UNITED NATIONS, September 9 (IPS) – Two months after devastating twin earthquakes struck northern and central Venezuela on June 24, the humanitarian community has been on the frontlines, delivering lifesaving aid and focusing efforts on sustainable paths for rehabilitation.
ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — A suspect was arrested Tuesday during a traffic stop in connection with the shooting death of a 31-year-old man on Sunday, the Anderson Police Department said in a news release issued Wednesday afternoon.
The release did not name the suspect, but said the Madison County Prosecutor’s Office was considering criminal charges before issuing the police department’s probable cause affidavit to a court. The suspect was being held on a 72-hour hold in the Madison County jail in Anderson pending that review.
The release said Fishers police on Tuesday helped investigators pull over the suspect’s vehicle at an undisclosed location in Hamilton County.
Anderson officers at 1:54 a.m. Sunday heard gunshots and received a report of a person shot in the 1600 block of Madison Avenue. That’s an area with a mix of homes and vacant lots located two blocks south of State Road 32/West 14th Street and wets of downtown.
Officers found Tomerious Smoots, of Anderson, with a gunshot wound to the chest. Smoots was taken to a hospital where he later died.
As part of its investigation, Anderson Police Department’s SWAT Team and other agencies searched two homes in the 1800 block of Sheridan Street and the 2400 block of West 16th Street. The release did not say what, if anything, was found at the two homes.
Detectives were still following up on leads. Anyone with information was asked to call Detective Nolan Schaefer at 765-648-6714. People who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)–Two juveniles were arrested Tuesday afternoon after Indianapolis police say they fled from a stolen vehicle and were later found hiding in the area.
Just after 2:30 p.m. Sept. 8, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were searching for a recently stolen vehicle in the 6800 block of East 21st Street when an officer with the department’s Criminal Interdiction Unit used automated license plate reader technology to locate the vehicle nearby, according to IMPD.
As officers moved to stop the vehicle, two male suspects reportedly got out and ran. Police said one of the suspects was armed with a handgun.
Officers established a perimeter and brought in additional resources, including an IMPD drone and K9, as they searched for the suspects.
Police said officers later located both juveniles. One was taken into custody after officers caught up with him in a residential area. The second was found hiding in an overgrown area, according to IMPD.
That suspect did not comply with officers’ commands, police said, and officers used less-lethal rounds to take him into custody.
During the search, detectives recovered two 9mm handguns. IMPD said one of the firearms was confirmed stolen. The vehicle was also confirmed to be stolen and was recovered.
The juveniles were arrested on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle. Because the suspects are juveniles, additional information about their identities was not released.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decision.
IMPD credited its Criminal Interdiction Unit, East District officers, K9 team and detectives for coordinating the response and bringing the incident to a safe conclusion.
BULAWAYO, September 9 (IPS) – A 12-year-old male lion slipped out of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park one winter morning and killed a 7-year-old boy in a village it wandered into.
Read the full story, “How Saving Cattle in Zimbabwe is Saving Its Lions”, on globalissues.org →
ROME, September 9 (IPS) – Observing some of the changes over the last year and a half in the Government of the USA, one question that comes to mind is whether the greatest democracy in the world turning into a dictatorship? And, if so, how is this possible in a country with one of the most articulate and thoughtful constitutions ever written –a constitution which clearly sets out checks and balances precisely to avoid undue concentration of power.
Read the full story, “The USA and Dictatorship – Gödel’s Loophole”, on globalissues.org →
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A person died Tuesday night after being hit by a vehicle on the city’s southwest side, police said.
Medics and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a report of a pedestrian struck at 9:38 p.m. Tuesday in the 5300 block of West Southport Road. That’s in an area with homes on large plots of land west of Mann Road and the White River.
Police arrived to find the person hit by the vehicle and confirmed the person died at the scene.
Police said their information was preliminary as the investigation was ongoing.
No additional details about the identity of the person or the driver were immediately available.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man admitted Tuesday to causing a 2023 crash that killed a 20-year-old and injured another woman.
As part of a plea agreement in Marion Superior Court, Bradley Woods pleaded guilty to three counts including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, reckless homicide, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
The crash happened on Dec. 23, 2023, at East Southport Road and Little Oak Lane. Woods admitted in court Tuesday that he did not stay at the scene, did not help those injured, and did not call 911.
Prosecutors dismissed all remaining counts including drunk driving charges.
“That part makes me really angry,” said Nina May, the mother of Avery May, the 20-year-old killed in the crash. “It makes me really angry when I found out that blood draw wasn’t obtained that night.”
Woods faces a 15-year sentence with a 10-year cap on prison time. Avery’s mother hopes Woods spends time behind bars.
“If he receives 10 years, I would walk out of the court system feeling pretty good with that,” May said. “If he doesn’t get any prison time, I’ll be highly disappointed, and then I will feel revictimized.”
Rylee White, the girlfriend injured in the crash, has mostly recovered but still has pain. May says the guilty plea is a step forward.
“There’s definitely relief that there’s been a guilty plea in the whole situation makes me feel like some accountability is being brought to justice,” May said.
A judge will sentence Woods on Oct. 19.
In a related case, Paige Woods is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly removing Bradley Woods’ blood from the scene.
Statement
“It is the responsibility of all parties involved in a crash to remain on scene. In this case, Woods chose to walk away from the scene. IMPD crash investigators worked with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office throughout the investigation to secure charges.
“IMPD takes compliance with established policies and procedures seriously. If potential violations of department policy are identified, the facts and circumstances are reviewed, and officers are held accountable for their actions.
“Our thoughts remain with Avery May’s family and everyone touched by this tragic crash.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) – Police in Anderson are investigating the death of a woman found in a swimming pool.
The Anderson Police Department says police responded to a call just past 2 a.m. Sept. 8 for a woman found unresponsive in a swimming pool on Southview Drive in Anderson. Officers and emergency medical crews on scene say she was pronounced dead upon their arrival.
The Madison County Coroner’s Office is working on an autopsy to figure out the official cause and manner of death, but no foul play is suspected. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the investigation as we learn more.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A record number of Indiana school districts are asking voters to approve property tax increases this November to close budget shortfalls caused by recent state tax relief legislation.
The surge in referenda follows the passage of Senate Enrolled Act 1. While the law aimed to lower property taxes for homeowners after values climbed following the pandemic, it reduced the revenue schools rely on for daily operations. Many districts are now asking voters to restore those funds.
The stakes vary by community. In the Lowell area of Lake County, district officials warned that failing to pass the tax increase would result in the elimination of bus service for students across three townships. Other districts reported that a rejection could lead to staffing cuts and larger class sizes.
“I think it would be up to the districts to communicate what those cuts might look like,” Amelia Pack-Harvey of Chalkbeat Indiana said. She noted that many families would likely see the impact of a failed vote immediately.
The requests come as taxpayers struggle with inflation. Costs for groceries, gasoline, and farming supplies have climbed significantly, leading to organized opposition. The group Americans for Prosperity has launched a website to help residents coordinate efforts against the property tax increases.
“The cost of doing business as a farmer, the cost of running your household has just increased,” Pack-Harvey said, noting that some residents who previously supported schools are now hesitant because of their own financial constraints.
LYNN (WISH) A Winchester woman has been charged with murder in the death of a town marshal killed during a police chase through Randolph County.
Maci Marquelle Atkinson, 34, was charged Sept. 8 in connection with the July 29 death of Lynn Town Marshal Bradley Fisher, according to online court records.
Fisher, a 27-year member of the Lynn Police Department, was struck and killed while deploying stop sticks at U.S. 36 and U.S. 27 near Lynn.
What happened
According to a probable cause affidavit, the morning began around 6:30 a.m. when Atkinson’s father reported his Chevrolet work van stolen from Ridgeville.
Around 8:30 a.m., a Randolph County sheriff’s deputy spotted the van near County Road 400 West and County Road 50 South. Atkinson initially pulled over but when the deputy got out and told her to step out of the van, she fled.
The affidavit says Atkinson drove at speeds up to 90 mph, blew through stop signs, and at one point gave the deputy the middle finger.
At around 8:37 a.m., Fisher radioed dispatch that he was going to deploy his stop sticks. He positioned his patrol truck along U.S. 36 and set them out as Atkinson approached.
That’s when she struck him, court document say. The van kept going, lost control, and eventually hit a dump truck, ending the chase.
Fisher was taken to Ascension St. Vincent Randolph Hospital in Winchester, where he died from his injuries.
After the crash, Atkinson kept resisting. When deputies told her to show her hands, she responded, “Make me,” according to the affidavit. Deputies eventually used a taser on her. She also swung a sharp object at a deputy before being handcuffed.
What she told investigators
During interviews with police, Atkinson said she left the Fort Wayne facility because she “wanted to get some sleep, and comfort” and planned to go back. She said she found her dad’s keys in the van and took it.
When the deputy tried to pull her over, she said she panicked.
“I was just driving, that’s all I was doing, I really didn’t have no destination,” she told investigators.
Atkinson said she thought Fisher jumped in front of her van.
When asked about consenting to medical records, she said she would fail and that records would show she was under the influence when she claimed she wasn’t. She said heroin was her drug of choice but that she had done a hit of meth “just to feel some relief.”
A toxicology report came back positive for fentanyl, methadone, amphetamine, and meth. No alcohol was detected.
At the end of her interview, Atkinson said: “I’m just mad at myself that I took an innocent life, not intentionally, and I deserve to spend the rest of my life behind bars.”
Criminal history
Court records show Atkinson already faced multiple pending charges before July 29, including unlawful possession of a syringe, battery, possession of narcotics and marijuana, resisting law enforcement, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and operating a vehicle while in possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance. She pleaded guilty to false informing in 2020.
The charges
Atkinson faces eight counts:
Fisher was 50. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter. He spent 27 years with the police department. He was also a captain in the fire department, managed the town’s streets, and coached the Randolph Southern baseball team to its only sectional championship in 2010.
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