FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — One person is behind bars, and almost two dozen animals are on their way to recovery after being rescued from a dogfighting ring operating in Fort Wayne on Tuesday afternoon.

The Fort Wayne Police Department says the investigation into the ring spanned almost six months.

Search warrants were issued at three different properties in Fort Wayne, resulting in the rescue of 22 dogs and puppies.

During the searches, Trevel Bell was arrested at a home on East Berry Street on preliminary charges of two counts of possessing an animal for fighting.

They were not listed as an inmate in the Allen County jail as of Wednesday.

Multiple agencies responded to assist with the dogs, including a team from the nonprofit Humane World for Animals. They described the animals’ living areas as filthy and sweltering due to the 110-degree heat index.

“On the first property, (investigators) found dogs panting in filthy hutches and cages. Despite the scorching heat, many of the dogs had no access to water, and several had significant scarring consistent with dogfighting,” the nonprofit wrote in a release. “Responders discovered a shed containing dogfighting paraphernalia, including two treadmills and a stand typically used in dogfighting operations to restrain dogs for breeding.”

At the second location, Humane World says dogs in heavy chains with varying degrees of injuries: several animals were suffering flystrike, or when flies lay eggs on an animal, and one female was “covered in scars and missing part of her lip.”

Blood spatter from the animals was found on the walls of this property’s basement.

Samantha Chapman, the Indiana director for Humane World for Animals, says despite the circumstances, the dogs were still eager for attention.

“Between the suffocating heat, filthy conditions, and bodies covered in scars—it’s incomprehensible. Yet these dogs still greeted us with wagging tails and hopeful eyes. We are deeply grateful to the Fort Wayne Police Department for intervening in this case and giving these dogs a chance at the lives they deserve.” 

Commenting on the arrest, Fort Wayne Police Chief Scott Caudill says the department will continue its commitment to “ensuring justice for those involved.”

“We are committed to ensuring justice for those involved and providing care for the animals recovered. I commend our team for their tireless efforts and thank our community partners, including animal welfare organizations, for their support. The Fort Wayne Police Department will continue to take decisive action against any form of animal cruelty to keep our city safe for all its residents—human and animals alike.” 

Officials haven’t said where the dogs were transported, but confirm they are safe and receiving much-needed care.

No other arrests have been announced.

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The female pilot who died in a plane crash in Greenwood was the founder of an Asian female pilots association, a Purdue grad, and the 10th woman to fly solo around the world.

Anh-Thu Nguyen, 44, from Miami, died Wednesday morning after her plane suddenly crashed behind a Circle K gas station at 1183 E. Main Street in Greenwood.

Nguyen, the plane’s sole occupant, died at the scene. The cause of her crash has not been determined.

This flight, according to Nguyen’s social media, was en route to Pennsylvania as part of her mission to fly solo around the world – again.

From war-torn village to big dream come true

Nguyen is the founder of the Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation, an organization launched in 2018 dedicated to “encouraging, empowering, and engaging the next generation of Asian female pilots, Aerospace Engineers, and STEM professionals.”

According to the AWAA website, Nguyen’s path to becoming a pilot started as a simple dream she held close while growing up in Tuy-Hoa, Vietnam, a village with no electricity or running water.

She and her family immigrated to America at age 12, living in poverty with no support system. The AWAA says many flight instructors discouraged her and “readily disqualified her” – but she kept going.

“Earning $6/hr as a Math tutor & taking out student loans, she lived in my car and perhaps unlawfully crashed in airports during flight training in order to become a pilot & later AOPA Distinguished Flight Instructor, and a B767 pilot for a major carrier.”

Nguyen eventually graduated valedictorian from her high school and was in the top 10 of her class when she graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in math and her eventual Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics. She also earned her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech.

After founding AWAA in 2018, Nguyen opened the Dragon Flight Training Academy at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Here, she served as a flight instructor to many future pilots and helped students develop “skills in risk assessment and safety-oriented decision-making.”

She became the 10th female pilot and first Vietnamese pilot to fly solo around the world in 2024. She told Purdue in an interview following the flight that she “longed to have that experience of flying and controlling a plane, of feeling small and vulnerable yet at the same time so powerful.”

‘This is more than just a flight’

Nguyen’s 2025 flight, a journey six years in the making, started in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Sunday. The second leg of the trip began in Indiana Wednesday morning.

Her most recent social media post was published before Wednesday’s flight. Nguyen was seen in a video seated in the cockpit preparing to take off.

“This is more than just a flight, okay?” she said. “This is a mission to inspire the next generation of Asian female pilots and aerospace engineering professionals.”

Her 2024 trip consisted of 25 stops, according to Purdue, but it was unclear how many places Nguyen’s 2025 journey would take her.

A bold and inspiring woman

The AWAA released a statement after Nguyen’s death, recognizing its founder as an “inspiring pilot” who lived with “boldness” and “curiosity.”

We are heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend, founder, mentor, and leader, Anh-Thu Nguyen, who passed away in a tragic accident during her solo journey around the world.

Anh-Thu was an inspiring pilot, instructor, and advocate for girls and women in aerospace and aviation. She lived with boldness, curiosity, and drive. She came from humble beginnings to becoming a beacon of hope to many.

Those wishing to honor her legacy may make a donation to the 501c3 nonprofit in her name; we will use the funds to continue her dream of helping young girls pursue their dreams and a scholarship in her name.

Well wishes and thoughts can be left on her main social pages:
Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pilot_anh_thu
Her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anu.nguyen

We hold her family, friends, and community dearly in our hearts at this time. May she fly high in the blue skies.

Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Marion County jury on Tuesday convicted a 29-year-old Indianapolis man for the 2023 murder of a 29-year-old man outside a liquor store on the city’s northwest side.

Ja’Que Mason will be sentenced Sept. 5 in Marion Superior Court 28 for the shooting death of Abel Ramos-Utuy just after 1:30 a.m. Oct. 21, 2023, outside the store near the intersection of West 56th Street and Georgetown Road. Ramos-Utuy died a short time later at a hospital.

A news release issued Wednesday from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said that, after the shooting, detectives received a tip from a woman who called 911 with information about the shooting. Upon contacting her, a man indicated that his son might have been involved. This led investigators to Mason, who arrived at the IMPD homicide office with his mother and other witnesses.

Mason told investigators that Ramos-Utuy approached him outside the store, asking if Mason had said something to him. Mason’s friend attempted to deescalate the situation. Mason said that Ramos-Utuy appeared intoxicated and reached behind his back, prompting Mason to fire his weapon. However, no weapon was found on Ramos-Utuy or in his vehicle.

Video footage from the liquor store showed Ramos-Utuy parking next to Mason’s vehicle, entering and exiting the store, and then having a brief conversation with Mason. The footage captured Mason pulling out his handgun and firing at Ramos-Utuy as he turned around and backed toward his vehicle.

Investigators recovered Mason’s Glock and five spent shell casings after receiving consent to search. The magazine for the Glock was found at Mason’s home.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, a Democrat, said in a statement in the release, “Tensions are elevated when people fear or believe that everyone is armed. It can turn a simple exchange between strangers into murder in a matter of seconds. Nothing leading up to this tragedy warranted any kind of violence, yet a man is dead and the other will spend the rest of his life in prison as consequence.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Fishers police on Wednesday told News 8 no criminal charges were filed after a woman accused an Indianapolis City-County councilor of groping her during a date.

The 18-year-old woman told News 8’s newsgathering partner, Mirror Indy, she met Nick Roberts, 24, through the dating app Hinge and went on two dates with him. During the second date, on the evening of July 12, the woman said she and Roberts went for a walk along the Nickel Plate Trail in Fishers when he led her onto a side trail, kissed her and groped her. She said she tried to push him away but he did not let go until someone walked by on the main trail. The woman told Mirror Indy she ended the date afterward.

Her stepmother said she then posted a warning about Roberts in a private Facebook group.

Roberts said he and the woman kissed during that second date but he did not grope her.

The Democrat councilor turned down News 8’s request for an interview but posted lengthy video and written statements on his Facebook page. He denied having any unwanted physical contact with the woman.

“During the kiss, she did not push me away or ask me to stop. If she had done either, I would have stopped immediately,” he said in the video.

News 8 obtained the incident report from Fishers police on Wednesday afternoon. According to detectives, the woman said she asked Roberts multiple times to stop, to which she claimed he replied she was shy and just needed to open up. Detectives wrote that there was some surveillance footage of Roberts and the woman on the trail for much of the period during which both Roberts and the woman said they were on the trail. They said the footage never showed any visible signs of distress, such as disheveled clothing. There also was no reference to any unwanted touching in any text messages between the two.

“Although it is difficult to ascertain what may have happened off camera view, what is captured on camera view shows two individuals walking together in normal walking behavior,” detectives wrote. “There was no video of them kissing and there is no video or witnesses to the alleged incident.”

Detectives said the woman later told them exactly where the alleged incident happened. They wrote it was in an area with no surveillance footage. Detectives said they reviewed the case with prosecutors and concluded there was not enough evidence for probable cause that a crime happened.

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. is in an open competition with Daniel Jones for the starting quarterback job.

Richardson was selected No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Colts, but has played just 15 games in his two seasons in the NFL.

He was asked about pressure, and how he views that as he competes to be a starter in his third year in the NFL. It was a reflective response from Richardson.

“A lot of things in life – we always want certain things,” Richardson said. “But you know, God always has something different in us. He has a different vision for us. So, I don’t feel like there’s any more added pressure. I’ve been dealing with adversity my whole life. Growing up, things weren’t the best and my mom, she did her best to make it great for us. So, I just think back to that, and I remember what it was like back in those times, and my life is way better than what it was before and I’m grateful for that. Not many people get an opportunity to be in the NFL. God blessed me enough to have the chance to do that. This organization believed in me enough to draft me first round, top-five pick. So I don’t think there’s any more pressure. It’s just me working hard and proving them right, and letting them know that they chose the right guy and just proving myself right and just letting me know that my hard work will eventually pay off. At the end of the day, God has it all written for me, and I’m just trying to do my part. So, God willing if I do get this job, I can have my best foot forward and lead the team and just be the leader that they need me to be.”

He played 11 games in 2024, throwing for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 499 yards and six touchdowns.

More Colts coverage

Colts Braden Smith in ‘spectacular place’ after mental health struggles

Colts QBs pushing each other to improve camp amid competition

Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr. puts Tyler Warren through off-field ‘test’

LOGANSPORT, Ind. (WISH) — A 63-year-old man was in critical condition on Wednesday morning in a Fort Wayne hospital after he was stabbed in downtown Logansport, the city police chief and assistant chief said in a news release.

The Logansport Police Department release issued Wednesday morning did not publicly name the man stabbed.

The man was near a park bench along a sidewalk when he was stabbed with a knife just before 8:40 p.m. Tuesday in the 600 block of Broadway. The police department is in that block.

A 39-year-old man, who was not named in the release, was arrested on preliminary criminal charges. The release did not say if formal criminal charges are being considered. The release did not say whether the 39-year-old was jailed.

Logansport, a Cass County city of 18,100 residents, is a 1-hour, 40-minute drive north of downtown Indianapolis.

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (WISH) — According to state police, an “unknown reason” caused six people to crash into truck in Whitley County, causing the deaths of two people.

Indiana State Police reported that the crash happened Tuesday at 2:40 p.m. at the intersection of State Road 9 and County Road 500 North near St. Matthews Community Church at Tri-Lakes.

ISP’s investigation says that six people were inside a 2012 Dodge Avenger when, “for an unknown reason,” the car went from the southbound into the northbound lanes. When it did, the car crashed into a 2019 Ford F-350 pickup truck and trailer.

Two people inside of the Dodge car were killed in the crash: 17-year-old Helmin Ruiz, who was driving, and 40-year-old Trinidad Vasquez. Four other passengers in the Dodge had injuries “that range from minor to severe,” ISP reports.

Everyone in the Dodge was from Huntington, Indiana, except for Vasquez who was from Fort Wayne.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s east coast at 11:25 a.m. local time Thursday – or 7:25 p.m. ET on Wednesday. This is one of the most powerful quakes on record, according to the United States Geological Survey.

On the top 10 list of earthquakes since 1900, this event would check in at sixth. The most recent earthquake with this high of magnitude in Japan in 2011.

Around the world, ground motion from the earthquake was detected on seismographs, or instruments used to record the motion of the ground during an earthquake.

In Bloomington, Indiana, the seismograph picked up these faint waves. Indiana was 4,500 miles away from the epicenter, so we did not feel anything.

You can find more information about the earthquake by visiting our news story tab here.

(AP) — Investigators probing the January midair collision of a passenger plane and an Army helicopter over Washington that killed 67 people found the chopper was flying higher than it should have been and its altitude readings were inaccurate.

The details came out of the first day of National Transportation Safety Board hearings in Washington, where investigators aim to uncover insights into what caused the crash between the American Airlines plane from Wichita, Kansas, and the Black Hawk helicopter over Ronald Reagan National Airport.

The board opened the three days of hearings by showing an animation and playing audio and video from the night of the collision, as well as questioning witnesses and investigators about how the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army may have contributed to nation’s deadliest plane crash since November 2001.

It’s likely too early for the board to identify what caused the crash.

The January incident was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation.

Animation, altimeter discrepancy

The hearing opened Wednesday with a video animation showing where the helicopter and airliner were leading up to the collision. It showed how the helicopter flew above the 200 feet (61 meters) altitude limit on the helicopter route along the Potomac River before colliding with the plane.

Investigators said Wednesday the flight data recorder showed the helicopter was actually 80 feet to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) higher than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon showed they were flying. So the NTSB conducted tests on three other helicopters from the same unit in a flight over the same area and found similar discrepancies in their altimeters.

Dan Cooper with Sikorsky helicopters said that when the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was designed in the 1970s, it used a style of altimeter that was common at the time. Newer helicopters have air data computers that didn’t exist back then that help provide more accurate altitude readings.

Chief Warrant Officer Kylene Lewis told the board that she wouldn’t find an 80 to 100 foot discrepancy between the different altimeters on a helicopter alarming because at lower altitudes she would be relying more on the radar altimeter than the barometric altimeter. Below 500 feet (152 meters), Lewis said she would be checking both instruments and cross referencing them.

She said as long as an altimeter registers an altitude within 70 feet of the published altitude before takeoff the altimeter is considered accurate under the checklists.

Army officials said a discrepancy of 70 to 100 feet (21 to 30 meters) between the Black Hawk’s altimeters is within the acceptable range because pilots are expected to maintain their altitude plus or minus 100 feet.

The greater concern is that the FAA approved routes around Reagan airport that included such small separation distances between helicopters and planes when planes are landing.

“The fact that we have less than 500 foot separation is a concern for me,” the Army’s Scott Rosengren said.

But Rosengren said that “if he was king for a day” he would immediately retire all the older Black Hawk models like the one involved in this crash and replace them with newer versions of the helicopters.

Previously, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy highlighted that the published helicopter routes around Washington D.C. would allow planes and helicopters to routinely come within 75 feet of each other during landing.

Army officials said Wednesday that the flight manual for these older Black Hawks doesn’t highlight the discrepancies in altimeters that has been documented previously, but typical flight separations are at least 500 feet (152 meters) around airports.

‘Stepped on transmission’

During the two minutes before the crash, one air traffic controller was directing airport traffic and helicopters in the area, a task that involved speaking to or receiving communications from several different aircraft, according to the NTSB’s History of Flight Performance Study.

The air traffic controller had spoken to or received communications from the Black Hawk helicopter, an airplane that was taking off, an Air Force helicopter, an airplane on the ground, a medical helicopter and an inbound flight that was not the American Airlines plane that would crash.

“All aircraft could hear the controller, but helicopters could only hear other helicopters on their frequency and airplanes only other airplanes,” the report stated. “This resulted in a number of stepped on transmissions as helicopters and airplanes were not aware when the other was communicating.”

Stepped on transmissions are those that are unheard or blocked because of other transmissions. The NTSB report provides a list of 29 separate communications between the airport tower and other aircraft during approximately the 1 minute and 57 seconds before the collision.

Previously disclosed air traffic control audio had the helicopter pilot telling the controller twice that they saw the airplane and would avoid it.

The animation ended with surveillance video showing the helicopter colliding with the plane in a fiery crash.

Investigations have already shown the FAA failed to recognize a troubling history of 85 near misses around Reagan airport in the years before the collision, and that the Army’s helicopters routinely flew around the nation’s capitol with a key piece of locating equipment, known as ADS-B Out, turned off.

Proposed changes

Even though the final NTSB report won’t be released until sometime next year, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz introduced legislation Tuesday to require all aircraft operators to use both forms of ADS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, the technology to broadcast aircraft location data to other planes and air traffic controllers. Most aircraft today are equipped with ADS-B Out equipment but the airlines would have to add the more comprehensive ADS-B In technology to their planes.

“There cannot be a double standard in aviation safety,” Cruz said. “We should not tolerate special exceptions for military training flights, operating in congested air space.”

The legislation would revoke an exemption on ADS-B transmission requests for Department of Defense aircrafts. It also would require the FAA to evaluate helicopter routes near airports and require the Army Inspector General to review the Army’s aviation safety practices.

Homendy said her agency has been recommending that move for decades after several other crashes.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that while he’d like to discuss “a few tweaks,” the legislation is “the right approach.” He also suggested that the previous administration “was asleep at the wheel” amid dozens of near-misses in the airspace around Washington’s airspace.

Associated Press writers Leah Askarinam, Ben Finley and Rio Yamat contributed to this story.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — President Trumped approved a major disaster declaration for 23 Indiana Counties for the severe storms and tornadoes that ripped across the state from late March and into early April.

The declaration allows for federal public assistance to be provided to 23 counties in Indiana, enabling them to repair and replace disaster-damaged facilities and conduct emergency work.

The FEMA Public Assistance Program will assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as certain private nonprofit organizations, in the affected counties.

Eligible applicants must own the property or be legally responsible for its maintenance. Applicants are encouraged to contact their county Emergency Management Agency (EMA) for assistance.

FEMA staff, in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) recovery teams, will begin meeting with public assistance applicants across the state starting Aug. 5.

Despite the approval for public assistance, the federal disaster declaration for individual assistance was denied on July 28. The IDHS is currently reviewing options to appeal this decision.

Counties approved for public assistance:

• Bartholomew
• Brown
• Clark
• Crawford
• Decatur
• Floyd
• Franklin
• Greene
• Harrison
• Jefferson
• Lawrence
• Madison
• Marshall
• Martin
• Montgomery
• Morgan
• Orange
• Owen
• Perry
• Switzerland
• Vanderburgh
• Warrick
• Washington

This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

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