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BUTLERVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Three people are facing criminal charges of physically harming and confining a 22-year-old woman, Indiana State Police said Friday night.

John E. Staples, 54, is charged with neglect of a dependent.

Rose-Kathryn F. Staples, 54, and the 22-year-old’s caretaker, Trudy N. Henry, 47, were each charged with neglect of a dependent and criminal confinement.

The 22-year-old had been confined in the Staples’ home, according to a news release from state police. The release did not indicate the Staples’ relationship if any. The caretaker’s charges came, in part, from the confinement in the straitjacket, police said.

The three were in the Jennings County jail in North Vernon awaiting an initial appearance in a Jennings Circuit Court to face formal charges, police said.

State police detectives investigated seven months in advance of the charges.

JENNINGS COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police believe they have solved a murder in Jennings County.

Indiana State Police say Alan Marantos, 34, killed Brian Kirby, 52, in late March. Both men are from North Vernon.

The investigation began on March 28 after Kirby’s family reported him missing.

Police believe Marantos attacked at a home on Primrose Court near North Vernon on March 27. Police say he loaded Kirby’s body into a vehicle, burned his body at another location, then left his remains at several spots around Jennings County.

Investigators at ISP’s lab recently discovered the remains matched Kirby’s DNA.

Marantos faces charges of murder, robbery, aggravated battery, abuse of a corpse, obstruction of justice and intimidation.

Marantos was already incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail after being arrested on a robbery warrant on April 2. Police say that case also comes with charges of possession of methamphetamine, resisting law enforcement and leaving the scene of a crash.

NORTH VERNON, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — The Jennings County School Corp. will Thursday break ground on a more than $4.5 million addition to Jennings County High School. The 24,000-square-foot facility will be dedicated to the district’s wrestling program. 

The district says the addition will connect to the south side of the existing gym at the high school. The new facility will seat about 800 people and include two locker rooms, a large equipment storage area, and an office for the wrestling coach.

“This is a state-of-the-art facility that will allow the students who wrestle to experience ownership and pride,” Jennings County High School Wrestling Coach Howard Jones said in a news release. “The facility will benefit wrestlers from preschool through high school and offer more opportunities and access at all levels to our wrestling program and to our community.”

The addition was designed by architecture and engineering firm Woolpert through its offices in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. It will be built by North Vernon-based Harmon Construction.

The district says the facility is slated to be complete ahead of the 2020-2021 wrestling season. 

SCOTTSBURG, Ind. (WISH) — A 19-year-old North Vernon man faces rape and child sex charges after he allegedly forced himself on a 15-year-old girl he had met on a social media website, state police said Friday.

Jon Wesley Anthony faces charges of rape by force, sexual battery and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, Indiana State Police said in a news release. The charges were filed in Scott County, where the girl lives.

The Indiana Department of Child Services in Scott County reached out to state police on Feb. 7. Detective Brian Busick learned Anthony agreed to meet the girl at her home to do beautician work on her hair. When Anthony arrived, the release said, he told the girl he had forgot the materials needed to work on her hair, but he stayed at the residence and allegedly forced himself onto her.

Anthony was placed in the Scott County Jail, state police said, and being held without bond awaiting his first court appearance. Online court records Friday night had no case listed.

NORTH VERNON, Ind. (The Republic) – A Vernon man has been arrested and will be extradited to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face an assault-and-battery charge stemming from clashes between white supremacists and counterdemonstrators in August.

Dennis L. Mothersbaugh, 37, of 2005 N. County Road 175E, was arrested at his home early Thursday afternoon by Jennings County sheriff’s deputies and North Vernon police, County Sheriff Gary Driver said.

The Virginia warrant for Mothersbaugh was issued after cellphone video from the Charlottesville clashes surfaced on social media showed him marching with white supremacists and punching two people who were protesting. Mothersbaugh is accused of being with a group protesting over the scheduled removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville park.

The video shows a man identified as Mothersbaugh first punching an unidentified man, and then punching a woman directly in the face with his fist as he is accosted verbally by the counterdemonstrators. Allegations made about the incident include that Mothersbaugh was wearing weighted gloves when he hit the woman in the face.

The sheriff’s department confirmed the warrant for Mothersbaugh’s arrest had been pending since Sept. 18, but deputies could not and did not arrest him then because Charlottesville had not requested that Mothersbaugh be extradited back to Virginia. If deputies had arrested Mothersbaugh when the warrant was first issued, nothing would have happened, because Charlottesville would not come and get him, said Lt. Mike Mowery, a sheriff’s department spokesman.

The warrant was reissued on Thursday with Charlottesville police signing orders that they would extradite Mothersbaugh to face the assault and battery charge, Driver said, which led to the arrest.

Mothersbaugh was being held in the Jennings County Jail pending extradition to Charlottesville. It isn’t clear if Mothersbaugh has an attorney who might comment on his behalf.

SEYMOUR, Ind. (WISH) — Indiana State Excise Police officers have seized 2,262 items of counterfeit merchandise from 11 businesses in Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley and Union counties.

Items seized Tuesday included hats, sunglasses, shirts and purses. All items were imitations of the name brands including MLB, NFL, NCAA, Ray Ban, Under Armor, Michael Kors, Gucci and Monster, said a news release from the excise police.

Each business location possesses a valid alcohol permit and tobacco sales certificate, the release said. They were cited administratively on the preliminary charge of public nuisance. Reports will be submitted to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission’s prosecutor for review.

These alcohol and tobacco permit premises were cited, the release said:

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JENNINGS COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) – A bicyclist died Saturday after crashing into a vehicle.

The Indiana State Police and Jennings County Sheriff’s Department were sent to Country Squire Boulevard at Dorchester Place near North Vernon shortly before 9 p.m. after reports of a crash.

When officers arrived, they determined Robert King, 50 of North Vernon, was riding a bicycle southbound on Dorechester Place when he lost control of the bicycle. He then entered in the path of the 2006 Jeep Liberty, driven by Timothy Small, 31 of North Vernon. King was then struck by Small’s vehicle after falling off the bike.

King was pronounced dead on scene.

Small was not injured in the crash.

The crash is still under investigation.

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NORTH VERNON, Ind. (WISH) — Two women are in custody after a strategic patrol of Indiana State Police in Jennings County that resulted in at least eight arrests.

Jennifer Acree, 25, faces preliminary charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of hypodermic syringe, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Louann Parton, 22, faces preliminary charges including possession of heroin, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a narcotic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Around 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, state troopers conducting a patrol stopped a car for a traffic violation near Norris Avenue and White Street in North Vernon and called in a K-9 unit after becoming suspicious of criminal activity. The K-9 Jinx indicated the presence of illegal drug odors, after which a search of the vehicle uncovered suspected methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.

Acree and Parton were taken to the Jennings County Jail. Once there, authorities found drugs hidden on Parton’s body, leading to an additional charge of trafficking with an inmate.

Both are expected to make an initial court appearance soon.

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NORTH VERNON, Ind. (WISH) – The jury trial is set to begin Monday for a man accused of murder in Jennings County.

Jovonnie Mayes is charged in the death of 52-year-old Richard Smith.

His alleged accomplice, Jody Brooks, was found guilty of murder and auto theft in January of 2016.

Brooks is serving a 62-year-old prison sentence.

Police in North Vernon said they found Smith in a dumpster in October 2014.

Jennings County prosecutors said Brooks and Mayes robbed and beat Smith before dumping his body.

Mayes is facing charges of murder, robbery, abusing a corpse, and two counts of auto theft.

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — Columbus police arrested a man Sunday night after they say he led them on a high speed chase.

An officer tried to pull over a car driving with no headlights on Center Street around 11:30 p.m., but the driver refused to stop.

After a few minutes, the man hit tire spikes set by police and was boxed up near County Road 450 East and County Road 700 South.

Jesse Crouch, 20, of North Vernon faces preliminary charges of driving without a license, illegal consumption and resisting law enforcement with a vehicle. Police found several alcoholic drinks inside the car, as well as a dog that didn’t belong to Crouch.