SHIRLEY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A manufacturer in Hancock County is growing its operations. Tech Castings LLC, which makes superalloy investment castings for the aerospace, manufacturing and medical industries, says it will invest $4.5 million to expand its facility in the town of Shirley and add up to 20 jobs.
The company currently operates out of a 30,000-square-foot facility and the expansion will add 12,000 square feet that will include manufacturing and office space.
Tech Castings says the addition will more than double its output of hot section gas turbine engine, APU and structural components for the aerospace industry. New equipment that will be added as part of the expansion will also increase the maximum size and weight of castings produced at the facility.
“We’re very excited to start this Capital Expansion project during our 10th anniversary celebrations,” said Jeff Lantz, president of Tech Castings. “It’s a testament to the ongoing efforts of our entire team to deliver high-quality precision aerospace engine components to almost every major OEM in the US. I also need to thank the Town of Shirley, IN for working so closely with us on this expansion project. Their enthusiastic collaboration will enable us to significantly grow our workforce over the next several years.”
The expansion is expected to be complete next year.
SHIRLEY, Ind. (WISH) — Members of a rural community in Henry County came out on Friday to mourn the loss of a family as authorities pieced together a Thursday night murder-suicide.
Henry County Sheriff Richard McCorkle on Friday identified those killed in the shooting as Justin Langdon, Amanda Langdon and 8-year-old Kendal Langdon. McCorkle said the father, Justin, was the shooter, killing his wife, Amanda, and daughter, Kendal, before turning the gun on himself.
It happened just after 11 p.m. Thursday in the 2400 block of North Mechanicsburg Road. It’s a rural area with a few homes near the intersection with State Road 38. The rural area is about two miles southeast of Markleville and halfway between Anderson and New Castle.
Henry County Coroner Steve Hacker told the Associated Press that all three died of gunshot wounds, believed to have been inflicted with Justin Langdon’s 9-mm handgun. He said the three bodies were found within 30 feet of one another by the garage outside their home near the town of Shirley, about 30 miles east of Indianapolis.
Friday evening, a makeshift memorial had been set up by a tree at the edge of the driveway. Dozens of people, some who knew the family and others who didn’t, left flowers, balloons and cards to remember the three lives lost.
“Something had to be wrong with him for him to do something like that,” said Ana Herndon, who brought her daughter, Jay-Lea, a classmate of Kendal’s, with her as they left behind flowers and a stuffed animal. “I have a neighbor coming down and she said ‘I can’t go yet.’ She said, ‘How come we live on the same road, but we didn’t know him? We didn’t really know him.’ I said ‘Because we’re all busy.’ It’s just sad that none of us knew what was going on and that we couldn’t help.”
One man could be seen placing a bouquet of yellow flowers at the base of the tree as he fell to his knees in tears and prayed.
“We are just feeling the pain and being heartfelt people,” said Shawna Stallsworth, who brought her 10-year-old daughter, Reagan, with her to pay their respects. “I think that the family needs something from the community saying that we are here for them and that we love them.”
Amanda Langdon’s employer, Kane Loveridge Wellness Group, released this statement:
We are beyond devastated and shocked at the news of Amanda, Kendal, and Justin’s deaths. Amanda enriched the lives of countless children and families through her work as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She cared for her clients with her whole heart. We hope to be able to help them through their grief with the same compassion Amanda showed to every person she encountered. All of us who worked along aside Amanda every day are trying to process this tragedy. She was our colleague, but she is family. We grieve deeply for her.
Kendal attended Shenandoah Elementary School in Middletown and would have started third grade this Thursday. District officials tell News 8 they are discussing the need for counselors to be on hand next week to help students cope with the tragedy.
While McCorkle couldn’t say exactly why Justin killed himself and his family, he did say mental health played a huge role in this case and that there may have been signs that could have tipped someone off that there was a problem.
“Specifically, in this situation there was a problem and someone was distraught,” said McCorkle. “If they would contact us and let us know. We work very closely with our mental health people here in Henry County and with the hospitals. If you know someone is having a problem or suspect someone is having a problem, it’s not you ratting them out, it’s you’re trying to get them assistance.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or intentions, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
SHIRLEY, Ind. (WISH) — Three people are dead in rural Henry County in what the sheriff called a homicide-suicide.
Henry County Sheriff Richard McCorkle has identified those killed in the shooting as Justin Langdon, Amanda Langdon and 8-year-old Kendal Langdon. The father, Justin, was the shooter, killing his wife, Amanda, and daughter, Kendal, before turning the gun on himself.
The Henry County sheriff confirmed just after 11 p.m. Thursday that three people had died in the 2400 block of North Mechanicsburg Road. It’s rural area with a few homes near the intersection with State Road 38. The rural area is about two miles southeast of Markleville and halfway between Anderson and New Castle.
Henry County Coroner Steve Hacker told The Associated Press that all three died of gunshot wounds, believed to have been inflicted with Justin Langdon’s 9-mm handgun. He said the three bodies were found within 30 feet of one another by the garage outside their home near the town of Shirley, about 30 miles east of Indianapolis.
Amanda Langdon’s employer, Kane Loveridge Wellness Group, released this statement:
We are beyond devastated and shocked at the news of Amanda, Kendal, and Justin’s deaths. Amanda enriched the lives of countless children and families through her work as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She cared for her clients with her whole heart. We hope to be able to help them through their grief with the same compassion Amanda showed to every person she encountered. All of us who worked along aside Amanda every day are trying to process this tragedy. She was our colleague, but she is family. We grieve deeply for her.
Jenny Dreasler will have more on this fatal shooting at 5 and 6 p.m.
SHIRLEY, Ind. (WISH) — Shirley is a central Indiana town with less than a thousand residents.
This year, the Shirley Police Department proved they have more than enough love to go around.
They surprised three families for Christmas, one of them very dear to the department.
Some people might be afraid if they saw police pull up to their house right before Christmas.
“First, I thought I was going to jail with all the cops coming in. I was like, ‘I didn’t do anything,'” said Veronica Dailey, one of the people police surprised.
And it would be normal to cry with joy once officers said why they were stopping by.
“And then Brian come up and told me what was going on, and I was just. … I cried. It’s the best feeling ever,” said Dailey.
Chief Brian Pryor and the Shirley Police Department helped make Christmas happen for three deserving families.
“Last year we saw a lot of tears, more than we see in anything,” Pryor said.
This is the second year the department orchestrated the surprise.
“It touches your heart in a big way every time, with every family. It touches your heart,” Pryor said.
“I am more than thankful, I am just in shock,” said Katy Piper, a mother of four and the second recipient of this year’s surprise.
The chief didn’t have to look far for the third deserving family: He is one of their own.
They were able to surprise Lt. Joshua Miller and his family this year.
“He’s a great individual, he’s a great father, the man. He goes above and beyond in all aspects of life,” said Pryor.
“He started saying our names, and I was like, ‘What?'” said Miller’s son.
The department showed it’s not the number of officers, but the warmth of their hearts, that can make a difference.
“I love seeing my kids being happy,” Miller said.
Pryor says he and the officers pay attention while out on calls to see who they think might need a little help during the holidays.
Along with the city council, they choose the families they think are most deserving.
- Download the WISH-TV app for your iPhone/iPad in the App Store
- Download the WISH-TV app in the Google Play store
- Like WISH-TV on Facebook
SHIRLEY, Ind. (WISH) — It was found with a trap between its legs in Hancock County, and animal advocates believe it was no accident.
Since its ordeal, the 2-year-old black Labrador retriever was making great progress Friday at the Humane Society of Indianapolis.
An animal control officer in Greenfield got the call Thursday for an injured dog. She got there and, as she told 24-Hour News 8, saw something like she’d never seen before.
In the area where Madison, Hancock and Henry counties connect, that’s where Heather Hamilton picked up the black Lab. It had a collar but no microchip.
“The deputy was with the dog on the side of the road, had him covered up with a blanket. I walked up, and he said, ‘There’s a leg-hold trap on the dog’s testicles,'” Hamilton said.
Hamilton is an animal control officer for Greenfield Hancock Animal Management.
“It was very upsetting. You could tell that the dog was in pain, but he was still very friendly to us,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton shared pictures with 24-Hour News 8 and, in the pictures, you can see the leg-hold trap on the dog.
24-Hour News 8 had to blur some of the pictures because of the extent of the injuries.
“My first thought was cruelty just because of where it was placed,” Hamilton said.
Leg-hold traps are mainly set for coyotes in rural communities. Hamilton said the trigger goes off once the coyote steps on the center of the trap.
“The spring load will come up, then this will snap onto its leg, and this was the part that was actually on the dog’s scrotum and his testicles were stuck in it,” she said.
In a rush to help save the dog, Hamilton said she called several places to see if anyone could do surgery to remove the trap. The Humane Society of Indianapolis responded to the call.
“We didn’t know what the outcome was going to be until we saw it. It’s a sick blessing that he’s going to be OK,” said Kristen McGuire, director of customer service at the Humane Society of Indianapolis .
The black Lab is still recovering from surgery, but you would know what he had to go through in the previous 24 hours and what veterinarians had to do save him.
“You know once the adrenaline wore off yesterday when we were in surgery, I just took a good look around at the people that surrounded me,” McGuire said. “They do good work. They do great work. You know, they jumped in, they didn’t care. They hadn’t gone to the bathroom; they didn’t care they hadn’t eaten. Everybody was there for that dog.”
Vets said they believed the trap was on the dog for at least one day.
The picture of the dog was posted on the Greenfield Hancock Animal Management’s Facebook page. The owner called animal control and said her dog Ax had been missing for a few days. Authorities do not believe the owner had anything to do with the trap, and dog and owner will be reunited Monday.
If you have any information on the person responsible for the leg-hold trap, call animal control at (317) 477-4367.