Putnam Scanner for Jan. 24, 2023

County Jail

Three people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently.

Saturday

• At 6:25 p.m. Eric M. Bireley, 34, Monrovia, was lodged at the jail on a Johnson County warrant.

• At 6:34 a.m. Jason B. Blacketer, 44, Reelsville, was taken into custody for domestic battery and strangulation.

Friday

• At 6:18 p.m. Matthew F. Buis, 52, Greencastle, was lodged at the jail for domestic battery.

City Police

Four recent arrests were reported by Greencastle City Police:

• At 7:14 p.m. Sunday, Gerald W. Roberts, 51, Greencastle, was arrested by Officer Billy DeWitt.

Arrested at U.S. 231 on Water Works Hill, Roberts was lodged in the Putnam County Jail for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Roberts registered .143 percent blood-alcohol concentration under portable breathalyzer testing.

• At 4:51 a.m. Saturday, Caleb N. Burns, 19, Evansville, was arrested by Officer Chris Helmer.

Taken into custody at Block and Bloomington streets in possession of a car reported stolen in Indianapolis, Burns was housed at the jail for auto theft, motor vehicle fraud and driving with a suspended license with a prior conviction.

• At 8:21 p.m. Friday, Katie E. Miller, 29, Indianapolis, was arrested by Officer DeWitt.

Arrested on North Jackson Street, Miller was booked into the jail on a Hendricks County warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of driving with a suspended license with a prior offense.

• At 8:52 p.m. Thursday, John Capps, 52, Brazil, was arrested by Officer Justin Herd.

Taken into custody at Castlebury Apartments, Capps was lodged in the jail on a public intoxication charge. He registered .253 percent under blood-alcohol testing.

Sheriff’s Office

Putnam County sheriff’s deputies investigated the following recent crashes.

• At 10:19 a.m. on Sunday, Brady D. Tracy, 17, Danville, was eastbound on State Road 236 in a 2015 BMW 535i with light snow falling.

Tracy told Deputy Randy Patrick that he came upon a slushy portion of the road and lost control, with the car crossing the westbound lane and leaving the north side of the road, where it struck a TDS Telecom box and small utility pole before coming to rest in a field.

The car was towed. Patrick estimated damage at $10,000-$25,000.

• At 8:47 p.m. on Friday, Anthony G. Rivera, 35, Indianapolis, was attempting to turn left onto U.S. 40 from the State Road 240 cut-through in eastern Putnam County in a 2003 Bluebird TC2000 bus registered to Good News Mission, Indianapolis.

Rivera told Deputy Tod Hopkins he had the interior lights on and could not see the crossover that led to the eastbound lanes of U.S. 40. He said he continued straight and realized he was about to drive into the median. However, due to oncoming traffic, he attempted to “punch through it,” at which point the vehicle became stuck in the median due to mud and the edge of the grade.

As Hopkins was en route, he heard reports of several “near-accidents” because the bus was still slightly in the roadway. Despite the objections of the bus’s owner, Curtis Wrecker was dispatched to remove the bus for the safety of motorists and passengers.

During the recovery, one of the doors of the bus came open and was damaged when it caught on the ground.

Hopkins estimated damage at less than $1,000.

• At 8:20 a.m. on Friday, Deanna Emerson, 52, Reelsville, was eastbound on County Road 375 North in a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee when she hit a deer.

Deputy Patrick estimated damage at $1,000-$2,500.

• At 4:18 a.m. Rheylynn A. Sims, 31, Greencastle, was westbound on Rangeline Road in a 2012 Ford Focus.

Sims told Deputy Hopkins she was rounding a curve when she encountered a deer in the middle of the road. Swerving to miss the animal, she lost control and ran off the south side of the road.

The car was towed. Hopkins estimated damage at $2,500-$5,000.

City Fire

The Greencastle Fire Department was dispatched on 13 incidents since Thursday afternoon:

• At 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, GFD received a direct call for a lock-out at 11 N. Indiana St. Firefighters arrived at 12:46 and requested Greencastle police to identify the individual whose keys were locked inside. Another person eventually came and unlocked the entryway. GFD went back into service at 12:49 p.m.

• At 6:40 p.m. on Thursday, GFD was dispatched to Lucy Rowland Hall at DePauw University for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 6:45 and determined the alarm was due to cooking. The alarm was reset. GFD went back into service at 7:21 p.m.

• At 7:21 p.m. on Thursday, GFD was dispatched to Humbert Hall at DePauw for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 7:28 and did not determine a cause for the alarm. The alarm system was reset. GFD went back into service at 7:37 p.m.

• At 10:16 p.m. on Thursday, GFD was dispatched for a tree in the roadway at 2624 W. CR 300 South. Firefighters found the tree at 10:23 and cut it up and removed it. GFD went back into service at 10:35 p.m.

GFD responded to two consecutive dispatches to Lucy Rowland Hall at DePauw on Friday:

— At 8:01 a.m., GFD was dispatched for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 8:06 and determined the alarm was due to cooking. The alarm system was reset. GFD went back into service at 8:17 a.m.

— At 1:36 p.m., GFD was dispatched for another fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 1:42 and did not determine a cause for this alarm. The alarm system was reset again. GFD went back into service at 1:47 p.m.

• At 5:10 p.m. on Friday, GFD was dispatched to the F.W. Olin Biological Sciences Building at DePauw for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 5:15 and did not determine a cause for the alarm. The alarm system was reset. GFD went back into service at 5:30 p.m.

• At 8:01 p.m. on Friday, GFD was dispatched to Kappa Alpha Theta at DePauw for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 8:06 and determined the alarm was due to hair care products. The alarm system was reset. GFD went back into service at 8:14 p.m.

• At 8:25 p.m. on Friday, GFD was dispatched to Lucy Rowland Hall at DePauw for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 8:30 and determined the alarm was due to cooking. The alarm system was reset. GFD went back into service at 8:38 p.m.

• At 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, GFD was dispatched to 73 Briarwood Ct. for a carbon monoxide alarm. Firefighters arrived at 7:31 and found a vehicle had been running inside the garage. The homeowner had the windows open to ventilate the home. GFD went back into service at 7:42 p.m.

• At 2:07 p.m. on Sunday, GFD was dispatched to 1014 S. College Ave. for a gas leak. Firefighters arrived at 2:09 to a strong gas odor and advised the homeowner to evacuate, while EMS was requested for a checkout. The gas was secured and the home was ventilated. CenterPoint Energy was contacted, and GFD went back into service at 2:59 p.m.

• At 2:41 p.m. on Sunday, GFD was dispatched to Lillienthal House at DePauw for a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at 2:45 and determined the alarm was due to cooking. The alarm system was reset. GFD went back into service at 2:50 p.m.

• At 3:53 p.m. on Sunday, GFD was dispatched to Mansfield House at DePauw for a fire alarm. Due to GFD dealing with other runs at the same time, firefighters from the Madison Township Volunteer Fire Department arrived at 4 p.m. and determined the alarm was due to cooking. The alarm system was reset. They marked back in service at 4:06 p.m.

Additionally, GFD responded to 11 medical assists and had three disregards in and around this timeframe.

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.

Questions about listed charging information should be directed to the arresting agency.