Putnam Scanner for December 4, 2018

Three people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently.

Saturday

• At 2:14 a.m. Paul Edwin McKinney, 36, Cloverdale, was booked in on a local warrant.

Friday

• At 10:35 p.m. Teresa Kim Rousch, 57, Coatesville, was lodged at the jail for driving while intoxicated.

• At 10:45 a.m. Damon Terrance Rivers, 43, Greencastle, was booked in on a local warrant.

City Police

Three recent arrests were reported by Greencastle City Police officers.

• At 1 p.m. Saturday, Christopher Todd Smith, 26, Greencastle, was arrested by Capt. Chris Jones.

Smith, who was lodged in the Putnam County Jail on a criminal trespass charge, was taken into custody at the Alamo Building, 109 S. Vine St.

• At 8:31 p.m. Friday, Jaxson Wade Duke, 18, Greencastle, was arrested at the Walmart store by Capt. Charles Inman.

Duke was arrested on charges of thefts and being a minor in possession of alcohol.

Lodged in the Putnam County Jail, Duke reportedly attempted to steal two bottles of berry-flavored vodka by putting the bottles in his pants. Total value of the vodka was listed at $17.94.

• At 4:05 p.m. Friday, Zachary Lee Benassi, 25, Fillmore, was arrested by Capt. Jones on a criminal trespass charge.

Taken into custody at the Walmart store, Benassi was lodged in the Putnam County Jail.

City officers also issued one summons into court in another incident.

• At 1:20 p.m. Sunday, Clifton Adams, 53, Greencastle, was given a summons by Capt. Jones at a Bloomington Street apartment, ordering him to appear in court on a possession of marijuana charge.

Sheriff’s Department

Putnam County sheriff’s deputies investigated a pair of recent property-damage accidents.

• At 1:42 a.m. on Saturday, Deputy Robert Soilleux was dispatched to an ATV crash on County Road 650 East just south of State Road 240.

He arrived a short time later to fin a Ford pickup parked just north of a bridge with two males walking in the ditch and two more inside the pickup.

Soilleux reported that he could smell the strong odor of alcoholic beverages while approaching the four young men. The two men in the ditch were Kameron Ethan Hayes, 20, and Ronald Evan Burton, 20. In the truck were Trey Brooke Burton, 19, and Levi Jacob Lewis, 21.

When Soilleux asked about the crashed four-wheeler that had been reported, Ronald Burton corrected him immediately, saying it wasn’t a four-wheeler, but a Polaris Side-by-Side and that it didn’t crash. It was fine and already back at the farm.

Hayes explained that the “John Deere box” must have fallen out in the crash. He told the deputy that he had been trying to take a Snapchat video of himself when he swerved right to avoid running into the guardrail. The served caused his passenger side tires to go off the road.

He said he was only going about 10-20 mph but was unable to steer back onto the road and came to a complete stop before running into the cement bridge.

Hayes further said all the marks and overturned rocks in the ditch as well as the broken glass were the result of trying to pull the Ranger out of the ditch.

Soilleux noted that none of the men offered an explanation of how a fence post belonging to Virgil and Loretta Arnold had become broken or why there was shattered glass in the field next to it.

When asked why Hayes and Trey Burton had left the scene, Ronald Burton said they didn’t crash and didn’t need to report it. Hayes explained that he was just going to pay to fix the Ranger, which was registered to Double R Farms LLC.

They young men said they had driven the Ranger back to the farm and only returned to the scene to find the John Deere box.

Looking north from the damaged fence post, Soilleux noted tire marks on an angle toward the southbound lane of 650 East.

Trey Burton said he was the passenger when Hayes ran off the road. He repeatedly said that he cut his fingers while attempting to help get the Ranger out of the ditch, not in the crash.

Soilleux also noted that the passenger side of the Ranger was damaged, including a shattered side window. There was also a pile of broken glass in the ditch in the spot where the two men said they drove off the road.

Both men refused medical aid.

However, Hayes has given a portable breath test, on which he tested at .18 percent blood alcohol content. He later tested at .16 on the certified test, twice the legal limit.

Hayes was booked in the Putnam County Jail at 5:23 a.m. on charges of driving while intoxicated and illegal consumption of an alcoholic beverage.

Soilleux estimated damage at $1,000-$2,000

• 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Rebecca A. Cox, 51, Brazil, was westbound on U.S. 40 in a 2004 Kia when she hit a deer.

The vehicle was towed. Deputy Soilleux estimated damage at $1,000-$2,500.

City Fire

The Greencastle Fire Department responded to seven recent dispatches:

•At 8:52 p.m. on Friday, GFD was dispatched to 916 S. College Ave. for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 8:57 and found a fire extinguisher had been set off for an unknown reason. The alarm was then reset. GFD left the scene at 9:18 p.m.

•At 11:56 p.m. on Friday, GFD was dispatched to Walmart Distribution for an alarm. Units arrived at 12:04 a.m. Saturday and found the alarm was being tested in a non-emergent case. GFD went back in service at 12:13 a.m.

•At 9:13 a.m. on Saturday, GFD was dispatched to 406 S. Indiana St. for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 9:16 to find a microwave had caused a small fire, but that it was out when they came on scene. After the microwave was removed, the alarm was reset. GFD went back in service at 9:39 a.m.

•At 11:05 a.m. on Saturday, GFD was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident with injuries at the intersection of Washington and Wood streets. Units arrived at 11:09 to clean debris from the roadway and assist the injured. GFD went back in service at 11:35 a.m.

•At 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, GFD was dispatched to 1048 Avenue B St. to free a child who was locked inside a room. Units arrived at 12:35 and were able to gain entry to the room. GFD left at 12:40 p.m.

•At 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, GFD was dispatched to 303 S. Locust St. for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 8:54 but could not determine the cause of the alarm. The alarm was reset. GFD left at 9:09 p.m.

•At 11:42 a.m. on Monday, GFD was dispatched to a vehicle fire at the intersection of Indiana and Jacob streets. Units arrived at 11:46 and put out the fire. The cause was determined to be mechanical. GFD went back in service at 11:54 a.m.

Additionally, GFD performed 10 medical assists and had two disregards during this time.

Information included in the Putnam Scanner is taken from reports provided to the Banner Graphic by the Greencastle Police, the Greencastle Fire and the Putnam County Sheriff’s departments.

Individuals listed in the blotter have been arrested on probable cause and have not been formally charged.

Charging information may change after an initial arrest.