Pierceton, against North Webster Police Department, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and Wawasee Community School Corporation and specified employees of those agencies. Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge David Cates noted a …read more.

SYRACUSE — Thomas Glen Hursey was handed a consecutive sentence totaling 27 1/2 years for his part in the murders of Joshua Knisley and Tara Thornburg, Feb. 19, 2015, in Syracuse. He will serve a total of 20 years, at the Indiana Department of Corrections with the remaining 7 1/2 years on formal probation.

WARSAW — Arguments in a motion by The Papers Inc. to dismiss its participation in a lawsuit by Atta Belle Helman and Larry Dwayne Helman were heard by Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed. After approximately 40 minutes of hearing from counsel for the defendant and plaintiff, Reed took the matter under advisement stating he …read more.

WARSAW — Several resignations were accepted by the Kosciusko County Community Corrections Board at its quarterly meeting Monday, Oct. 10.

SYRACUSE — The lawsuit against Oakwood Resorts for excessive noise has been resolved. On April 6, Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed signed a consent judgement and injunction after Dr. Rex Parent, owner of Oakwood Resorts, and the plaintiffs, neighbors who live across Conklin Bay from the resort, entered into a confidential settlement agreement. The court …read more.

Barry Andrew WARSAW — Kurt Jones will begin his duties as the Kosciusko Community Corrections Director Monday, April 18, and Barry Andrew, who has served as director the past few years, will step down. Andrew will continue to serve as the Kosciusko County Alcohol And Drug Program Director and the Drug Court Coordinator. The announcement …read more.

WARSAW — A day before the start of a three-day jury trial, Sam Stimmel, 66, 7227 N. Syra-Web Road, North Webster, entered a plea agreement before Kosciusko Superior Court Judge David Cates. Stimmel pleaded guilty Monday, March 7, to Count II and Count III, both dealing in a synthetic or look-a-like substance, more than two …read more.

WARSAW —The judge’s hands were tied in a probation violation hearing Monday morning, in Kosciusko Circuit Court. Instead of returning to home detention, Bradley A. Trostle, 30, 497 Clinic St., Warsaw, will be spending his sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections. Trostle, who is suffering from advance non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was previously sentenced for dealing …read more.

SYRACUSE — After months of working out the details, Oakwood Resorts and the plaintiffs, neighbors with property across Conklin Bay from Oakwood, will enter into mediation at 9 a.m. Monday, March 28, in Indianapolis. Attorney William Baten has been selected as mediator. The neighbors sued last spring about loud music coming from Oakwood, preventing them …read more.

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was sentenced today, Jan. 25, in Kosciusko County Circuit Court for the voluntary manslaughter of his father. Ryan D. Poe, 37, 690 E. Levi Lee Road, Warsaw, entered a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter with a sentence enhancement, a level 2 felony charge, on Dec. 21. Poe was originally charged …read more.

Madison McKenzie Jones WARSAW — Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed handed down a six-year sentence at the Department of Corrections to a 19-year-old mother who pleaded guilty to battery resulting in serious bodily injury and neglect of a dependent this morning. He suspended all but 18 months. Madison McKenzie Jones, 19, 301 Ulrich Drive, …read more.

KENTUCKY — The county clerk who was sentenced indefinitely to jail last week for not issuing same-sex marriage licenses has been released from jail today, Sept. 8. Kim Davis, who has become a hero among Christian conservatives, was released from jail just hours before a rally was supposed to take place outside the jail.

Details are sketchy, but Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed granted the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against Oakwood Friday, Aug. 14. However, the injunction does not go into affect until the plaintiffs pay a $25,000 bond. At press time, the county clerk had no record of the bond being paid.