Knox County – Monday night, April 29, at approximately 9:59, a Knox County Deputy was driving down Wilbur Street in Vincennes when he was flagged down by friends of Ross A. Darkis, 42, who resided at 215 Wilbur Street. Darkis was intoxicated and was in possession of a handgun on his front porch. He had been arguing with his girlfriend earlier in the evening and was very upset according to his friends. Additional officers from Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Vincennes City Police arrived. Officers attempted to get Darkis to surrender his weapon, but he refused. Officers used a taser and a weapon that discharges a small bean-bag in attempt to diffuse the situation, but both non-lethal weapons were unsuccessful. At approximately 10:25 p.m., Darkis raised the handgun he was holding toward the officers. In order to protect themselves and other officers on scene, several of the officers fired their weapons. Darkis was struck multiple times and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes where he was pronounced dead several minutes later. The identity of the Vincennes City Police Officers and Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy involved in the shooting are not being released at this time. No officers were injured. 

The investigation is continuing. 

DECEASED: 
• Ross A. Darkis, 42, 215 Wilbur Street, Vincennes, IN 

Investigating Agency: Indiana State Police 
Assisting Agencies: Knox County Sheriff’s Department, Vincennes City Police and Knox County Coroner’s Office 

Knox County – Wednesday afternoon, April 10, at approximately 6:40 p.m., Trooper Doug Francis was patrolling on Henderson Road near Niblack Road when he observed a driver that appeared to be texting while traveling north on Henderson Road. As Trooper Francis was turning around to follow the 1998 GMC Sonoma, the driver disregarded the stop sign at Niblack Road. The driver accelerated and continued east at a high rate of speed. Trooper Francis activated his emergency lights when he turned onto Niblack Road, but he lost sight of the vehicle. A concerned citizen informed Trooper Francis the vehicle was seen traveling toward Willow Street. Francis immediately drove toward Willow Street and observed the vehicle sitting in the parking lot at Maple Park Apartments. The driver, who was later identified as Chris Davis, 33, of Vincennes, was located in apartment #32. He was arrested without incident and taken to the Knox County Jail where he is currently being held on bond. Further investigation revealed Davis nearly struck two children on bicycles while they were on Niblack Road and that he fled from Trooper Francis because he had an expired license plate on his vehicle. 

ARRESTED AND CHARGES: 
• Chris Davis, 33, 4527 South School House Road, Vincennes, IN 
1. Resisting Law Enforcement, Class D Felony 
2. Criminal Recklessness, Class A Misdemeanor 


Arresting Officer: Trooper Doug Francis, Indiana State Police 
Assisting Agencies: Knox County Sheriff’s Department and Vincennes Police 

Knox County – Sunday night, March 31, at approximately 8:50 p.m., Indiana State Police were assisting Vincennes Police with a meth lab that was discovered in a room at the Econo Lodge located at 600 Old Wheatland Road in Vincennes. While troopers were waiting for a search warrant for the motel room, Elias Brock, 42, of Vincennes, drove his vehicle into the parking lot. Troopers detected a chemical odor commonly associated with the manufacturing of methamphetamine coming from his vehicle. During a search, troopers found ingredients commonly used to manufacture meth and approximately 448 grams of meth. Brock was arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail where he is currently being held on bond. 

ARRESTED AND CHARGES: 
• Elias A. Brock, 42, 1028 Barnett Street, Vincennes, IN 
1. Manufacturing Meth over 3 grams, Class A Felony 
2. Possession of Meth over 3 grams, Class A Felony 
3. Possession of Precursors, Class D Felony 

Arresting Officers: Trooper Doug Francis, Trooper Brandon Deig and Trooper Paul Stolz 
Assisting Agency: Vincennes Police

Knox County – Thursday afternoon, March 7, Indiana State Police searched the Vincennes area for Shane Burke, 38, of Vincennes, after obtaining information a felony warrant had been issued for his arrest for failing to appear in Lawrence County, Illinois, for possession of methamphetamine and a controlled substance. 

At approximately 6:30 p.m. yesterday evening, troopers received information Burke was at a residence located at 429 North 3rd Street, Apartment 2, Vincennes. When troopers arrived at the residence the homeowner answered the door. A quick search of the apartment was conducted and troopers found Burke and his girlfriend, Stephanie Snider, 21, in one of the bedrooms. Troopers also found meth, drug paraphernalia and 18 used syringes. Burke and Snider were arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail where they are currently being held on bond. The homeowner was not arrested. 

ARRESTED AND CHARGES: 
• Shane L. Burke, 38, 1002 Dubois Street, Vincennes, IN 
1. Possession of Meth, Class D Felony 
2. Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Class A Misdemeanor 
3. Warrant – Failure to Appear for Possession of Meth and a Controlled Substance 
(Lawrence County, Illinois) 

• Stephanie Snider, 21, 1002 Dubois Street, Vincennes, IN 
1. Possession of Meth, Class D Felony 
2. Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Class A Misdemeanor 

Arresting Officers: Trooper Doug Francis and Trooper Paul Stolz, Indiana State Police 


SOURCE: Indiana State Police - Nixle

Knox County – Thursday morning, February 28, at approximately 12:26 a.m., Trooper Doug Francis was patrolling in Vincennes when he used his radar and clocked a 1999 Toyota Camry traveling 34 mph in a 20 mph zone on 2nd Street near Reel Street. Francis then observed the driver disregard a railroad signal as a train was approaching State Street south of 2nd Street. Trooper Francis was able to stop the vehicle on 6th Street at St. Clair. The driver was identified as Jeremy Cooper, 22, of Vincennes. A front seat passenger was identified as Damon Kemp, 21, of Cannelburg, IN. While talking to the occupants Trooper Francis detected an odor of burnt marijuana. Troopers searched the vehicle and found a small amount of meth and drug paraphernalia between the front passenger seat and front door. During the course of the investigation it was determined the meth and paraphernalia belonged to Kemp and that Cooper had smoked marijuana and meth earlier. Cooper was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where further investigation revealed he was under the influence of marijuana and meth. Cooper and Kemp were arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail where they are currently being held on bond. 

ARRESTED AND CHARGES: 
• Jeremy Cooper, 22, 1513 Old Orchard Road, Vincennes, IN 
1. Driving While Intoxicated – Meth and Marijuana, Class C Misdemeanor 

• Damon Kemp, 21, Cannelburg, IN 
1. Possession of Meth, Class D Felony 
2. Possession of Paraphernalia, Class A Misdemeanor

SOURCE / PHOTOS: Indiana State Police

Knox County – Saturday night, February 23, at approximately 11:48 p.m., Indiana State Police and Vincennes City Police responded to a hit and run crash that escalated to a fight near 2nd Street and Patrick Henry Drive. When officers arrived they were told that the driver of a 1999 Toyota Corolla had struck an unattended parked car on Main Street in front of Old Towne Tavern. The bouncer of the tavern, Jeremy Eisenhut, 24, of Vincennes, was outside the tavern and witnessed the crash. The driver, who was later identified as Kurtis Waller, 21, of Lawrenceville, IL, eventually stopped near 2nd Street where he was approached by Eisenhut. After Waller was told that he needs to stay and that the police had been called, he allegedly struck Eisenhut in the face and then fled into the Bottom’s Up tavern located at 102 Main Street. Police entered the tavern and located Waller. During their investigation it was determined that Waller was under the influence of alcohol He was taken to the Knox County Jail where further investigation revealed he had a blood alcohol content of .16%. Waller is currently being held on bond in the Knox County Jail. 

ARRESTED AND CHARGES: 
• Kurtis Waller, 21, Lawrenceville, IL 
1. Driving While Intoxicated, Class A Misdemeanor 
2. Battery, Class B Misdemeanor 
3. Leaving the Scene of a Crash, Class C Misdemeanor 

Arresting Officer: Trooper William Campbell, Indiana State Police 
Assisting Agency: Vincennes City Police 


SOURCE: Indiana State Police

*UPDATED - RECENT PHOTO (FROM LATE 2012) ADDED BELOW

*ORIGINAL POST: Sullivan County - The Indiana State Police Putnamville Post is currently working a missing person case and is seeking help from the public. The missing person is Shane R. Porter, age 37, of Dugger, Indiana. He is described as a white male, 6-02, 200 pounds, brown eyes, brown hair and last seen wearing blue jeans and a gray shirt. Porter is believed to be experiencing some family and mental issues. 

Preliminary investigation has revealed Porter was last seen on Friday, February 8th around 5:15p.m. at his home in Dugger. Since that time, Porter has failed to report for work in Vincennes or contact any of his family members. 

On Friday evening, February 8th at 8:50 p.m., Vincennes City Police received a report from a citizen that a man was swimming in the Wabash River near the Pearl City area of Vincennes, which is just south of the George Rogers Clark Memorial. Attempts by the caller to engage in conversation with the alleged swimmer were unsuccessful. Indiana Conservation Officers were called to the scene Friday evening and have been aggressively searching the Wabash River on a daily basis. DNR officers have yet to find the alleged swimmer or know for sure if the man in the water was Shane Porter. 

Porter’s vehicle was recovered Sunday evening in a parking area near the Wabash River and has been impounded pending examination by Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigators. 

The case is ongoing and anyone with information on Shane R. Porter or his whereabouts is urged to contact ISP Detective Tom Hanks or Trooper Polly Blackburn at the Putnamville Post 765.653.4114. 

Questions concerning the Indiana Conservation Officers should be directed to ICO Joe Haywood at 812.837.9536. 

Questions concerning the ISP investigation should be directed to ISP Sergeant Joe Watts. 

Assisting agencies were the Vincennes Police and Fire Departments, Vincennes Township Fire Dept., Knox County Emergency Management. 


SOURCE/PHOTO: Indiana State Police

Daviess County: Last night members of the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Indiana State Police, the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office and Washington City Police Department went to 17 Coronado Drive in Washington to serve an arrest warrant. Officers received information that James E. Choate II, 43, Vincennes, who was wanted on warrants out of Pike County, was at the address which belongs to Choates' brother. Officers arrived at approximately 8:00 to serve the warrant. Officers located Choate and two other people Adam L. Conger, 26, Washington and Angela M. Stapleton, 36, Washington inside the residence. Also while inside the residence officers located precursors for manufacturing methamphetamine. 

All three suspects were taken into custody and the Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab team was called assist with the meth lab materials. 

Arrested and Charges: 
James E. Choate II, 43 
135 N 8th Vincennes, IN 47591 
1. Manufacturing Methamphetamine 
2. Escape from Work Release 
3. Possession of Methamphetamine 
4. Resisting Law Enforcement 
5. Possession Of Precursors with intent to Manufacture Methamphetamine 
6. Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance 
7. Obstruction of Justice 
8. Possession of Hypodermic Syringe 
9. Visiting a Common Nuisance 

Adam L. Conger, 26 
8 E Hefron Street, Washington, IN 47501 
and Angela M. Stapleton, 36 
106B NE 20th, Washington, IN 47501 
1. Possession of Hypodermic Syringe 
2. Visiting a Common Nuisance 
3. Possession Of Precursors with intent to Manufacture Methamphetamine 

SOURCE: Indiana State Police

Evansville, Indiana - United States Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett, joined by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Dennis Whichern and U.S. Marshal Kerry Forestal, today presented more than one-hundred pairs of designer shoes to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams as part of what federal authorities have dubbed "Operation Goodwill." The shoes were seized from an Evansville drug dealer and will be distributed by Sheriff Williams through the Evansville-Vanderburgh County School Corporation's PTA Clothing Bank. 

"This program is a true win-win..it saves Hoosier tax dollars and it will help strengthen community efforts here in Evansville designed to keep drugs out of our schools," Hogsett said. "I believe it also sends an important message that if you engage in criminal behavior such as drug dealing, you will be caught and your ill-gotten gains will be taken away from you."

On November 22, 2012, members of the Evansville Police Department executed a search warrant at the residence of Seth Merrick on Greenfield Road in Evansville. Merrick was arrested for his involvement in the trafficking of hundreds of pounds of marijuana in the Evansville area and law enforcement seized 115 pairs of designer shoes, all of which were unworn and in boxes. 

Merrick, who had prior drug convictions from 2001 and 2005, was convicted and sentenced in May 2011 to two years of incarceration. His prosecution was the result of an investigation by the DEA's Evansville Task Force, which includes members of the Evansville Police Department, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office, the Vincennes Police Department, the Daviess County Sheriff's Office and the Indiana State Police. 

Subsequently, Hogsett, Wichern and Forestal proposed to transfer the seized shoes to Sheriff Williams as part of "Operation Goodwill," a 15 year-old federal program designed to build goodwill between law enforcement in the community. This proposal was accepted and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office plans to distribute the shoes throughout the community to youths in need in conjunction with the PTA Clothing Bank program.


SOURCE: Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office & Department of Justice News Release - December 4, 2012

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced that Max R. Schauf, 56, currently the mayor of Bridgeport, and Paul R. Kramer, 62, of Vincennes, Indiana, were arraigned today in federal district court in Benton on federal charges.

The indictment, returned on November 6, 2012, and previously held under seal, alleges that from July 2008 until March 2011, Max Schauf engaged in a scheme to defraud the city of Bridgeport by submitting false and fraudulent invoices, contracts, and bills for services and equipment, all from which he took a portion of money for his personal use. Paul Kramer is alleged to have made false statements to agents investigating the scheme.

The indictment charges Mayor Schauf with three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. The potential punishments for each charge include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

The indictment charges Kramer with two counts of making false statements to federal officers. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ranley R. Killian and Liam Coonan.


SOURCE: www.fbi.gov