VALLONIA, Ind. (WISH) — The Jackson County Coroner’s Office has identified the two people who died in a three-vehicle crash on a state highway.

The crash happened at 2:14 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in the 2600 block of South State Road 135 near Vallonia.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Brandon Goodhue, 35, of Campbellsburg, was driving a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle with Desiree L. Freiberger, 26, of Greenville, riding as a passenger.

Investigators said the motorcycle was traveling south when it hit a 2019 Dodge Journey traveling north. After the collision, the motorcycle entered the northbound lane and hit a 2023 Toyota Camry.

Deputy Coroner Todd Brumfield pronounced both Goodhue and Freiberger dead at the scene.

The Indiana State Police went to the scene to reconstruct the crash. Both the sheriff’s department and the state police are still investigating.

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — A motorcyclist suffered critical injuries after a head-on collision with a car on the north side of Kokomo.

The crash happened at 7:32 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, in the 800 block of North Dixon Road in front of the Jefferson Crossing Apartments.

The Kokomo Police Department said Lenney Belt, 64, of Kokomo, was driving a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle when a 2009 Toyota Prius hit him. Beishe Tokoev, 64, also of Kokomo, was driving the Toyota.

Investigators said the motorcycle was driving northbound in the right lane while the Toyota was heading south bound. The Toyota crossed into the northbound lanes and hit the motorcycle head-on. Tokoev told officers at the scene that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Emergency crews from the Kokomo Fire Department and Ascension St. Vincent EMS treated Belt at the scene before he was airlifted to a trauma center. He remains in critical but stable condition. Tokoev was medically evaluated at the scene but declined further medical care.

Officers took Tokoev to a nearby hospital for a blood draw, as required by Indiana law for crashes involving serious injuries.

The investigation remains active with Kokomo Police Department accident investigators and is waiting on results from the Indiana State Department of Toxicology.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Sgt. Chad Mooney at 765-456-7600 ext. 8430.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana local governments will receive nearly $139 million in gas tax reimbursements following a unanimous vote by the State Board of Finance on Tuesday.

The funding is part of an initiative by Gov. Mike Braun to provide fuel relief to residents while maintaining local infrastructure budgets. The board approved $138,903,493.28 for the period of July 1-31, following a similar approval last month for April and May.

The Indiana State Comptroller’s Office is scheduled to distribute more than $46 million of that total to counties, cities and towns over the next week.

“Indiana has enjoyed the lowest gas prices in the country all summer while continuing to make local communities whole, protecting local roads and infrastructure,” Braun said in a statement.

State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla said her office is prioritizing the distribution so “critical operations” can continue at the local level.

State Treasurer Daniel Elliott praised the move, calling the extension of the gas tax holiday an example of “good fiscal stewardship.”

State Budget Director Chad Ranney added that the board remains committed to transferring funds to ensure local governments are not financially impacted by the tax holiday.

“Continuing the exercise of transferring funds to make the locals whole during the gas tax holiday is a top priority for the State Board of Finance,” Ranney said.

LEBANON, Ind. (WISH) — The Lebanon Police Department says a man working at a data center died after being hit by a truck on Monday evening.

The accident happened around 5:43 p.m.

Lebanon police, firefighters, and medics were called to the Meta data center construction site along County Road 400 West and State Road 32 on a report that a construction worker had been hit by a pickup truck.

Medical personnel at the scene had started life-saving measures that were continued by emergency services. Unfortunately, the man died at the scene.

Lebanon police identified the man as 33-year-old Christopher Lawe of Oklahoma.

A spokesperson with Meta said in a statement to News 8 that they are working with the general contractor at the site to learn what happened.

We are deeply saddened by the death of a worker today at our Lebanon, Ind., data center construction site. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and coworkers. We are working closely with our general contractor to determine what happened.

Meta

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (WISH) — The Brownsburg Community School Corp. settled a yearslong lawsuit Monday with former Superintendent Jim Snapp, following his departure from the district in January 2024.

Snapp sued the school district in March 2025 for firing him while he still had two years left on his contract. Around the same time, two teachers at Brown Elementary School abused a young student, but it remains unclear if Snapp’s firing was related to that abuse.

The school board initially called for Snapp’s early retirement and claimed he mishandled school money. Snapp denied the claim. The accusation started an investigation by the Indiana State Board of Accounts, which later found no evidence of wrongdoing.

The school board is now walking back that claim and clearing Snapp’s name. A statement issued Monday night after the meeting said, in part, “The Board regrets any hardship this investigation and separation have caused Dr. Jim Snapp and his family.”

The school board will pay $150,000 as part of the settlement. Snapp and his attorney donated $100,000 to the school to offset that cost.

“Neither Kirk (Leblanc, Snapp’s attorney) nor I want students and staff in the classrooms affected by this settlement. This gift reflects our sincere hope to make that possible,” Snapp said in a statement.

Katie Dixon, who served on the school board when Snapp was fired, is now the board president. “At the time when some of the reports were made, they had to be made based on the reports at the time. In hindsight, using Dr. Snapp’s name is one we would not make again. And I wish him well in his retirement.”

Neither party disclosed Snapp’s total payout, which led some people at the meeting to ask for more transparency.

Garren Carnes, who is running for an at-large seat on the school board in November, said, “It would be nice to know what the true settlement amount is. I like information. I’d like to know more.”

Snapp served as superintendent for 14 years. He said he is glad to put the matter behind him.

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Hamilton County commissioners on Monday hired a Carmel-based company to build a new roundabout at Hazel Dell Parkway beneath 146th Street on the border of Carmel and Noblesville.

The county hired Gradex for $39.9 million to lead the project, which will start this fall and continue through 2029. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization granted $8.7 million for the project.

Much like the recently finished roundabout at Allisonville Road below 146th Street on the Fishers-Noblesville border, the Hazel Dell Road project will be designed to make the busy 146th Street corridor safer and keep traffic moving, officials said. The intersection is known for a high crash rate.

“The Allisonville Road interchange gives people a good idea of what we’re working toward at Hazel Dell,” said Hamilton County Highway Director Brad Davis in a news release issued Monday. “These are major projects, but they allow us to address congestion in a way that will serve this corridor for decades.”

The $44 million project at Allisonville Road and 146th Street was described Monday as one of the largest infrastructure investments in the county government’s history. About $9.5 million of that total came from federal funds, with the remainder from local government sources.

In April, the county announced that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization awarded $6 million to begin plans for a similar roundabout interchange at 146th Street and Gray Road at the Carmel-Noblesville-Westfield border. That construction could begin in 2029.

LEBANON, Ind. (WISH) —  A Lebanon program for teen girls has closed its doors, Indiana’s I-Team has learned.

Refuge Girls Academy, formerly known as Teen Challenge, and its residents began moving out several weeks ago, according to an attorney for the program, Jeffrey Roberts.

“The parent organization determined that operating the Lebanon academy was unfortunately no longer tenable due to the present environment, namely, the resources required for a faith-based non-profit to defend a lawsuit filed by girls who were there, in some cases, up to a decade ago, now seeking eight-figure monetary sums, and its ability to secure necessary insurance coverage to continue operation,” Roberts said in an email to Indiana’s I-Team. 

“The girls who were in the midst of addiction treatment either returned home to their families or moved to other voluntary faith-based residential facilities with the help of the Indiana Teen Challenge staff who had been working with them in Lebanon, to continue working toward freedom from addiction.” 

35 women filed an amended lawsuit in June 2026 alleging they were abused at Central Indiana Teen Challenge, now operating as Refuge Girls Academy, a faith-based residential program for teen girls in Lebanon.

The new complaint, filed June 16 in federal court, added 26 new alleged victims to the lawsuit which Indiana’s I-Team reported on in April.

The lawsuit is still pending.

“As the federal lawsuit filed on behalf of 35 former CITC residents continues to move forward, our clients are relieved and grateful to know that the facility where they and other young girls suffered will no longer be operating,” according to a statement from CohenMalad, LLP, the law firm representing former residents.

Among the allegations:

• Some women were denied access to a locked restroom for hours at a time. When staff ignored their pleas to use the bathroom, girls allegedly urinated into the sink.
• Using the bathroom, showering, eating, sleeping, making eye contact or talking, were considered “privileges” that could be taken away by staff at any time. Plaintiff Sukanya Harbin was forbidden from talking for nine months, according to the amended complaint.
• Makayla Launius was allegedly taken from her bedroom in Missouri in the middle of the night, transported to Central Indiana Teen Challenge, and forced to wear weighted shoes and a leash during the trip, according to the amended complaint.
• E.A., then only 12 or 13 years old, was allegedly taken late at night to a church where a priest performed something akin to an exorcism by forcing her to kneel and repeatedly dunking her head into buckets of water. The new complaint alleges she coughed, choked, vomited and was left with visible bruises on her neck.
• Resident Hannah Scragg was allegedly forced to exercise in extreme heat after vomiting so severely she was bringing up bile, the complaint alleges.
• Chelsie Turlich was allegedly forced to run in the heat for hours without water breaks, the complaint alleges.
• Another resident allegedly was forced to run and wear a backpack containing approximately 60 pounds of canned food for about a month.

The allegations of abuse now range from 2011 to 2024, according to attorney Andrea Simmons with CohenMalad, LLP.

“These girls were all abused, and whenever someone is abused, we try to get justice for them whenever we can,” Simmons said. “This is not just something that has happened at this one facility under for a very short period of time with one bad actor. This is systemic. It’s long term. It’s been going on for decades and Teen Challenge actually has facilities all over the country.”

Teen Challenge USA is a missionary department of the Assemblies of God U.S. Missions.

“It has tentacles in every state, and they deliberately move girls around away from their homes, so that it’s harder for them to run away, it’s harder for them to have contact with their loved ones, and that sort of thing,” Simmons said. “So, it’s an important topic of conversation. It’s awful, and it needs to be rectified.”

Simmons said they’ve interviewed more than 100 people since Indiana’s I-Team first reported on this in April.

PREVIOUS | Woman shares story of Lebanon faith-based program

“We’ve been doing it pretty much nonstop,” Simmons said. “All of these young women tell the same horror stories. They all experienced exactly the same thing, in terms of isolation, in terms of not being allowed to speak for weeks, or sometimes more than a month at a time, and in terms of the food being unsafe and dangerous for them to consume, and then the hard labor, hours and hours and hours of hard labor.”

The initial lawsuit, filed on April 8 in federal court, alleged the girls were subjected to forced isolation, including being placed in a “safe room” for extended periods, sometimes up to 30 days, without human contact.

In their lawsuit the women claim they were forced to eat under extreme conditions, including being required to continue eating even while vomiting, and being served moldy, stale and outdated food.

CITC is part of the larger troubled teen industry, which is a nationwide network of purported therapeutic programs marketed to so-called “troubled teens,” read the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also describes religious coercion as a method of control.

CohenMalad, LLP said their clients were told their suffering was “God’s will,” and that questioning the program meant questioning God itself.

Below is a statement from Attorney Jeffrey Roberts for Indiana Teen Challenge regarding the federal lawsuit:

“We have been expecting an amended pleading, as the media coverage stemming from the initial lawsuit filing seems to have prompted several more former Teen Challenge clients to join the lawsuit with the same attorneys in an attempt to get money. 

We were preparing to file a motion to dismiss the first lawsuit, but the amended pleading was filed before our timeframe was ripe to make the dismissal filing. 

While we are still reviewing the amended lawsuit, at this point, our defense plan remains the same.  Otherwise, we would refer you to our previous statements concerning the lawsuit and our inability, during pending litigation, to discuss any further the facts, allegations, or our defenses.”

Atty. Jeffrey Roberts

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two Marion County judges and one Vigo County judge are facing disciplinary action following a yearslong pattern of negligence, staff mismanagement, and significant delays in the courtroom.

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications announced the actions Monday in Indianapolis. While one judge received a public admonition, the other two face formal charges for violating the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct.

Vigo County: Judge Matthew A. Sheehan

The commission issued a public admonition of Vigo Superior Court 5 Judge Matthew A. Sheehan after he acknowledged he violated judicial rules. Sheehan cooperated with the investigation and apologized for an unreasonable delay in a divorce case.

The delay happened when Sheehan served as a special judge in a July 2022 case. The Indiana Supreme Court eventually removed him from the case in July 2025. However, the woman involved in the case died before a new judge could issue a final decision.

Sheehan admitted to violating rules that require judges to promote public confidence in the judiciary and to perform their duties promptly and diligently. The commission noted that delays in justice can cause significant harm to the people involved.

Because Sheehan agreed to the public admonition, he will not face formal disciplinary charges. He is represented by attorney Jennifer Lukemeyer.

Marion County: Judge Jose D. Salinas

The commission filed five counts of misconduct against Marion Superior Court 23 Judge Jose D. Salinas. The charges allege a recurring pattern of failing to supervise court staff and failing to act in several criminal cases.

According to the commission, staff errors under Salinas’ supervision led to:

• Delayed releases for criminal defendants.
• Missing court dates and orders.
• Cases that were not properly cleared or expunged.

The commission also alleges that Salinas failed to take action in criminal cases, leading to delays and eventual dismissals. Salinas has 20 days to file an answer to the charges. He is represented by attorney James J. Bell.

Marion County: Judge Geoffrey A. Gaither

Marion Superior Court 9 Judge Geoffrey A. Gaither also faces three counts of misconduct for failing to act in cases and failing to supervise his staff.

The commission alleges Gaither:

• Failed to promptly set or rule on motions, leading to cases being removed from his court.
• Failed to supervise a magistrate, which caused case delays.
• Failed to supervise staff, leading to case dismissals and incorrect legal entries.

Gaither has 20 days to file an answer to the charges. He is represented by attorney Gregory H. Coleman.

Next Steps

The Indiana Supreme Court has the final authority to decide if misconduct occurred. The court can dismiss the charges, accept a disciplinary agreement, or impose sanctions. These sanctions range from a public reprimand to a permanent ban from holding judicial office in Indiana.

INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam gave residents a detailed update this week on flood recovery efforts, one month after historic flooding swept through the city.

According to Finkam, here’s where things stand:

The City’s 30-inch raw water main remains out of service, leaving three wells disconnected.

In the meantime, Finkam says a temporary connection is currently in the works while they develop permanent solutions. “We are meeting current water demand and have stored water available,” Finkam said.

The 12-inch water main will be reconnected with the bridge and road reconstruction. Finkam says the city will move forward with a new six-inch line along 96th street to serve the wastewater plant.

Blue Woods Creek needs to be rerouted, and Finkam says its future path is still being evaluated. Once that’s determined, the city plans to lower and reinforce two wastewater force mains to guard against future erosion. Early testing on those mains showed they’re in good shape.

Hamilton County will begin demolishing the damaged Hazel Dell bridge next week. The city has already opened a new roundabout at 106th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway to help ease traffic during reconstruction.

Hazel Landing Park remains closed.

“Our goal isn’t to put things back together exactly as they were, but to rebuild them to be more resilient,” Finkam wrote.

Hazel Dell Parkway was wiped out by flooding along the White River in August, threatening the city’s water main. Hamilton County officials previously said repairs will take about 60 days, with construction expected to finish by end of 2027.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A person is in critical condition after being shot on the city’s northeast side Sunday night.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, at 8:48 p.m., officers responded to the 4100 block of Edgemere Court on a report of a person shot. That location is near two different apartment complexes off 42nd Street.

Arriving officers found a male with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.

Police said he was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

No further information was immediately available, and police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

This is a developing story. News 8 has a crew at the scene. Check back for updates.