*UPDATE: Evansville Police have arrested 40 year old Donald Ray Hutchison on several charges stemming from a trailer fire at 1913 Rhode Island Dr on February 27th.  Officers were at the address for a standby for property run when Hutchison set the trailer on fire. Officer Josh Doane and Officer Zach Dickason entered the burning trailer and removed Hutchison after a struggle. Hutchison was arrested and charged with Arson, Criminal Recklessness, and Resisting Law Enforcement.


*ORIGINAL POST: Two Evansville Police Officers were assaulted while trying to remove a man from his burning trailer this afternoon (Weds. 02/27). The man’s identity is not being released at this time because he has not been charged with a crime at the time of this release. 

Officers were dispatched to 1913 Rhode Island to do a standby while a female removed some belongings. After the officers exited the trailer, the man locked the door. 

When the officers were outside, the female told them the man had put lighter fluid on the couch and she was worried he might try to hurt himself. The officers then tried to talk to him again to make sure he was not going to harm himself. When the officers got to the front door, they saw smoke in the trailer. He would not come to the door so the officers were forced to kick the door in to get in. When the officers entered the trailer, they saw several fires in the front room. The man had gone to a back room and was found lying on the floor. 

When the officers tried to remove him from the burning trailer, he began assaulting them. The officers were able to get him under control despite his resistance and the growing fire around them. 

The officers were able to get him out of the trailer safely. The man was treated at the scene for injuries he received during the struggle. One of the officers was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. 

Any charges will be determined pending a mental health evaluation. 

Involved Officers: 
Zach Dickason 
Josh Doane 


SOURCE: Evansville Police Department - Nixle

DATE: Friday, February 1, 2013 
SUBJECT: Marijuana & K2 Arrest 
RELEASE NUMBER: 2013-NR-007 
CONTACT: Major Rick Pace 
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Eric Williams 

On Thursday, January 31st at approximately 3:00 pm, deputies from the Vanderburgh Sheriff’s Office responded to 2740 Corona Drive in regards to a complaint of an odor of marijuana coming from the building. Upon arrival, Deputy Bryan Bishop, along with Deputy Jacob Board and Mark Rasure, could smell a strong odor inside the building but were unable to determine which apartment it was coming from. 

Deputy Bryan Bishop then deployed his K9 partner “Bosko” who indicated the odor was originating from Apartment “A”. With several attempts to contact the residents, deputies did finally contact Jasmine T. Coit, who lives in the apartment and was present. When deputies questioned Coit about the smell of marijuana, Coit admitted to smoking marijuana but stated none was left in the apartment. Coit did give consent to search the apartment. Prior to searching the residence, a Jacob N. Durre, arrived and stated he too resided at the apartment. 

Deputy Bishop and his partner “Bosko” then conducted a search of the apartment which lead them to a dresser drawer in a back bedroom. Upon search of the dresser, Deputy Bishop recovered 3 baggies of marijuana weighing approximately 15 grams and smoking paraphernalia. In another drawer, Deputy Bishop recovered sandwich baggies with loose $1 bills and a shoe box which contained a large amount of currency. Deputies also located a bag in the closet which contained a large amount of currency. Additionally, deputies located a piece of mail underneath the currency belonging to Durre. A total of $48,408.00 was recovered. 

Durre and Coit then allowed deputies to search their four vehicles. Deputies recovered two handguns and ammunition from the trunk of one vehicle along with narcotics paraphernalia. 

Investigators with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Evansville-Vanderburgh Joint Narcotics Task Force (JTF) were called to assist at the scene. Detectives continued the investigation at two storage units Durre rented near South Greenriver Road and Fickas Road. Inside the storage units, detectives found a large bucket which contained approximately two pounds of suspected K2 along with paraphernalia to distribute the substance. 

Durre was placed under arrest and transported to the Vanderburgh County Confinement Center and Coit was issued a citation. 

The investigation is ongoing and future criminal charges are pending. 

FROM THE EVANSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT FACEBOOK PAGE:
As most of you probably know, we are being sued regarding the investigation into online threats made against our officers and the community. There has been a lot of public discussion about the use of our SWAT team during the investigation. While we look forward to our day in court, we would like to make a statement to reassure the citizens of Evansville that we are a professional agency. Our actions during that investigation, while not popular with everyone, were based on information gathered from multiple sources. Some of the details of the investigation have never been discussed publically because the criminal case was still active. Although the suspect in the criminal case has just pleaded guilty, this civil suit will prevent us from releasing some of those details until we go to court.

Here are some of the concerns we want to address: 

• During this and any investigation, we follow the information. We went to the house because that is the address the threats came from. Despite the wording used by local media, we did not go to the “wrong house” nor did we “mistakenly” go to that house. The suspect admitted he was using that IP address to post the threats. That is where the information led us.
  
• The SWAT team was used because of the nature of the threat. It is easy to question this decision after the fact because we did not encounter any threats while securing the home. We feel fortunate that nobody tried to harm us, but now that is being used against us. Our SWAT team is used to secure houses for search warrants on a regular basis. We are glad they rarely end in violence. But just because they do not end in violence does not mean the use of the SWAT team was excessive.
  
• We repaired the damages to the home that day. Someone else’s criminal behavior created this event. We knew the suspect would not come down and repair the damages. We repaired the damages because walking away and saying “sorry about your luck” was not the right thing to do. Notice the criminal who created the incident is not being sued. 
  

We included the media because the public has an interest in what we do. You only have to look at Evansville Watch to see the level of interest in what is going on around Evansville. People have long complained about the veil of secrecy they felt the police have operated under. We were trying to remove that perception and have received negative feedback because of it. We have done numerous other things in the last year to open up to the public and allowing the media to be there was just one of those things. 

We ask that people allow all of the facts to come out in court before passing judgment. We appreciate the community involvement in our efforts to make Evansville a great place to live. We could not do it alone.

RELATED FROM 14NEWS: WOMAN SUES EPD AFTER OFFICERS FLASHBANG AND STORM HER HOME

Bank robbers last year walked away from federally insured banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, and armored trucks with more than $38 million in cash, according to the last full year of FBI bank crime statistics. In one in five cases, the money was recovered. In the unsolved cases, surveillance images of suspects were often posted online—on FBI wanted posters and elsewhere—to enlist the public’s help.

To further that effort, the FBI has launched a new Wanted Bank Robbers website at bankrobbers.fbi.gov, the first national system of its kind.

The new site features a gallery of unknown suspects and a map function that plots robbery locations. Users can search by name, location, or other factors. Search results deliver a Wanted by the FBI poster that contains more images, a suspect’s full description, and a brief narrative of the crime.

“This website is an operational tool that will help law enforcement identify and prosecute bank robbers more quickly, with the public’s help,” says Jason DiJoseph, who runs the FBI’s bank robbery program at FBI Headquarters. “The idea is to make it easier for the public to recognize and turn in potential suspects and to draw connections between robberies in different cities and states.”

The FBI has had a primary role in bank robbery investigations since the 1930s, when John Dillinger and his gang were robbing banks and capturing the public’s imagination. In 1934, it became a federal crime to rob any national bank or state member bank of the Federal Reserve System. The law soon expanded to include bank burglary, larceny, and similar crimes, with jurisdiction delegated to the FBI. Today, the Bureau works with local law enforcement in bank robbery investigations, but the focus is mostly on violent or serial cases. 

“Bank robbery sounds like an old-fashioned crime, but it is a dangerous and often violent criminal act that still results in the loss of lives and takes a significant toll on local communities,” says DiJoseph.

Users of the new website can filter searches of serial and non-serial bank robbers. Following are some examples of serial cases:

• The AK-47 Bandit is sought in California, Idaho, and Washington for multiple bank robberies. The suspect often wears tactical gear and is armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle. Details
  
• A white male, aged 30-40, is wanted in Washington in connection with five armed bank robberies in the Seattle area since September. Details
  
• Two black males, believed to be in their 20s, are wanted in Virginia in connection with four armed bank robberies in March and April. Details

The bank crime statistics bear out the Bureau’s emphasis on violent cases. While demand notes are bank robbers’ most frequently used tools (2,958 times in 2011), they are followed by firearms (1,242 times) and the mere threat of weapons (2,331 times) or explosive devices (154 times).

Of the 5,086 bank robberies, burglaries, and larcenies last year, 201 included acts of violence; 70 involved the discharge of firearms. Thirteen people were killed during bank robberies last year, though it was usually the perpetrator (10 incidents).

The new Wanted Bank Robbers website will include the most pressing bank robbery cases from the FBI’s 56 field offices. In the coming weeks and months, new features and more suspects will be added, creating a fuller picture of the nation’s most-wanted bank robbers.


SOURCE: www.fbi.gov

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshal's Sex Offender Unit and Fugitive Task Force, the Indiana Department of Corrections Parole and the Indiana State Police conducted a Sex and Violent Offender Verification Exercise on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (Dec. 4th & 5th). The purpose of this event was to do a sweeping and unexpected check of the validity of the reported addresses and other information provided by many of those individuals who are currently registered with the Vanderbugh County Sex and Violent Offender Registry  These verified address are then recorded and shown on the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Sex or Violent Offender website. 

This sweep is in addition to the random and directed checks that are conducted regularly during the periods of time between mandated registrations. 

Information collected will help keep the Vanderburgh County Sex and Violent Offender website up to date and as accurate as possible. Residents of Vanderburgh County can visit the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's website and navigate to the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender web page to search for addresses and names of participating offenders in your area by typing www.vanderburghsheriff.com. 

The results of the verification are:

• 203 - Verified sex or violent offenders
• 37 - Not verified. We will continue to work to verify these. When verified, if found to be not compliant with their   requirements, criminal charges will be pursued.
• 10 - Criminal reports for non-compliance with the registry requirements
• 1 - Felony arrest related to absconded sex offenders
• 4 - Misdemeanor citations for invalid or improper identifications
• 10 - Unrelated felony arrests ranging from active warrants to narcotics possession

SOURCE: Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office News Release - December 6, 2012

At approximately 12:03 a.m. today, the Evansville Police Department was dispatched to the Marathon station located at 2905 Broadway Ave in reference to a criminal mischief report. The reporter alleged that the suspect had smashed a window in his car with a golf club. Upon arrival, EPD officers determined that the alleged incident had occurred at 6011 Short Selzer Road which is outside of the Evansville city limits. 

At approximately 1:03 a.m. today, deputies of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the Marathon station to take the report. After meeting with the victim of the criminal mischief, deputies went to the 6011 Short Selzer Road address to follow up on the complaint and look for the suspect, who has been identified as Lindal M. Johnson (DOB: 12/27/56) of the Short Selzer Rd address. The first deputy arrived at the Short Selzer Road address at approximately 1:35 a.m. and the second deputy at 1:38 a.m.

Based upon the initial review of the crime scene, information obtained from involved persons and other sources, it is believed that while the two deputies were talking to the suspect of the criminal mischief, he became agitated and aggressive. The suspect was positioned where he had access to a large array of items that could be and were used as weapons.

While in this aggressive state, the suspect attacked the deputies with a variety of objects including a hatchet.   During the attack the deputies deployed their taser devices. The taser devices were not effective in stopping the suspect's aggressive actions. At 1:54 a.m., one of the involved deputies called "shots fired" from the scene. During the altercation, both deputies fired their weapons at the suspect fatally wounding him.

An American Medical Response ambulance and Perry Township Suburban Fire Department were both dispatched to the scene to render emergency medical care to the suspect. Medical personnel determined on scene that the suspect was dead and they would not be able to revive him. 

The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office is scheduled to conduct an autopsy on the decedent today. 

The deputies involved were Deputy Kevin Hertweck and Deputy Tony Toopes. In accordance with VCSO guidelines, both deputies were relieved from duty for the remainder of the shift. 

At the culmination of the investigation, a case file will be delivered to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office for their review. A separate administrative investigation is being conducted regarding the deputies actions and their compliance with VCSO policy. 

The investigation is ongoing. There is no further information available at this time. 


SOURCE: Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office News Release - December 4, 2012

Warrick County – Monday afternoon, December 3, an arrest warrant was issued for former Chandler Town Clerk Timothy Osha charging him with Theft and Fraud, both Class D Felonies. Osha’s arrest stems from an Indiana State Police investigation which revealed he allegedly made numerous unauthorized purchases from the town’s account for his personal use. Osha turned himself in at the Warrick County Jail at 3:00 p.m. and was released after posting a $1,000 cash bond. 

Indiana State Police initiated a criminal investigation in September after being informed the Indiana State Board of Accounts discovered several suspicious credit card purchases made by Osha during a recent audit. During the investigation, Indiana State Police Detective Jan Kruse was able to determine Osha had made numerous unauthorized purchases during a nine month period in 2011. Osha allegedly used the town’s credit card to purchase unauthorized computers, iPads, golf cart batteries and components to build a home theatre system. 

Arrested and Charges: 
• Timothy D. Osha, 44, 601 McCool Road, Chandler, IN 
1. Theft, Class D Felony 
2. Fraud, Class D Felony 

Investigating Officer: Detective Jan Kruse, Indiana State Police 
Assisting Agency: Indiana State Board of Accounts 


SOURCE: Indiana State Police

From Evansville Police Department Incident Reports - July 24, 2012
ALL SUSPECTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.
Owsley, Monquale - Arrest on charge of Police Radio-unlawful use at Blackford/Kentucky......Society - Victim of Police Radio-unlawful use at 999 E Blackford Ave/S Kentucky Ave Evansville, IN between 09:45 07/24/2012 and 09:55 07/24/2012.
Suspect was driving while HTV and using police scanner while driving.

Bates, Brian - Arrest on charge of Narc-possession methamphetamine at 289 N Tekoppel Ave/W Franklin St......Society - Victim of Narc-possession methamphetamine at 289 N Tekoppel Ave/W. Franklin St  Evansville, IN on 07/24/2012, 10:57
I released Bates from a traffic stop, where I cited him for a moving violation. As I prepared to walk away, I asked him if he had any drugs or weapons in his cars. He gave verbal consent to search his car. He admitted having methamphetamine and marijuana on his person. Arrested.

Tobin, Clarence - Victim of Robbery-strong armed at 2521 Washington Ave Evansville, IN between 03:00 07/24/2012 and 03:35 07/24/2012.
The victim said he went to the Diamond Valley Credit Union at 2521 Washington to use the ATM. He used his DVCU card to get $50 from the drive up machine. Just as he retrieved his money a man ran up and grabbed it from him. The suspect pushed the victim's head back with his arm as he was taking the money from him. The victim said he could tell there was at least one other male with the suspect but could not get a description. The description of the primary suspect is a dark skin black male, about 5'10", medium build, wearing a blue shirt. Once the suspect took the money, the victim was so frightened he drove away. He could see the suspect looking at the machine as if they were trying to get some more money out of it. The victim said the suspects ran off to the south of the property as he was driving away. The victim tried to call 911 from his phone, but it would not work. He drove west and saw a man walking that he recognized. He picked the man up and asked to use his phone. He had no phone, so the victim drove to the Circle K at 1148 Washington Ave. He asked a lady there if he could use her phone and she did not help him. He drove to 1650 S Kentucky and used the phone at the business there, Kangaroo Express. Police met with the victim there. Detective Sides arrived and spoke with the victim. Crime Scene Detective Taylor also arrived and tried to retrieve prints from the victim's vehicle. Officer Ford went to the scene of the crime and did not see any obvious evidence. He retrieved a receipt slip that was still in the ATM and gave it to Sides.

Cosby, Gary - Victim of Robbery-Bodily Injury w/ firearm at 4700 E Riverside Dr Evansville, IN between 23:25 07/24/2012 and 23:47 07/24/2012.
Officers were dispatched to 4700 East Riverside Drive on 07/24/2012 at approximately 2355 hundred hours in reference to a person with a gun. Once on scene, Officers met with Gary Crosby, the victim.  Cosby stated to officers that the offender had call him and asked him for a ride. Cosby stated the he met with offender at Covert and Vann. Once the offender was in Cosby's vehicle, the offender directed Cosby to drive to 4700 E Riverside Dr. Cosby stated that once they arrived at 4700 E Riverside Drive, the offender pulled out a pistol, pointed it at Cosby and told him, "Get out and give me your money." Cosby stated that he then got out of the vehicle and gave all the money that head had on himeto the offender., a total of twenty-one dollars. Cosby stated that the offender then struck him on the back of this head with the pistol, which caused Cosby to temporarily lose consciousness. Cosby stated to officers the he remembered the offender was wearing blue jeans and a light colored shirt. Officers observed injuries to Cosby's head and knees. Officers called AMR to the scene and Cosby was transported to Deaconess Hospital.

From Evansville Police Department Incident Reports - July 6, 2012.
ALL SUSPECTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW
City of Evansville Parks Dept - Victim of Theft-other at 2899 N Heidelbach Ave Evansville, IN between 00:00 07/05/2012 and 00:00 07/06/2012.
Reporter states that unknown person or persons stole the metal fish sculpture that hung along the Greenway. 

Willett, Breanna - Arrest on charge of Narc-dealing methamphetamine (manuf) at 613 Adams Ave......Kirk, Kristin - Arrest on charge of Narc-dealing methamphetamine (manuf)......Evans, Travis - Arrest on charge of Narc-dealing methamphetamine (manuf)......Bridge, Charles - Arrest on charge of Narc-dealing methamphetamine......Society - Victim of Narc-dealing methamphetamine (manuf) at 613 Adams Ave Evansville, IN between 14:57 07/06/2012 and 15:56 07/06/2012.
Officers were dispatched to 613 Adams Ave on 07/06/2012 at approximately 1457 in reference to narcotics activity. Once on scene, officers met with the residents of the address and were given written consent by all of them to search the residence. During the search, officers found methamphetamine making materials. Officers removed everybody from the residence for safety and the Meth Suppression Unit was called to the scene. Once the Meth Suppression Unit arrived, they made the scene safe and in the process found more methamphetamine making materials in the residence. Four of the residents were arrest for dealing in methamphetamine. One of those arrest is also charged for resisting law enforcement. 

Walmart - Victim of Theft-other 50-200 at 335 S Red Bank Rd Evansville, IN between 01:35 06/13/2012 and 09:00 06/21/2012. Reported 07/06/2012.
Offender was an employee. Offender took a store gift card that was already activated. 

Arbors at Eastland - Victim of Criminal Mischief at 6649 Old Boonville Highway Evansville, IN between 12:30 07/05/2012 and 12:41 07/05/2012. Reported 07/06/2012.
On 07/06/2012 at approximately 1041 hours, I was dispatched to 6649 Old Boonville Hwy, Arbors at Eastland, in reference to a criminal mischief report. Upon arrival I spoke with the assistant manager who stated that on 07/05/2012 at approximately 1230 hours, a fire had broke out in a field next to the apartment complex. The fire department was called out and was able to extinguish the fire before it reached the apartments themselves. The reported stated that they took pictures and she informed her supervisor of the situation. The reporter was informed sometime on today's date by a resident that there were several children that either lived in the complex or had family who did, were seen setting off fireworks in the field and that is what caught the field on fire. The reporter immediately called her supervisor and informed her of the latest update. The supervisor asked the reporter to file a police report so that they can in turn evict those responsible and collect on damages. The reporter gave me addresses and a list of the children involved. I then attempted to speak with the aunt of one of the children but was met with no answer at the door. I then went over to the second apartment and was able to speak with the children's mother. The mother stated it was impossible for her children to be involved because they either weren't home or were too young. I stressed the seriousness of the offense to the mother and she stated her children still didn't do it. The reporter has numerous pictures of the damaged grass on their property and will be seeking restitution for it. 

From Evansville Police Department Incident Reports - July 5, 2012.
ALL SUSPECTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.
Kirby, Kenneth - Arrest on charge of Alcohol-Public Intoxication at 916 N Fulton Ave......Society - Victim of Alcohol-Public Intoxication at 916 N Fulton Ave Evansville, IN between 19:30 07/05/2012 and 19:45 07/05/2012.
Officers dispatched in reference to an intoxicated person jumping out in front of traffic. Offices observed subject extremely intoxicated and yelling loud obscenities even after being told to be quiet by officers. Subject was placed in custody and transported to VCCC.

Cundiff, Denny - Victim of Trespass at 2457 N Kentucky Ave Evansville, IN between 00:01 07/05/2012 and 00:36 07/05/2012.
The victim heard banging on an upstairs window and went outside. The suspects fled out the back of his yard eastbound. The victim went back inside and approximately 30 minutes later again heard banging on two separate upstairs windows. He went outside and again saw two suspect flee eastbound through is backyard toward the Diamond Villa. He was able to provide a rough description of one of the suspects. He was describe as a W/M 6' 00" to 6' 02", long hair, dark colored t-shirt and blue jeans, 40-50 years old. He could not provide a good description of the second suspect. The victim found his detached garage door open. The victim could find nothing taken out of the garage. The victim has a small flatbed trailer leaned up against the side of his house and it is suspected this is how the suspect(s) got onto his roof. It is unclear who they were and what their motive was for being on his property. The victim also stated that about the same time the suspects were fleeing, he heard an ice cream van ringing it's bell loudly just behind his address in the Diamond Villa. He thought this was odd given the time of night. The ice cream truck left quickly westbound on Joan with a female driver and at least one passenger. It is unclear if this vehicle was actually involved, however it is likely. The victim was advised to call back if any other suspicious activity occurs. He was also advised to move the flatbed trailer and get a lock for his garage. 

Deaconess Comp Center - Victim of Burglary - non residential building at 329 W Columbia St Evansville, IN between 06:30 07/05/2012 and 07:16 07/05/2012
Personnel reported this morning at 06:30 hours when they came into work, they found that several of their locked department rooms inside the building were unlocked. Personnel also discovered that their cash box had been broken into. Suspects also broke into the pharmacy, but it looks like they took no medication. Suspects looked through several office drawers before leaving. Crime Scene was called.