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BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Gun charges, including two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien, were filled Friday against a 46-year-old Speedway, Indiana, man who had two police officers fire weapons at him, documents from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Efrain Ramirez also was charged in Johnson Circuit Court with three counts of resisting law enforcement, and four counts of pointing a firearm at another. No court date had been set by Friday afternoon, according to online court records.

The charges arose from interactions Dec. 9 and 10 with Bargersville police officers, Johnson County sheriff’s deputies and an Indiana State Police trooper, according to the probable cause affidavit. A Bargersville officer and the state police trooper fired shots at Ramirez while trying to apprehend him.

A Bargersville police officer first encountered Ramirez shortly before 9:30 p.m. Dec. 9 near State Road 135 and Whiteland Road, the affidavit said. The officer found Ramirez driving a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 truck and turning without signaling. The officer stopped Ramirez, who said he didn’t have a driver’s license, but denied he’d been drinking after the officer smelled alcohol coming from Ramirez. The officer then asked Ramirez for identification, but instead of providing it, Ramirez drove off. The officer caught up with Ramirez at a driveway on East Old Plank Road, where he left the truck and ran on foot. The officer followed on foot, and another officer assisted.

Later, as the foot chase continued onto Baldwin Street, the officers observed Ramirez carrying what one described as a “chrome/silver handgun,” which he pointed at the officers with his “finger on the trigger,” the affidavit said. The gun was later identified as a Cobra Enterprise .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol.

The officers lost sight of Ramirez at a garage on South West Street.

Police later found a Smith & Wesson MP-15 rifle in the truck he’d abandoned.

The next morning, Dec. 10, police from the three agencies began a search for Ramirez. A Bargersville officer, William Johnson, responded to a notification of a male who matched the description of Ramirez, and attempted to confront him at Old Plank Road and Short Street, the affidavit said. Johnson drew his weapon and commanded Ramirez to “get on the ground,” but he instead fled into a home’s backyard.

Later, Johnson and 11-year deputy Steve Love caught up with Ramirez at homes along Old Trail Drive, the affidavit said. They commanded him to “get on the ground” and show his hands, but said he instead reached inside his pants and pulled out a “silver semi-automatic handgun” and “pointed it towards his own head.” Love commanded Ramirez to drop the gun, but he instead went toward a gate and pointed the handgun at Love. The deputy, who was wearing a body camera, then fired three shots at Ramirez.

Ramirez ran into another backyard on Old Trail Drive, where he encountered state police Sgt. Thomas Burgett, whose been with the agency 14 years. The sergeant commanded Ramirez “to drop the gun,” but he instead pointed it at Burgett, who fired 11 shots at Ramirez in response, the affidavit said. Burgett was not wearing a camera, although the agency has the recording devices.

Ramirez initially dropped to the ground after the 11 shots were fired, but eventually tried to stand up. At that time, a lieutenant with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office tried to keep Ramirez on the ground until Bargersville police officer William Johnson used a Tazer on Ramirez. After that, other officers took Ramirez into custody and rendered first aid before medics arrived.

Investigators have since learned that Ramirez was arrested five times by the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2000, 2008, 2010 and 2016, and deported to Mexico.

Ramirez was in the Johnson County Jail in Franklin on Friday.

A news release from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office said, “In addition to the Johnson County charges, court records show Ramirez has a pending Marion County for a 2015 Operating While Intoxicated and Leaving the Scene of an Accident case for which he failure to appear. The Prosecutor’s Office has also requested the Sheriff’s Office reach out to federal authorities to try and have an immigration hold placed on Ramirez due to his status.”

The release says Ramirez is from Indianapolis, but court documents say he lives in Speedway.

The status of the state police sergeant and the Johnson County deputy who fired their weapons at Ramirez was not immediately available in the documents shared by the prosecutor’s office.

BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A locally owned American bistro is coming to Bargersville this summer.

Joe Miller, the co-owner and chef who will run Our Table with his wife, make Grilled Salmon Caprese and Char-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Sliders.

Joe, who managed the Meridian Hills Country Club near West 73rd Street and Spring Mill Road for several years, has taken the plunge to open his own restaurant.

The Johnson County town of Bargersville is about 8 miles south of Indianapolis.

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BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — The town of Bargersville is looking to accommodate its recent growth. Our partners at the Daily Journal report the Bargersville Town Council has approved the creation of a riverfront district, which will start at the future I-69 interchange on the town’s northwest side.

The district will cover three corners of the interchange, according to the publication, including a 166-acre commercial development from Duke Homes and an undeveloped property. The district will extend south to Whiteland Road and will include land surrounding Mallow Run Winery.

(image courtesy of the Daily Journal)

(image courtesy of the Daily Journal)  

The creation of the riverfront district will also give the town 10 more liquor licenses. The town currently has nine licenses, based on its 2010 population, in use. 

Town Manager Julie Young tells the Daily Journal Bargersville has grown by nearly 30% since the 2010 Census, which determines how many licenses a municipality can have. She says interest in opening new bars and restaurants has also grown over the last decade, but a lack of liquor licenses has stifled that growth.

“When they find that out, they’re no longer interested in locating in the town,” she said. “It has happened enough that we decided this project was worth the time and interest.”

Young expects the town to gain more permits based on the 2020 Census count. The publication says the specific number of permits to be issued will be decided during the next legislative session.

Kashius Davis was born Dec. 21, 2004 in Indianapolis. (WISH Photo)

BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Kashius Davis was a fighter whose short life began with a rough start.

“Kash” was born three months early, weighing only 2.5 pounds, and spent months in a neonatal intensive care unit. Before he left the hospital, he was diagnosed with a MRSA infection.

“I just really didn’t think he could possibly live,” said Donna Poole, his maternal grandmother.

Kash beat the infection and thrived against the odds. He was “so chubby” at his NICU reunion, doctors didn’t believe it was him, Donna said.

He eventually towered over his older cousin, Aspen Poole, and often reminded her boyfriend to treat her well.

“He was definitely like a brother to me. We would always check up on each other and call each other,” Aspen said.

Kash was also a protective and loyal friend, relatives told News 8.

Kash would “do anything” to help a friend, his grandparents said. (WISH Photo)

In middle school, he shaved his head to support a classmate with alopecia. 

“I’m so proud of you! Cutting your hair to help support Parker was such a brave and kind thing to do! You rock!” his teacher wrote in a card, dated Nov. 2016.

The day before Halloween, Kash tried to help a friend who was caught in a love triangle. He confronted a teen believed to be involved with his friend’s girlfriend, according to his family.

Kash planned to meet Marcus Salatin, 16, for a fist fight in the Foxberry Trace subdivision of Greenwood, authorities said.

No blows were exchanged. When Kash and two friends arrived at the meeting location, Salatin pulled out a gun and fired multiple rounds into their vehicle, according to charging documents.

A 19-year-old in the backseat was injured. Kash, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, died at the scene. 

Kenny Poole, his grandfather, felt like “life was over for a little bit” when he learned about Kash’s death.

“You think it’s a nightmare. You think you’re going to wake up and you just don’t wake up,” he told News 8. 

On Thursday, prosecutors charged Salatin with murder and aggravated battery.

The move to charge Salatin as an adult brought Kenny and Donna “some peace” amid indescribable anguish, they said.

Kash unknowingly wrote his own obituary. His family used portions of an essay he wrote for an English class, titled “Letter About Me.”

“I am the most loyal person you will ever meet, because I take care of anybody that has ever done the same for me,” he wrote.

Kenny urged his grandson’s peers to recognize the fleeting and precious nature of life; the infant who fought to stay alive died two months before his 16th birthday while trying to fight for a friend.

“We’ll miss him all the time,” Kenny said.

BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – The town of Bargersville is moving ahead with plans for a new park that has been years in the making. Our partners at the Daily Journal report the $418,000 first phase of the Kephart Park project is slated to begin next spring.

Indianapolis-based engineering consulting firm Shrewsberry and Associates LLC estimates the total cost of the project to be about $9 million. Bargersville Town Manager Julie Young says the subsequent phases will take place over the next several years.

The park is set to be developed across 19 acres at County Road 144 and Saddle Club Road. The former farm field will feature nature trails, a playground, a community center and an amphitheater, according to the publication.

“This first phase will include two entrances to the park, both from County Road 144, a temporary gravel parking lot and its first walking trail, an asphalt trail around the perimeter of the park which will connect to an existing trail in the Lennar at Morningside subdivision,” said Young.

The town bought the land for the park in 2015, and chose the name Kephart after the family who owned the property previously.

The Daily Journal reports plans for the park have changed since it was first designed. A police station planned at the site will no longer be included, and instead, the town is planning a new station at Morgantown and Whiteland roads.

According to Young, uncertainty over tax dollars in the coming years will make the park’s timeline hard to pin down.

“We will be continuing to work through these phases as our budget allows us to. Like most entities, we will have to see what 2021 brings (for future phases),” said Young.

(WISH) — Two school districts in suburbs neighboring Indianapolis are changing their plans to start the school year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a Marion County school district will have online-only learning upon reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board of the Pike Township school district in Marion County decided Thursday night to begin the school year virtually, with the potential to phase in in-person instruction after Labor Day if the coronavirus restrictions allow. The district said on its website that details will be sent out Friday.

The Center Grove district in northwest Johnson County announced Thursday it has changed its first day of school to Aug. 12. The first day with students in classrooms had been planned for Aug. 5. More than 1,250 of the district’s estimated 7,700 students chose the virtual option to return to school, which is causing the district to shift its scheduling and reallocate its staff.

“This change is necessary to provide our staff time to make these changes in addition to the implementation of the safety procedures and precautions in this Return to School 2020-21 plan. Center Grove will use waiver days, so no adjustments to school breaks or our school calendar will be necessary at this time,” the district said online.

In addition, the Westfield Washington district in Hamilton County had announced it would reopen Aug. 13 with in-school weekday classes and “a virtual e-learning option for students unable to return to school in person.”

However, on Thursday, Superintendent Sherry Grate sent a note that said in part, “WWS has revised the Return of the Rocks Plan and will be reopening all nine schools (K-12) under a hybrid plan, which will allow students to alternate in-person attendance throughout the school week. By splitting students into two groups, we are reducing the number of students in buildings and on buses, which allows for greater opportunity to social distance and meet health and safety guidelines. This hybrid plan will be in place until we are able to transition back to a regular school schedule or unless circumstances would cause us to change direction. We will be evaluating this plan on a monthly basis and will communicate any changes two weeks in advance unless we are forced to close immediately. Our first evaluation will be September 1.”  

Westfield Washington has an estimated 8,100 students.

Coronavirus links

Indiana coronavirus timeline

With information from the Indiana Department of Health through March 4, 2021, this timeline reflects updated tallies of deaths and positive tests prior to that date.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Wedding venues are reopened, and couples are once again saying “I do” in Indiana amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But now, they are walking down the aisle on all nights of the week.

When we stopped by Mallow Run Winery in Bargersville on Monday, a couple was getting married. Staff there as well as the Biltwell Event Center in downtown Indianapolis said they are seeing more of that.

The venues tell News 8 the change of date is because so many couples had to postpone springs weddings. April and May were the months businesses here in Indiana first began to shut down. They are also typically the start of wedding season.

But guest lists are becoming smaller. Venue staff are hearing date change is part of that, as well as a fear of traveling right now.

Directors at both the Biltwell and Mallow Run said the biggest change they are seeing is the way food is served and prepared.

“We’re not doing any type of buffet service, we are only doing the plated but if you want that type of service we are plating that for you,” said Mark Mattingly from the Biltwell Event Center.

“We’re not seeing so much of the big appetizer table but more single serving grab and go rather than lingering over open food,” said Sarah Shadday from The Sycamore at Mallow Run Winery.

Mattingly said some couples are ordering extra tables to keep people spaced out. Shadday from Mallow run said clients there are doing the same but she is seeing more choose to use outdoor space.

All staff and serving crews have to wear gloves and masks. Neither venue is requiring guests to wear masks.

Coronavirus links

Indiana coronavirus timeline

With information from the Indiana Department of Health through March 4, 2021, this timeline reflects updated tallies of deaths and positive tests prior to that date.

BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WIBC) — A man has been arrested for firing shots at police in Bargersville.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said they were called to an apartment complex off of State Road 135 around 8 p.m. Sunday for an incident involving a man and a woman.

When officers got there, they said the man fired his gun at them. Officers did not return fire. No one was hurt.

The shooter has been identified as Andrew McQuinn.

Police said McQuinn tried to run away but was arrested. A gun and six shell casings were found at the scene.

Investigators believe McQuinn was intoxicated when he fired at officers.

Bargersville, Indiana, Police Department gets Tesla vehicle

BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — The town’s police department has added a Tesla Model 3 electric car to its fleet of law enforcement vehicles.

Bargersville Police Department Chief Todd Bertram said it’s one of the only Model 3s in the state and the country that a police agency has.

The department said it believes is the electric car is the future for city and local law enforcement agencies. It will be out on the road Aug. 30.

Jeremy Roll, the department’s public information officer, said the best part is the officers don’t have to put liquid fuel in the car and it does not have a loud engine.

He said, “Especially at nighttime, the sound of the cars when we’re trying to come up on something a little bit more discretely than what we would normally come up (in) during the daytime, it’ll help out with that. We have a lot of back alleys in the Old Town.”

The Tesla is also cost-effective for the department, the police chief said.

“We need to hire new people and that all lowers the tax rates, so the goal is to kind of keep that as low as we can,” Bertram said.

The police department said it believes it will save taxpayers around $6,000 per year on average. It plans to replace its four Dodge Chargers with Model 3s in the near future. The department is spending more than $8,000 a year on gas, oil and insurance on each Dodge vehicle.

“Even the tires and the windshield wipers are cheaper on the Tesla than on the Dodge Charger, so just regular police maintenance that we’re going to be doing,” the chief said.

The new ride will also make an officer’s job more convenient as they can start the vehicle from their smartphone, police said.

“In the wintertime, that is definitely going to be an outstanding asset to us as opposed to going outside, starting the car up and getting warm,” Roll said.

Pressure is on for Indiana wineries during 2019 harvest season

BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Red or white? Sweet or dry? It is harvest season for wineries in Indiana.

It’s an important time of year for the more than 100 wineries across the state.

“That’s when you get the juice. That’s when you get the grapes for the wine,” said founder of Mallow Run winery John Richardson.

Mallow Run is a 12-acre wine vineyard that sits on the Richardson family farm.

They’ve been harvesting grapes since 2005.

John says Mallow Run also grows corn and soybeans, but that grapes provide an added value product for farmers. They also rely on different weather than traditional crops.

This year’s hot and dry summer in Central Indiana helped keep fungus, like black rot, away from the vines.

The heavy rain fall from spring actually worked in Mallow Run’s favor.

They planted new grapes this year and John says new grapes need rain to establish their roots.

It did delay harvest season by a week or so but John says harvesting during cooler temperatures was a welcome break for the nearly 50 volunteer pickers he sees on a given day.

“It’s relaxing to just pick the fruit from the vines, said volunteer Darlene Strasser.

Darlene is retired and says she’s always looking for new things to do in the community. She also happens to love Mallow Run’s Cabernet Sauvignon.

Last year, more than $100 million of Indiana wine was sold.

This year’s economic impact depends on the quality of grapes picked between now and October.

John admits there’s not a lot of money in wine making. Still he says it’s his love for wine that keeps him going.

“A lot of the soils in Indiana are high clay content. It is not ideal. It is not the central valley in Southern California. But, we are growing varieties that will survive,” John said.

One of those varieties is the Catawba grape.

The sparkling Catawba also happens to be Mallow Run’s best selling wine.

If you’re interested in being a volunteer grape picker at Mallow Run, click here.