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News

PERSONAL INJURY

• ATV Safety Day
  Jun 07, 2010

  Indiana Conservation Officers, Loose Moose Motorsports in Pierceton, and Polaris Industries will be hosting a free ATV Safety Day on Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
      
  The ATV Safety Day will be held at Loose Moose Motorsports, located approximately 3.5 miles north of Pierceton, on SR 13.
  
  There will also be a riding course available to those who bring their own ATV’s.
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CRIMINAL

• LAKE WAWASEE STING NETS 27 infractions at Sandbar
  Jul 19, 2010

  Lake Wawasee: 27 persons were ticketed or arrested for consumption of alcohol following a sting operation on the sandbar of Lake Wawasee Saturday, July 18th, many were minors.    The operation followed complaints of illegal consumption by minors and rowdiness at the sandbar.  The undercover raid was conducted by Indiana Conservation officers with assistance from the Kosciusko County Sheriff department.
  
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• Indiana State Police Debut Computerized Pseudoephedrine Tracking System
  Dec 29, 2009

  Indiana State Police will debut a new computerized pseudoephedrine tracking system in March of 2010.   It is the hope of the Meth Suppression and Drug Enforcement Section of ISP that the computerized system will enable investigators easier access to those who are purchasing large quantities of the drug that is commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.   Currently officers must pour through handwritten log entries wherever cold medications are sold.  The new program should assist investigators in more efficiently investigating clandestine meth labs and the "smurfing" of pseudoephedrine products. 
  
  The Indiana Meth Intelligence System will not only hold the electronically reported pseudoephedrine sales in the state, but also a variety of thother meth specific intelligence sources to assist in tracking meth cooks and  smurf groups.
  
  The Drug Enforcement Agency in 2008 ranked Indiana second in the nation in meth labs siezed.   Elkhart, Kosciusko and LaGrange counties in Indiana were ranked in the top ten in the State for labs siezed in 2009.   - 3 - 10

• Occupants of Car Flee Car-Train Accident in Warsaw
  Oct 19, 2009

  A car-train accident in Warsaw Saturday night on the north/south tracks at the Market Street crossing remains under investigation.  A local police officer witnessed the Northfolk Southern train abruptly brake.  Following the impact  four persons exited the car  and fled the area.  One man, Hilario Lopez, age 48, remained in the vehicle.  He was arrested for public intoxication.  The driver of the vehicle remains unknown, however, local authorities say that Mr. Lopez is helping to provide information. - 4 - 10

• Bradley Robert Coleman Arrested by Koscusko City - County SWAT Team
  Oct 08, 2009

  The Kosciusko City-County SWAT team was called to duty by Winona Lake Police Chief, Paul Schmidt on a tip that Bradley Robert Coleman was at a house in Winona Lake.    An outstanding warrant for Coleman on a resisting arrest charge was executed by the SWAT team.   Coleman was a person of interest following reports of comments made by him that concerned the safety of Winona Lake Police Officer, Paul Heaton and his family.  Police were informed that Coleman may have a 357 magnum handgun in his possession.
  
  SWAT team members made entry into the residence and located Coleman hiding inside a closet. Coleman was arrested on the original active warrant and was additionally arrested on a second resisting law enforcement charge by Winona Lake Police Department. 
  
  Bradley Coleman was recently released from the Department of Corrections after serving only two years on an amed robbery conviction out of Kosciusko County.
  
  Additional charges are possible against Coleman from the Warsaw Police Department regarding the comments he had made directed to Officer Heaton's family. Coleman is currently being held on a $102,000 bond. - 5 - 10

TEENS - TEEN DRIVING

• Tips for Keeping Young Driver's Safe
  Jul 19, 2010

  Today's teen drivers face an increasing number of risks and distractions, making safe driving habits more important than ever.

  Many community organizations and even large businesses have stepped in to help teens learn the importance of practicing safe driving skills. For example, UPS, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and UPS NASCAR driver David Ragan are partnering to present UPS Road Code, a comprehensive safe-driving course, based on UPS's driver-training programs, to help teach teens across the nation the importance of safe driving and defensive driving skills.
  
  For more information on teen driving tips you can also visit www.ups.com/roadcode.

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• Statistics Indicate Teen Girls Rival Teen Boys as Reckless Drivers
  Mar 05, 2010

  Teen girls catching up with boys as reckless drivers

   

  For decades, auto insurance premiums for teenage boys have been higher than rates for girls because boys were more likely to be involved in serious accidents.  They were statistically more reckless than girls.  Unfortunately, the girls are catching up. 

  In a new report (Allstate Foundation’s State of Teen Driving Report), teen girls were found to be even more reckless than boys in several categories.  They were more likely to speed more than 10 mph over the limit.  They were more likely to use a cell phone to talk, text, or email while driving.  They were more likely to adjust music selection or volume while driving.  They were even slightly more likely than boys to drive aggressively. 

  These findings are not good news for parents of teenage girls.  Expect more traffic related injuries and higher premiums in the future.

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• National Teen Driver Safety Week - October 18th - October 24 2009
  Oct 19, 2009

  Teen Driver Safety week is a time for communities and family's to take pause and address the issue of teen driving safety and better educate young drivers about the potential dangers behind the wheel.

  Research has shown that distractions are a major cause of collisions.  In Indiana, distractions were a contributing factor for 2,493 teen drivers involved in accidents in 2008.   In addition,  Indiana had 136 fatal crashes involving drivers ages 15-20 in the same year.

  To learn more about research and recommendations for teen drivers, visit www.ridelikeafriend.com.

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• Teen Drivers Who Share a Family Car are Safer Drivers
  Sep 29, 2009

  Teenagers are the most dangerous drivers on the road. There is a way to keep teen drivers safer on the roads. Don't give teens a car they consider their own. Teenagers who reported that they were the main person driving a vehicle, rather than sharing it with other family members, were more than twice as likely to be involved in a recent crash. One in four drivers with primary access to a car had had an accident while driving in the past year, compared with 1 in 10 for shared access. That means 25 percent of the kids driving their "own" cars had at least one accident in the past year! Don't be afraid to set rules for safe driving behavior, and yank the keys if those rules aren't followed. In fact, making your teenager say, "Mom, can I have the car keys?" may be one of the simplest and best ways to keep your child safe. - 9 - 10

• Teen Car Crash Risk SLASHED by Later School Start Times
  Aug 18, 2009

  Researchers have found a 16.5% drop in auto accident rates for teen drivers when local high schools moved the start of classes from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.         Following puberty, adolscents are biologically prgrammed to stay up about an hour later each night, the shift in biological clocks conflicts with having to get up earlier to go to high school, rather than the later start times they had when they were younger.    Fatigued drivers cause about 100,000 accidents a year and half of those are causted by drivers 16 to 25 years of age.  A survey in 2006 indicated that 28 percent of high school students fall asleep at school and 51 percent have driven while they are drowsy.  There have even been studies by the University of North Texas that revealed that out of 262 drivers, 17 percent reported following asleep while driving.

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