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AVON, Ind. — A former Avon music teacher was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison after he exchanged graphic sexual videos and pictures with underage girls on social media.

Avon police say they received a CyberTip in September 2024 that contained suggestive pictures and video Kayvon Emtiaz shared on two Snapchat accounts.

Officers say one of the videos appears to show Emtiaz pleasuring himself in a music classroom, though it was unclear exactly where the video was taken. Detectives also reviewed several messages exchanged between Emtiaz and at least two underage girls. Investigators didn’t say the girls were students at Avon.

When speaking with police in November 2024, Emtiaz admitted to having sexual conversations with underage girls through his Snapchat, but did not remember the conversations exactly. He also claimed he only saved pictures of girls who were “of age.”

According to online court documents, Emtiaz has been charged with 11 counts of possession of child pornography, two counts of child solicitation, and once count of vicarious sexual gratification where one of the victims was under 14-years-old.

Payroll records show that Emtiaz worked at three schools in the Avon district from 2019 and 2022. Emtiaz’s full-time employment dates at Avon Schools are as follows: 

Avon Middle School North – Mar.-Dec. 2022

White Oak Elementary – Nov. 2019-May 2021 

Avon Intermediate School West – Jul. 2021-Mar. 2022 

He was been registered as a sex offender for life, according to online court documents.

Previous reporting: https://www.wishtv.com/news/crime-watch-8/avon-music-teacher-charged-child-pornography/

INDIANAPOLIS — An 8-year-old girl was found dead at a home on Indianapolis’ near east side Wednesday morning.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers went to the 700 block of South Bancroft Street, near Emerson Avenue and Brookville Road, just after 7 a.m. They responded to a report of a child who was not breathing.

Officers found the girl unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are still investigating. It is not yet clear what led to the girl’s death.

INDIANAPOLIS — A man was shot and injured at a west side Target store Tuesday night, police said.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were dispatched to the target at 6925 W. 38 St. just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers arrived to find a man who’d been shot near the store. He was taken to a local hospital where he is reportedly stable.

IMPD Cpt. Richard Ray said officers believe at least one suspect fled the scene in a sedan. He did not have additional suspect information.

“We’re still trying to gather accurate information from the surveillance video to determine that,” he said.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact IMPD detectives or call the department’s nonemergency line at 317-327-3811. Information can be left anonymously at 317-262-8477 (TIPS).

GREENWOOD, Ind. — Buc-ee’s is now officially on its way to Indiana!

The Greenwood Common Council voted 7 – 2 Monday night to approve plans to bring the popular travel center to the city.

Buc-ee’s is planned for the intersection of I-65 and Worthsville Road.

It is expected to be 74,000 square feet with around 120 fueling stations and 42 EV chargers.
Developers say the Buc-ee’s will employ 175 to 225 people

Critics are concerned about the increase in traffic around the site. But leaders with Buc-ee’s say the gas station is planning on making $13 million dollars worth of traffic improvements in the area.

Construction is expected to be done in 2028.

This story was based on a script that aired on WISH-TV.

ELKHART, Ind. — Police say a 38-year-old man is in custody Tuesday after looking into school windows at an elementary school in Elkhart, jumping into a river to hide from officers, and fleeing a hospital while in police custody.

At 8:49 a.m., the Elkhart Police Department received a call reporting a suspicious man who had jumped a perimeter fence and was looking into the windows of Beardsley Elementary School. The school was placed on lockdown during the incident.

Officers quickly arrived at the scene, and when they attempted to make contact with the man, he fled on foot. Police say he ran toward the St. Joseph River, located in the 900 block of E. Beardsley Avenue, jumped in, and hid under a boat.

Police say that after commanding him several times to exit the water, they deployed pepper ball chemical irritant to try to get him out. Officers were able to pull him from the water and took him to the hospital for medical clearance, where he remained in custody.

Once at the hospital, officers learned that due to pre-existing medical conditions, the man would require an extended period of medical treatment. Rather than maintaining him custody at the hospital for an indefinite period while receiving treatment, EPD decided to proceed with an out-of-custody charging process. EPD says they had no information indicating that he posed a threat to the public.

But at 12:23 p.m., police were notified that the man ran from the hospital while he was still attached to medical equipment. Officers located him near South Highland Avenue and West Lexington Avenue, which is a 7-minute walk from the hospital where he was hospitalized.

After failing to comply, officers say they deployed a taser and chemical irritant to make it easier to detain him. He was taken back to the hospital for continued treatment, and police say he will be taken to the Elkhart County Jail once cleared.

The man has been preliminarily charged with criminal trespass, four counts of resisting law enforcement, public indecency, and theft.

EPD says they will release the man’s name “if and when an Elkhart County judicial officer finds probable cause for this arrest.”

Officers made a secondary sweep of the school area and did not locate any weapons or anything of immediate safety concern.

(MIRROR INDY) — When Angel Brown thinks about America, she worries today’s political leaders are setting the country back.

The 16-year-old voiced her frustration with the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and the fear it’s stoked among Black and Latino families. To the teenager, it feels a lot like the periods of segregation she’s studied in school.

“I kind of hate it,” Brown said. “A lot of the kids in school don’t really look at people for ethnicity or their skin color.”

Many of Brown’s classmates at KIPP Indy Legacy High School share her concerns. When asked to reflect on America today, the teens said they feel discouraged by the current political rhetoric. But they also feel grateful for their constitutional right to speak freely.

“It feels pretty good to have all of the freedoms to criticize the government,” 16-year-old Jamari Gunartt said. “To have that right to criticize even your own party.”

As America celebrates its 250th year, the young people expressed conflicting thoughts about what it means to be an American today. Some reflected on the country’s history and say they see real progress from the days of slavery and segregation. Others said they still have real concerns about divisions in the United States and how people are treated based on their race and gender.

The teens also said they’re worried about inflation, housing and the effect of tariffs, and added that they’re ready for new leadership — one representative of younger Americans.

“What about the younger people?” 16-year-old London Simmons asked. “We have to grow up and be in an environment with these laws that we didn’t even know nothing about because we didn’t vote for them.”

Teaching U.S. history

Patrick Newton, the kids’ U.S. history teacher, said he doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations in class. He tries to link what kids are learning about America’s founding to what’s happening now.

Students have significant fears about systemic racism and the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Indianapolis, Newton said. As their teacher, he tries to get students thinking about the change they’d like to see and provides resources for acting on it.

“It’s really a challenge that sometimes kids are pretty pessimistic,” Newton said. “It’s really just trying to validate kids’ feelings, but also being like, ‘Hey, we could do stuff, like register people to vote.’”

Discussions of history and race in schools have become a political flashpoint in recent years.

Newton said KIPP leaders have been supportive of his teaching, acknowledging that not every educator in his field has been so lucky.

Dozens of states have taken steps within the last five years to limit how teachers take up discussions of racism and sexism. A 2023 survey of American teachers found 65% of respondents decided on their own to limit class discussions of political and social issues.

“There’s a lot of history teachers across the country that if they talk about certain issues like this, they’ll get in trouble,” Newton said. “I’ve heard that from my teacher friends where they have to kind of beat around the bush when they talk about slavery or they talk about immigration.”

This year, Newton said, he’s making an effort to encourage more classroom consensus discussions — where teens are prompted to hear and consider all sides of an argument — over debates.

He hopes it counterbalances some of the heated discourse teens are surrounded by on social media.

“A lot of it is just breaking habits because a lot of kids are competitive,” Newton said.

‘The country of change’

Newton’s students — who aspire to be America’s next nurses, veterinarians and psychologists — said they wish there were more representation of young voices in government today.

“I feel like a lot of older people and people in charge are still stuck in the way things used to be,” 16-year-old Da’mari Thomas said. “Us, younger people, we know how to come together.”

Teresa Patrick, 16, said she tries to stay focused on the present and what she can do to make a difference. For Patrick, that means using her voice to advocate for change.

“It’s recommended for us to protest, have a petition, have a boycott so we can all have a right to have our voice heard,” she said.

Marquise Hill, 16, said he mostly tries to avoid big political conversations.

Instead, he focuses on taking small actions to better his community. That includes volunteering at his community center and providing food to his unhoused neighbors.

“If you focus on too many other things, they might slow you down,” he said. “You’ve got to mostly focus on yourself.”

Meanwhile, Ivan Moreno said he thinks change is possible. It could just take a little time.

The 17-year-old pointed to examples where Americans have overcome their differences. Over time, he said, laws, government and people have changed.

“Whether it be good or bad,” Moreno said. “America will always be the country of change.”

This story, and ArcFest 2026 – a festival centered around democracy, justice and freedom of expression, are presented as part of a national effort by local newsrooms to reflect on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Register for ArcFest 2026 : https://fpinews.org/arcfest/

Read USA@250 coverage from other newsrooms :  https://theajp.org/us250-local-journalism-series/

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations. Sign up for our free newsletters.

Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

INDIANAPOLIS — John Donovan is a lawyer with his own practice in Mishawaka, but he wants to open up his own firm in a legal desert.

“There are places with no attorneys or one attorney, like Walkerton, North Liberty,” said Donovan.

Donovan is one of 15 participants from all over the state taking part in the Rural Practice Academy, a program the Indiana State Bar Association launched this year to address the state’s attorney shortage.

“The goal is to have the skills and the confidence and the tools to launch or grow and sustain a rural firm in Indiana,” Christine Cordial said, director of justice initiatives at the Indiana State Bar Association.

Donovan is getting tips from panelists and other participants on how to start his own rural law practice.

“It’s a little exciting in that getting help, and anytime you can get help to do something, achieve a dream, take care of your family, that’s always nice,” Donovan said.

More than half of Indiana’s counties are classified as legal deserts, with the state averaging only 2.3 attorneys per 1,000 residents compared to a national average of 4.

People in rural areas are hit the hardest by the state’s attorney shortage.  Residents need legal help including criminal defense, family law, wills and estate planning services.

Ryan Adams was born in Richmond. He wants to open a nonprofit law firm in Wayne County so he can help disadvantaged people get legal help.

“I expect to spend most of my life working on this problem, so no matter how long we have it, I’m going to try to be the solution for it,” Adams said.

As part of the Rural Practice Academy, participants are learning how to market themselves and build up their client base in rural areas.

The Indiana State Bar Association hopes the program can be a model for other states.

“There’s a group of other state bar associations, and they’re really interested in seeing how this is going, and seeing our work product, and may try to replicate that in other states,” Derrick Wilson said, incoming president at the Indiana State Bar Association.

Participants will graduate in June 2027.

49 counties in Indiana are considered a “legal desert,” which is when a county has fewer than 1 lawyer for every 1,000 residents.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Transportation is proposing about $5 million in transportation projects in Central Indiana, including more than $4 million to relocate fiber along Interstate 69.

The projects are part of a proposed amendment to Indiana’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP.

The STIP is a four-year planning document that identifies transportation projects expected to receive federal funding, along with certain state-funded projects considered regionally significant. INDOT updates the program throughout the year through formal amendments and modifications.

One of the largest proposed projects would spend approximately $4.16 million to permanently relocate fiber along I-69 between State Road 39 and I-465.

The project, identified as DES 2400752, calls for about $3.74 million in federal funding and $416,058 in state funding. Construction is proposed for fiscal year 2027.

The amendment also proposes an approximately $810,000 project at U.S. 421 and Willow Road.

That project would include intersection improvements, including auxiliary, acceleration, deceleration or turn lanes. About $150,000 is proposed for preliminary engineering in fiscal year 2027, followed by approximately $660,000 for construction in fiscal year 2028.

The U.S. 421 project is identified as DES 2600892.

INDOT opened the proposed STIP amendment to public comment as part of the transportation planning process. The agency allows members of the public to submit comments on proposed transportation projects through an online form, by email or by mail.

The public-comment period for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization portion of amendment A26-MPO-13 was listed by INDOT as ending Sept. 20.

INDOT says formal STIP amendments are required for changes including adding a new project, adding a new project phase, significant changes in project cost or changes in project scope.

Projects must be included in the STIP to be eligible for federal funding.

The current STIP covers fiscal years 2026 through 2029. INDOT’s project listing was updated Sept. 11, 2026.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce is expected to miss “several weeks” as he recovers from the left heel injury that got aggravated in the loss to the Chiefs on Sunday night, per a report from ESPN and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport added that Pierce will try to rehab the injury instead of getting surgery. Pierce may go on the IR (injured reserve) due to the injury.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said on Monday that Pierce aggravated something in his heel that he had a procedure on in the offseason. Steichen added that they are still gathering information. Steichen also said he did not know if he will play on Sunday.

Pierce left the game against the Chiefs on Sunday night with a left heel injury and did not return. He was in a boot and using crutches after the game, not putting any weight on his left leg.

Steichen said on Sunday night that Pierce’s X-rays were negative.

Pierce was taken to the locker room on a cart. It was a non-contact injury.

Pierce had surgery on his left heel this offseason and missed all of training camp as he recovered from the surgery.

Pierce has five catches for 72 yards this season. He signed a four-year, $114 million contract with the Colts this offseason.

INDIANAPOLIS — A man sentenced to 130 years in prison for killing two girls in Delphi wants his conviction overturned.

Attorneys for Richard Allen made their case before the Indiana Court of Appeals Monday morning, arguing Allen’s conviction should be overturned and he should receive a new trial.

• February 13, 2017- Abby Williams and Libby German dropped off at the Monon high bridge.
• February 14, 2017- The bodies of both girls were found.
• October 2022- Richard Allen was arrested for their murders.
• June 2023- Prosecutors announced Allen confessed multiple times while incarcerated.
• November 2024- Jury convicted Allen of murder.
• December 2024- Allen sentenced to 130 years in prison.
• December 2025- Allen’s attorney appeal conviction.
• September 21, 2026- Oral arguments in the Court of Appeals.

“From beginning to end, the proceedings against Rick Allen were unprecedented, unfair and unconstitutional,” Richard Allen’s attorney Mark Leeman said during his oral arguments.

Allen’s attorneys said Allen’s confessions to the murders were inadmissible because he was in solitary confinement at a state prison at the time.

“For the first time in modern history the state took a pretrial detainee directly to a cell known as the hole, kept him there until he descended into psychosis and became gravely disabled,” Leeman said during oral arguments.

The defense argues this detention made any subsequent confessions involuntary.

According to the brief, Allen deteriorated from 180 pounds to 135 pounds and was eventually deemed “gravely disabled” by prison psychiatrists.

The defense argues his confessions to family members, guards, and prison psychologist Dr. Monica Wala occurred while he was in a psychotic state, eating feces, and exhibiting bizarre behavior.

Dr. Stuart Grassian, a psychiatrist who examined Allen, testified that solitary confinement caused delirium and false memory formation, but the trial court excluded much of his testimony.

Allen’s attorneys also argue the search of Allen’ home was unconstitutional.

They say a detective misrepresented witness descriptions to connect Allen to “Bridge Guy” — the unidentified suspect captured on Libby German’s phone video.

“The state told the judge a false story to get the warrant for Allen’s house,” Leeman said during oral arguments.

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office, which represents the state in the appeals case, says the state got it right, and Richard Allen is the girls’ killer.

“It was Richard Allen himself who identified himself as Bridge Guy in his statements to police,” Ellen Meilaender, an attorney with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office said. “He was confessing before, and he was confessing after they said he was psychotic.”

The hearing lasted for an hour and 15 minutes.

The three Court of Appeals judges asked both sides tough questions.

• Judge Nancy Vaidik: They said before Richard Allen even came along, it was probably not a ritual killing.
• Mark Leeman (Attorney for Richard Allen): That was a terrible conclusion law enforcement made—
• Judge Vaidik: You’re asking us really to re-weigh the evidence, aren’t you?

• Judge Elaine Brown: The question before us is did this person get a fair trial?
• Mark Leeman: We want to know you got the right guy. We can’t live in a world where the real killer goes free. 

The crowd inside the courtroom included the girls’ families, as well as Richard Allen supporters.

Afterward, Indiana’s I-Team spoke with both sides.

“We stand with Abby and Libby’s families, and will keep fighting for the accountability and closure the crime demands,” Abe Hurt said, a spokesperson for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office

“The judges are very competent, and we’ll let them come to their own conclusion, and then we’ll accept that conclusion, whatever that might be,” Doug Carter said, a former Indiana State Police Superintendent.

The court does not have a deadline to reach a decision.  The average is around two months, but Allen’s attorneys say it could be a week or a year.

“We have a really horrific crime, but what they did to Rick Allen was also really horrific, and I am confident that our judges and our justice system are going to get to the bottom of it, and we’re going to get a new trial,” Stacy R. Uliana said, an attorney for Richard Allen.

Previous reporting: https://www.wishtv.com/crime-watch-8/delphi-murders/