–Indiana cites contractor in worker’s death at IU’s campus
Indiana regulators have cited a contractor for serious workplace safety violations found following a worker’s death at an Indiana University construction site. Thirty-five-year-old William M. Brown Jr. of Bloomington died in April when a 10-foot-long limestone slab fell and killed him as it was being lifted above an interior doorway at IU’s Swain Hall. State workplace safety officials inspected the accident site and cited Rock Solid Masonry LLC for four serious violations. Those include improper use of a winch, failing to instruct employees in its proper use and failing to identify existing and predictable hazards. Officials have proposed $11,200 in penalties against the company, which was a subcontractor on Swain Hall’s $36 million renovation.
Man charged after radio personality’s slaying gets sentence
— The fourth and final person facing charges following a burglary that led to the 2016 beating death of a western Indiana radio personality has been sentenced. 29-year-old Benjamin Selig was given a four-year suspended sentence Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to assisting a criminal. Matt Luecking worked for WFNB-FM. During the sentencing hearing, a brief video about Luecking was played. Selig said he was sorry about the death of Luecking. He also noted he wasn’t present at the robbery and fatal beating and not directly involved Luecking’s death. Three other people have been sentenced to decades each in prison for their roles in the case. Police say Selig and one of them tried to use Luecking’s stolen bank card after the killing.
___
Driver of Stolen Vehicle Flees from Putnamville Trooper
Last night at approximately 9:37, Indiana State Police Trooper David Cox Jr. was on routine patrol near County Road 750 East and 100 north, when he noticed a white 2014 Mazda traveling at a high rate of speed. Trooper Cox activated his emergency lights and siren, at which time the driver fled southbound on CR 775 E, westbound on SR 240 and then south on CR 725E. As the chase continued southbound, ISP Sergeant Cory Robinson, Trooper Austin Fowler and Indiana Conservation Officer Patrick Labhart intercepted the chase near CR 450 S, causing the suspects to drive through a field before returning to CR 450 South. The chase continued on various county roads and along US 40, before ending in wooded area behind the residence of 2835 S CR 275 East. All four occupants fled on foot into the woods. Trooper David Cox Jr. and ICO Patrick Labhart captured one female occupant. An extensive search was conducted, but the other three suspects (two males and one female) currently remain at large. The arrested female was identified as 20-year-old Abigail S. Acton of Clayton, IN. Acton was incarcerated in the Putnam County Jail on preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and Criminal Trespass filed by Trooper Cox. The white Mazda was listed as stolen out of Morgan County Indiana and is currently being processed for evidence by ISP Crime Scene Investigator Sergeant Jim Cody. The chase covered nearly twelve miles and lasted for approximately nineteen minutes. The ISP investigation continues into the identity of the driver and the other two occupants. Anyone with information is urged to contact ISP Trooper David Cox Jr. at the Putnamville Post, 765.653.4114.
The AMBER Alert for 9-year-old John Gyuriak has been canceled after the boy was found safe by South Bend Police.
John was found with his non-custodial mother, Areca Gyuriak, Thursday morning at a BP gas station in South Bend. He was reported missing Wednesday night and an AMBER Alert was issued at around 6:20 a.m. Thursday. According to Bob Blake at “The South Bend Tribune”, someone spotted a car matching the description of Areca Gyuriak’s 2008 Dodge Charger and called 911. SBPD officers arrived and arrested Areca a short time later. The case is being investigated by the St. Joseph County Police Department and the Indiana State Police.