ELWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — A 32-year-old Elwood man was formally charged Friday in a Madison County court with 10 felonies including two counts of promotion of child sex trafficking, online court records show.

The Hamilton County Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said in a news release issued Tuesday that it arrested Austin Thompson on Thursday.

The release said detectives with the Fishers-based task force served search warrants on Thompson’s social media accounts, uncovering evidence of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. The investigation revealed approximately 1,000 images of child sex abuse and around 2,300 messages soliciting minors for such material.

In addition to the mid-level felony charges of promotion of child sex trafficking, Thompson also was charged with five mid-level felony counts of child exploitation; two low-level felony counts of child exploitation; and a low-level felony count of possession of child pornography, online records from Madison Circuit Court 6 show. No additional hearings had been set in the case as of Tuesday night.

Thompson on Tuesday night remained in the Madison County jail in Anderson on a $50,000 bond.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said lawmakers should approach Indy leaders with ideas for collaboration rather than control.

The Democrat’s comments come in response to a proposal from Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, to carve the Mile Square out from Indianapolis control and place it directly under the control of the state government of Indiana.

The Mile Square is bounded by North, South, East and West streets and Young said he also would include Lucas Oil Stadium and Victory Field in the district. Young told News 8 on Monday that the Indiana State Police would take care of patrolling the district and the attorney general would prosecute any crimes committed there.

Mears, long a target for Republican criticism, said Republican state lawmakers helped create the very county justice system they now attack.

“Republicans at the Statehouse spend a significant amount of their time complaining about Marion County judges,” he said. “Marion County judges are appointed by a Republican governor pursuant to a law the Republican legislature drafted. And so, we’ve already seen this quote-unquote state control at the local level here in Marion County and they complain about the very people that they appoint pursuant to a law that they drafted.”

Young said his idea would not require any additional expenses on the part of the state because the Mile Square already generates revenue through a combination of property taxes, food and beverage taxes, hotel taxes and rental taxes. Paul Helmke, director of the Civic Leaders Center at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said he isn’t so sure. Helmke, a former three-term Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, said a state takeover of the Mile Square would disrupt tax increment financing or redevelopment districts the city has in place. He said the state would have to either redo those agreements or grandfather them in.

“Those are very complicated financial transactions that can’t be messed with. Those determine where the tax revenue might be going from a hotel or from the convention center or from another business,” he said.

Helmke said the state’s responsibilities would go far beyond merely having state police patrol the area. He said state agencies would have to figure out how to tackle more mundane tasks such as filling potholes or working minor crashes. He said Young’s proposal probably is constitutional. He pointed out the legislature completely changed Indianapolis’ city government when it created Unigov at the end of the 1960s. The one area where Helmke said he might see a constitutional problem is reassigning prosecutorial duties away from the elected county prosecutor.

“This is not just responding to the shootings that we’ve seen downtown. This is dealing with every issue that a city, whether it’s Indianapolis or Fort Wayne or whatever deals with on a daily basis,” he said. “I’m not sure that this is the most efficient way to use our taxpayer resources. I think that’s the question that has to be asked.”

Mears said if state lawmakers were serious about helping Marion County, they would approach his office and those of city leaders with ideas for ways to work together rather than proposing expanded state control.

“If we just want to troll people and say things online, great, but it doesn’t change things and it doesn’t improve the quality of life for people in Marion County and it certainly doesn’t help the kids who are in need,” he said.

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WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — “It feels like the first day of school again!”

That’s how cornerback Kenny Moore II and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts felt moving in to Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield for Training Camp Tuesday. Energy was high as the team was back together again.

“It’s definitely exciting to get back. New year, just new opportunities,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said.

“I feel like the morale is up,” defensive lineman DeForest Buckner said. “Everybody’s been great since we’ve been back in OTAs and everything. I know the guys are excited to be back.”

That includes quarterback Anthony Richardson, who arrives at camp healthy after re-injuring his throwing shoulder during spring. Richardson has been back to throwing for the last three weeks but will be on slight volume management for the first part of camp, according to general manager Chris Ballard.

Either way, he’s ready to compete for the starting job against newcomer Daniel Jones.

“It’ll be a fun competition to watch between these two guys. They’re both very talented,” Ballard said.

Ballard wouldn’t commit to a timeline of when the Colts will name their starter. He said that it will happen whenever he, head coach Shane Steichen and the rest of the staff are “sure” of the decision.

“It’s probably not what most teams are doing, but you got to do what you got to do,” receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “It’s competition, and that’s the great thing about football.”

“We need to make sure that whoever’s back there with us, we need make sure we mesh with them,” running back Jonathan Taylor said. “We need to make sure whatever we’re doing is making their job as easy as possible.”

Richardson and Jones aren’t the only players out here to prove something. The entire Colts team feels the pressure to get back to the playoffs. They haven’t been since 2020, which is the longest drought in team history since the 1990s.

The team leaders know success during the season starts at training camp.

“Not being able to get over that hump the last four years has definitely been frustrating,” Buckner said. “Everybody needs to buy in and believe in the one goal that we’re trying to accomplish, and that’s win a Super Bowl. Being able to do whatever it takes and doing your job without anybody’s egos getting attached to it.”

Franklin says he feels the pressure from the fans, as well.

“They’re upset, and they’re demanding. And to be quite honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Franklin said. “This locker room is hungry. There’s a lot of guys in here trying to prove not only that they deserve a certain respect or a certain place in this league. When you got a team in the building full of competition in an organization where everybody top to bottom is out to prove themselves, that usually is a recipe for success.”

Something the team believes its just a few plays away from.

Training Camp practice begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. and goes all week long at Grand Park.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Today felt fairly good out there with lower humidity and temperatures that were near normal for this time of the year. Unfortunately, all good things don’t last forever as we’re about to have an extended issue with high heat and humidity.

Heat advisories are currently in place across western Indiana for Wednesday afternoon and evening. These may get extended further east. There will also be an air quality alert for Wednesday.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear and decent for tonight with lows in the mid to upper 60s.

Wednesday: Tomorrow will be the first of a several day stretch of misery weather-wise. Highs in the low 90s, dew points rising into the low to mid 70s, and mid 90s to low 100s heat indices will make it feel terrible out there.

Thursday: The worst of this pattern of heat arrives Thursday with some locations tapping into the mid 90s for highs. Dew point values that look to push into the mid to upper 70s will cause heat indices to potentially approach 105-110 degrees. Now, there could be a caveat with Thursday’s forecast, especially for areas in northern Indiana. This would be increased cloud cover and a spotty shower/storm chance if it fully materializes.

7-Day Forecast: Sweltering conditions will continue into the final weekend of July with the hot dome beginning to break down a little bit by Friday. This in turn will increase rain and storm chances into the weekend. Exact timing and placement is still very uncertain with these storm chances.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A mom has come forward to recount the horror of finding out her daughter was shot in the mass shooting in the early morning July 5 in downtown Indianapolis.

That shooting left two people dead and five others hurt.

Bionka Killebrew said her 18-year-old daughter was grazed on an arm in the shooting. “She was grazed in her arm with a bullet. She was so scared. She was actually hiding behind cars when it happened. As a mother, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ It made me look at things different.”

While her daughter is healing physically, the emotional scars remain.

Killebrew said her daughter was in the wrong place at the wrong time, a painful reminder that shootings can happen anywhere in the city. Killebrew wants the violence to stop, and has urged others to step up. She said enforcing the curfew is a start. Killebrew supports the city’s curfew, hoping it will help keep more teens off the streets at night and out of harm’s way.

“I don’t think I’ll let my other children go there. Not now. Not until I see that things are more structured.”.

As Killebrew sees it, change starts with honest conversation, and the courage to speak up. “I just say to the parents, keep praying, and, to the kids, put the guns down.”

The Indianapolis TenPoint Coalition, led by the Rev. Charles Harrison, stepped up during the weekend downtown to help enforce the curfew and encourage peace during the WNBA All-Star and Indiana Black Expo activities. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reported that no curfew violations downtown.

Harrison said, “I think a lot of parents who came down their had their children, so they didn’t just send their parents, they came with them. Other parents decided that since they could not come, they were not going to let their children come downtown, and that was key.”

But, Harrison says, there’s still work to be done across the city. He hopes to see better follow-through in the future from city leaders. He says it’s crucial to continue to build connections. “When you have those kind of relationships, it really helps to tamp down violence because people share stuff with you and you can get in front of potential acts of violence when you know the people involved who may be in conflict with one another.”

Harrison says the TenPoint Coalition will continue its patrols in hotspots across Indianapolis, and hopes more parents and children continue to follow curfew and seek better conflict resolution.

ROCHESTER, Ind. (WISH) — A woman died and two others were seriously hurt after a two-vehicle crash in Fulton County.

The crash happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Indiana State Police say that 43-year-old Nicole Davis of Gary was driving northbound on State Road 25 near County Road West 500 South when, for an unknown reason, she traveled in the path of a Ford F-150 driven by Jackson Rentschler, 20, of Lucerne.

Davis died at the scene. Her passengers, 41-year-old Steven Davis and a juvenile, were rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. Rentschler sustained minor injuries.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, but they do not believe drugs or alcohol are a factor.

(MIRROR INDY) — A group of Indianapolis Public Schools parents wants to play an active role in what comes next for their schools, and they’re making it known through a new online petition.

The IPS Parent Council formed earlier this year in response to a fast-moving and, at times, tense legislative session that put Indianapolis’ largest public school district in competition with the city’s public charter schools over funding.

Merle Sidener Academy 59 parent Anh Nguyen, who helped write the petition, said legislation this year affecting IPS’ budget sparked a desire among parents to get ahead of proposals that could alter the district by sharing their vision for IPS before decisions are made.

“We feel like we were in the passive position, that the bills were given to us,” Nguyen said. “We want to take more of an active approach.”

The group now has its sights set on the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance — a new advisory group negotiated last session by IPS and created by state lawmakers.

The alliance is tasked with exploring transportation and facility use across the public schools within IPS’ boundaries and proposing ways to better serve families across different types of schools. The group had its first public meeting in June and is expected to deliver recommendations to state and local officials by the end of the year.

Though initially skeptical of the group given several of its members’ ties to charter schools, Nguyen said she’s encouraged by IPS’ recent community conversation series, which sought parent input ahead of the alliance’s first meeting. She’s hopeful the alliance will consider the petition she and half-a-dozen other parents crafted.

“We want our voice to be heard,” said Nguyen, who plans to introduce the petition to alliance members during its next meeting on July 23.

So, what do the parents want?

Transparency

Some parents quickly expressed concern after the legislation that created the local alliance said its meetings were not subject to Indiana’s Open Door Law.

Though the law states the alliance must meet in public to vote on its final recommendations, the group is allowed to have private meetings before that.

The parent council believes all alliance meetings should be open to the public. If they’re not open, the council is asking that the alliance publish notice of closed-door sessions at least 72 hours in advance.

The parents would also like to know the time and location of any closed meeting, its agenda and who’s expected to participate. They’re also requesting that meeting notes or summaries be published within five days of the private session.

“Whatever decision that happens, we want it to have a lot of public input, a lot of public hearing, a lot of transparency going around,” Nguyen said. “That will benefit everyone to know that we have a voice.”

Pause on new charter schools

The law that created the alliance also includes a brief pause on new charter schools within IPS’ boundaries.

No authorizer, other than the city charter board, is allowed to grant a charter throughout the duration of the alliance’s work.

The parent council would like to see the pause continue until 2035. That’s four years after new property tax sharing between traditional public schools and charter schools is expected to take full effect.

The parents say that would allow time to assess community needs and whether the tax-sharing is sustainable. They’d also like to see the pause extend to all charter school authorizers, including the Indianapolis Charter School Board.

Though the alliance doesn’t have the authority to make this change, the parents hope the group will include it in its end-of-year recommendations to state officials.

The parents stress that in any decisions made about IPS, they want its school board to retain full governing authority over the district.

Time to prepare for school closures

Along those lines, the parent council is calling on the alliance to create a clear plan for school closures if those are to be included in recommendations.

The parents want to see the rationale for each proposed closure and suggest that families, teachers and staff are given at least 12 months’ notice.

The group wants to see guidance for non-English speakers and enrollment support provided to families should a school close.

“Regardless of what school it is — be it a (traditional) public school or charter school — it’s going to affect the community,” Nguyen said. “We expect that process to be as transparent and as helpful to the parents as possible.”

Repeal the “$1 law”

The parent council is also calling for the alliance to ask for a repeal of the state’s so-called “$1 law.”

The long-standing and often-debated law requires public school districts to offer closing or unused educational buildings to charter schools first for $1.

It was initially enacted under the belief that charter schools don’t get funded by property taxes in the same way that traditional public schools do. Therefore, they should have some opportunity to make use of public buildings.

There’s some carveouts in the law, and IPS has recently challenged it. But, the law’s presence alone has led to frustration among public school districts across Indiana when considering how to close buildings without opening a door to new competition.

And, the parent council points out, that was before the law on property taxes changed. Come 2031, charter schools across the state will be able to collect property tax revenue based on the number of students the school enrolls.

The parent council feels IPS should be able to recoup money spent on their taxpayer-funded buildings, like any other property owner would.

“IPS should be able to sell or rent their facility at a fair market price,” Nguyen said. “I think that one is really a fair ask.”

Review of innovation partnerships

Finally, the parent council offered suggestions on IPS’ future partnerships with charter schools.

The district currently partners with 25 charter schools through something called an innovation agreement. These agreements allow schools partnering with IPS to make use of district services like student meal programs, transportation and facility access.

The parent council believes these partnerships should be limited to five-year terms to allow for regular consideration of how the school is doing. They say these schools should be required to submit to the IPS board an annual report containing financial statements, academic performance measurements, enrollment and discipline data, and teacher retention rates.

Likewise, the council thinks the length of a charter school’s authorization agreement should also be limited to five years. Today, the two most commonly used authorizers in Indianapolis grant charter agreements ranging from seven to 15 years.

The council says this proposal would guarantee accountability for both the charter school and its authorizer.

What’s next?

Nguyen said the council plans to use its petition as a guide, both for talking to local education alliance members and future advocacy among the state and local officials with power to make changes.

The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance meets next at 6 p.m. July 23 in the public assembly room of the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St. An agenda is available online.

You can visit the alliance’s website to leave feedback online or sign up to give in-person public comment during the July 23 meeting. Sign-ups close at noon July 23.

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

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.

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — With Colts training camp kicking off on Wednesday, the excitement could be felt for football season at Grand Park.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard talked with the media ahead of the start of training camp. Here are eight storylines from his press conference:

1. Anthony Richardson Sr. is ready to go for training camp

Richardson injured his shoulder during the offseason, causing him to miss the all of mini-camp. Colts head coach Shane Steichen said in June that Richardson felt some aggravation in his AC joint, the same one that he sprained in 2023, cutting his rookie season short.

On Tuesday, Ballard confirmed that Richardson is back and ready to go for the start of training camp.

“Anthony is good to go,” Ballard said. “He’s been throwing for about three weeks now. He’s really upped his volume. First couple weeks, we’ll probably limit some volume, but no real restrictions other than volume restrictions.”

Richardson is entering his third year with the Colts, and this training camp he will have competition for the starting quarterback position.

As for whether this is a make-or-break year for Richardson, Ballard shook his head no.

“Sometimes you got to have a little patience with a guy and let them grow through things… If you think, hey, he’s on the right trajectory, why are you going to flush him just because people outside think you should flush him?” Ballard said. “I don’t agree with that.”

2. Ballard speaks highly of Daniel Jones

Richardson’s competition at the quarterback position will be Daniel Jones, who the Colts signed in free agency.

“Good dude,” Ballad said. “Really good guy. Centered. He’s been through a lot.”

Jones played six seasons with the New York Giants. In 2024, he threw for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while completing 64.5% of his passes.

“Daniel’s a very talented player, so it’ll be a fun competition to watch between these two guys,” Ballard said. “They’re both very talented.”

As for the competition itself, Ballard does not have a timetable for the decision.

“I think when Shane (Steichen) and the staff and I and our staff feels like there’s a sure starter, then we’ll move forward with that,” Ballard said. “Timeline? I can’t put one on it.”

3. Ballard on the frustrations of missing the playoffs four straight years

The Colts enter the 2025 season having missed the playoffs in four straight seasons. It’s the longest streak the franchise has had since the 1990s.

“It’s a bothersome thing, especially with the expectations we have here in Indy,” Ballard said.

“At the end of the day, we have to finish the seasons better, because we’ve had some really good football teams that just haven’t got it done,” Ballard said.

4. Training camp is going to look different this season

Ballard mentioned the need to finish seasons better. The Colts have also not started seasons well. They have not won a Week 1 game since 2013.

Ballard and Steichen have decided to make some tweaks to training camp to try to change that trend.

“This will be a pretty physical training camp, and Shane and I have had long talks about that,” Steichen said. “Toughness still wins.”

“I think to be physical, you have to practice physical,” Ballard added.

5. Ballard remembers Jim Irsay during opening statement

Ballard spent time at the beginning of his press conference to talk about longtime Colts owner Jim Irsay, who passed away in May. Irsay spent 53 years with the Colts and became the sole owner in 1997.

“He had as giving of a soul as anybody I’d ever been around,” Ballard said. “I feel very fortunate to have worked for him and he hired me and I’m always grateful. Extremely grateful.”

Ballard said he cares deeply about Irsay, and it’s going to be a big loss.

6. Ballard gives Irsay daughters high praise

Irsay’s three daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson, replaced him as the owners of the Colts.

“He passed on to his daughters that same sense of community, to cherish the history of the game, and to carry that forward,” Ballard said. “And I think all three of them are going to be outstanding. I do. I’ve been around them all a bunch.”

7. Ballard is confident in the competition the Colts have within their roster

Ballard was aggressive in free agency this offseason, signing safety Camryn Bynum, cornerback Charvarius Ward, Jones, and more.

“We were more aggressive at the onset of free agency and I think that the players we signed are going to really help us and be good Colts,” Ballard said.

He also set out to create more competition within the Colts roster. He mentioned offensive line battles, as well as the competition between Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, and Justin Walley at the cornerback position.

“I think we’ve got good competition across the board,” Ballard said.

8. Ballard on improving the defense

The Colts were 29th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed in 2024.

“All of us have our name on it,” Ballard said. “Me, coaches, players, everybody has their name on it.”

He added they have to be a better tackling defense and he hopes that they added the right pieces in the offseason to make improvements.

The Colts get on the field for the first time during training camp on Wednesday, with practice starting at 10 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Colts training camp begins on Wednesday.

This will be Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s third season at the helm of the horseshoe.

He said that this year, training camp will look a little bit different so that the players are in better positions to succeed.

There will be a practice under the lights on Thursday, July 31.

Steichen also said they will change some of the things they focus on during practice.

“We’ll do some scrimmages, a lot more scrimmage call-it situations, to put them in those game situations,” Steichen said. “Some sudden change stuff where the offense turns the ball over and the defense has to stop them, or the defense gets a turnover and the offense has to score. Just put them in those mindsets so they’re ready to go on Sundays.”

He added that they want to be in great condition going into the Week 1 opener against the Dolphins.

The main storyline for the Colts at training camp will be the quarterback competition between Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones.

Steichen had great things to say about the way Jones looked at offseason practices.

“Just the way he goes about his business,” Steichen said. “He’s the ultimate pro. Been there early, stays late, grinds at it, very smart, intelligent player, did some good things for us in this offseason program and want to continue that in training camp.”

Richardson missed the end of offseason workouts with a shoulder injury.

As for players that impressed Steichen at offseason practices, he shared two rookies, those being tight end Tyler Warren and cornerback Justin Walley.

Steichen also shared what will be his toughest challenge as head coach leading into the season.

“You just got to stay steady,” Steichen said. “You got to stay steady every day you go out there. Obviously there’s ups and downs. You got to fight through adversity. That’s where you find great growth. We just got to stay steady. I got to stay steady with the players and we go from there.”

The Colts first practice at training camp is scheduled for Wednesday from 10-11 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department just wrapped up Phase 1 of its five-year strategic plan to set department policies and priorities.

Now that Phase 1 is completed, the consulting firm, Indianapolis-based Taylor Advising, will compile the responses so the department can come up with a five-year plan.

IMPD Assistant Chief Catherine Cummings said Tuesday, “We don’t know what has been collected. We only know the numbers. So, we know at this point that over 2,000 of our local residents participated in the survey, and participated in the listening sessions/focus groups.”

That number represents less than 1% of the population in Indianapolis.

On the flip side, more than 1,000 officers and professional staff with IMPD participated in the survey. Cummings said, “We had over 71% of our employees participate in this. That’s an unheard of survey response rate.”

IMPD looks to answer key questions raised in the report. Cummings said, “Are they looking for more technology? Are they looking for more of a culture shift for the agency? Are they concerned about how our resources are allocated, or how our budget is spent?”

The report will help IMPD hone in on what is important to its staff and the community. “It’s intended to guide our decisions. It’s intended to set the priorities and the goals for the next five years,” Cummings said.

A preliminary report will be released in the fall with the finalized five-year plan released early in 2026.