By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

WARSAW — There were no injuries as a result of a house fire on Saturday afternoon.

Derek Tenney, fire chief for Plain Township Fire Department, said the fire department received the initial call about 3:28 p.m. Saturday to 267 E. Barrington Place, Warsaw.

When fire crews arrived on scene, the fire was in the garage and moving into the roof.

Tenney estimated there was damage to at least 50 percent of the residence.

Most of the fire crew left about 7:30 p.m. and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

According to county records, the property is owned by Chris and Jessica Powers.

Assisting agencies were WarsawWayne Fire Territory, Winona Lake Fire Department, Milford Fire Department, North Webster Fire Department and Atwood Fire Department.

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News Release

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Hoosiers in rural Indiana say drones are unlawfully tracking deer for poachers, inexplicably flying around chicken coops, and increasingly just making people uneasy.

The temptation for some is to simply shoot down the pesky contraptions. But, after consulting with law enforcement, many have learned that it isn’t a legal option. So they’ve found other ways to combat the rascals.

[caption id="attachment_130360" align="alignright" width="200"] Hunter Eric Pettit (Courtesy photo)[/caption]

Neighbors tired of seeing a drone follow a legendary and massive white-tailed buck in southeastern Indiana reported the matter to Indiana conservation officers.

An investigation led to charges against two men in what authorities believe may be the first prosecution under Indiana’s law banning the use of drones to track and hunt wildlife.

In northeastern Indiana, farmers fearful that drones might be spreading disease among livestock recently persuaded the Indiana General Assembly to pass a law that prohibits the devices from being used to harm or harass farm animals.

[caption id="attachment_130362" align="alignright" width="200"] Indiana conservation officer Josh Thomas (Courtesy photo)[/caption]

“Something has to move the ball forward here to be able to defend ourselves in the countryside from these kinds of operations,” Jay County farmer Lenny Muhlenkamp told a legislative committee earlier this year.

Unfair hunt?

Among hunters, the case that has caused the biggest stir unfolded last fall near Madison, along the Ohio River.

For months, some residents saw a drone seemingly tracking a fabled 17-point deer so recognizable and coveted by hunters that they had dubbed it the Nucor Monarch. That’s because the deer frequently bounded across the wooded terrain and open prairie near the Nucor steel fabrication plant.

So when the animal was suddenly bagged by hunters on Oct. 2, just one day into the crossbow hunting season, neighbors quickly grew suspicious, authorities said.

One witness contacted Indiana conservation officers and reported the animal likely had been taken with the aid of a drone in violation of a state law that seeks to prevent unfair hunts.

Investigators say their probe confirmed those concerns.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers confiscated videos, photos and flight logs recorded by a suspect’s drone that showed the unmanned aerial aircraft was used to track the deer for weeks.

Ultimately, cousins Rodney and Eric Pettit were charged with misdemeanors in the case.

Rodney, who owned and operated the drone and killed the deer, was sentenced in February to 60 days probation. His hunting and fishing license was also revoked for a year.

Eric, who was accused of assisting Rodney in the hunt, agreed to a pretrial diversion program that will lead to dismissal of the charges if certain conditions are met.

Rodney Pettit did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Eric Pettit, a reserve officer for the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, chalked the case up to his cousin being a novice drone user who was unfamiliar with the particulars of the law and to jealous hunters who turned him in because they didn’t bag the prized deer themselves.

Conservation officers’ desire to prosecute the first deer-hunting case under the state’s drone law also was a factor, Pettit said. Indiana first banned drone-aided hunting in 2016. It tightened the law in 2024 and also clarified that drones could be used after a kill to help locate and recover a legally taken animal.

“There’s the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. (My cousin) broke the letter of the law, one hundred percent. But he did it unknowingly,” Pettit said. “His character is not one that is, you know, a lawbreaker.”

He said that while conservation officers made a big deal of the fact that his cousin flew his drone on the morning of the kill, he noted that it captured no video of the Nucor Monarch on that day.

State law, however, prohibits using a drone to track a deer starting 14 days before and throughout hunting season. Authorities said Rodney Pettit used his drone in the areas the deer had been spotted nearly every day in that 14-day leadup.

The great irony of the case is that no one really needed a drone to track the deer, Eric Pettit said. It was frequently spotted traveling the same area near U.S. 421, including on his cousin’s property. Motorists and covetous hunters often stopped along the roadside to get a better look.

But the deer’s prized antlers won’t adorn any hunter’s wall now. Instead, they were confiscated by authorities and are expected to soon be on display in the Department of Natural Resources’ “Turn in Poachers” traveling trailer that helps educate the public about the state’s hunting laws.

Indiana conservation officer Josh Thomas, who investigated the Pettit case, said it is the first deer-hunting case to be prosecuted under Indiana’s drone prohibitions and should serve as a warning to others.

He said the law was invoked during earlier investigations. One case involving waterfowl never came to fruition. Another case involved the hunting of coyotes in northern Indiana, but Thomas said he was uncertain of the outcome.

“It’s something that’s hard to enforce, it’s hard to detect and then hard to prove,” the conservation officer explained, while expressing certainty that drone-aided hunting is happening with some frequency.

Thomas said attention brought to the Pettit case by the hunting community has resulted in 15 drone-related tips in his southeastern Indiana district alone, raising the possibility of more prosecutions.

The most troubling aspect of the Pettit case was the level of detail the drone was able to gather about the Nucor Monarch’s movements, Thomas said, essentially turning the hunt into an unfair chase.

““It was unbelievable how much they knew about where that deer was anytime they wanted to,” Thomas said.

Farmer protections

In northeastern Indiana, concerns from farmers helped drive a new state law aimed at reining in unauthorized drone activity over private property.

The legislation, signed earlier this year and set to take effect July 1, expands Indiana’s “remote aerial harassment” law to cover not just people, but also livestock, crops and farm operations.

It makes it a crime to operate a drone over someone else’s property with the intent to harass or disturb animals, damage crops or interfere with agricultural activity. Violations are Class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

The push for the new law came after a wave of reports from farmers who described drones flying over barns, hovering near livestock and, in at least one case, entering a poultry barn.

Eric Beer, chief deputy for the Adams County Sheriff’s Department, said complaints about drones poured into his office for nearly a month last year and culminated one January evening with many concerned residents, including some from the Amish community, reporting a cluster of eight drones or more buzzing around poultry farms and elsewhere.

“We heard from different people throughout our county, both north and south, that there was one drone that was about as large as a small car,” Beer said.

At that time, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security issued a news release noting that drones were spotted flying around poultry farms in Adams, Allen, Jay and Jackson counties, where avian flu had been reported.

The news release warned that entry by the drones into infected barns could spread the disease and noted that the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration were monitoring the airspace in those areas.

When asked April 15 about the January 2025 drone activity, the homeland security department said in a written statement that “reports of unidentified drone sightings were determined to be mostly unfounded, and any drone activity in the area was tied to a legitimate purpose,” such as a local farmer using a drone to spray their crops.

The farmers’ lingering concerns prompted Rep. Kendell Culp, a Rensselaer Republican and vice president of Indiana Farm Bureau, to urge the legislature earlier this year to impose new drone limits.

While his House Bill 1064 failed to win approval, some aspects of it were incorporated into House Bill 1249, which addressed various criminal matters and was signed into law by the governor in March.

Farmers who testified at a House Courts and Criminal Code Committee meeting in January described a sense of vulnerability and frustration with how little they could do about unwanted drone activity.

Barry Miller, a Jay County farmer, told the committee that drones were flying over barns without the operators in sight and causing great anxiety about their intentions.

Others raised fears about biosecurity, noting that some of the drone sightings occurred just before outbreaks of avian flu—though no direct connection has been proven.

“It’s an inconvenient coincidence that wherever these drones were, that’s where we were also seeing bird flu happen,” said Muhlenkamp, a fellow Jay County farmer.

He also recounted an Amish farmer’s claim that a drone sprayed a substance into a barn, leaving a nearby child with respiratory problems for a week.

Farm industry groups say the concerns highlight how state law has struggled to keep pace with rapidly evolving drone technology.

“The proliferation has outpaced the legal development,” Ryan Hoff, Indiana Farm Bureau’s senior director of government affairs, said during committee testimony.

Hoff said in an interview this month that the updated law is meant to clarify that some property rights extend to low-altitude airspace by ensuring that unauthorized drone use — particularly when it threatens livestock or farm operations — can carry legal consequences.

At the same time, lawmakers tried to strike a balance by preserving legitimate uses of drones in agriculture, such as crop monitoring and chemical application, so long as those activities are conducted with a landowner’s permission.

Even with the changes, officials and industry advocates say the issue is far from settled — and that additional legislation is likely as drones become more common.

An uneasy balance

For Sandy Rush, the idea of balancing competing interests in rural communities isn’t abstract.

As a recently retired employee of the Shelby County Co-op ag service, Rush has seen firsthand how drones are becoming part of modern agriculture — and why farmers rely on them.

“They’re good,” she said. “They have their place.”

Drones can apply fertilizer when heavy equipment can’t reach muddy fields, monitor crops and help farmers respond quickly to changing conditions.

For someone who spent a career around agriculture, those benefits are obvious. But Rush also has also experienced the other side.

Last fall, a hunter on nearby property told her he was followed out of the woods by a drone. Then one night, Rush saw one herself — hovering just outside her home near Shelbyville..

She estimates it was only about 50 to 60 feet from the house, close enough to feel like it was watching her through a window.

“To me it was obvious that it was watching us,” Rush said. “And that kind of freaks me out.”

Rush doesn’t know who was operating the drone or why. But like many rural residents, she also knows there’s little she can legally do to stop them.

Drones are largely regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, which controls the airspace and allows the devices to fly over people’s homes.

If the drones are being used in the commission of a crime, the operators can be prosecuted. But gathering enough evidence to prove invasion of privacy can be tricky, authorities acknowledge.

“You’d really like to just go out and shoot the darn thing,” Rush said, while recognizing that’s not allowed.

For her, the answer isn’t banning drones. It’s finding a way to draw clearer lines about what’s allowed and what isn’t and protecting privacy when possible.

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WARSAW — A Republican candidate running for Indiana Secretary of State said during a campaign stop in Warsaw on Saturday that she wants to revamp how Indiana elections are conducted to align more closely with the Constitution. 

Jamie Reitenour met with a small group at the Warsaw Community Public Library and said she wants to pass legislation that would eliminate early voting, mail-in voting, and have all ballots counted that day at the grassroots level.

She said she also wants to eliminate the use of vote centers, which Kosciusko County and most other Indiana counties have adopted, in part, because it allows registered voters to cast ballots anywhere in the county instead of one assigned location.

Reitenour is one of two announced challengers to incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales seeking the Republican nomination through a party convention this summer. Several Democratic Party candidates are also lining up to run through their convention.

Reitenour earned a bachelor's degree from Southwest Missouri State University, and her career includes working as a mortgage broker and a compliance manager. She and her husband have five children who are homeschooled.

She ran for governor in 2024, finishing fifth among six candidates in the Republican primary.

Morales is finishing his first term in office.

The other announced Republican candidate is David Shelton, who was elected Knox County Clerk in 2018 and also serves as the Knox County Republican Party Chair.

Saturday's event attracted eight people, plus two more who showed up near the end of the discussion.

Six of those ten people said they were running on the Republican ballot on May 5 in hopes of serving as delegates at the convention, which will be June 20 in Fort Wayne.

Reitenour contends that Morales promised to support legislation requiring the use of paper ballots but did not follow through.

She was joined by a representative of Citizens Coalition for Legislative Accountability, who cast doubt on the reliability of voting machines.

She also argues that widespread use of voting machines in recent years has coincided with a decrease in voter participation. 

She was asked whether she's concerned that eliminating early voting and mail-in voting would further suppress turnout.

"I really don't see how people can make an argument that it wouldn't produce more people coming out because you're driving everyone to one time to where everybody is in the same place at the same time," she said. "There's a really good argument that just that alone would increase people's desire to get out and be heard."

She said she believes the secretary of state should have a more direct role in election policy, much of which is currently controlled by the Indiana Election Division and the Indiana Election Commission.

She also supports making Election Day a holiday.

She talked for an hour about election issues and her background, but avoided discussing controversial issues involving Morales over trips out of the country and the hiring of a relative to a six-figure job in the Secretary of State's office.

She said voters are angry, tired, oppressed, and overtaxed, and said, "The last thing they need is a voice that's trying to rival the political rat race with your typical political talk."

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WINONA LAKE – Grace College has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams kickstart a new program to revitalize Kosciusko County lakes.

Since 2007, the Lilly Center has created innovative education programs and conducted applied research on local lakes, according to a provided news release.

Now, with new funding, the Lilly Center will launch Lake RX, a program to create custom, holistic prescriptions to address the health challenges facing lakes. This initiative will focus the center’s efforts on the most strategic solutions to each lake’s health challenges to ensure its well-being and the well-being of its surrounding communities.

Kosciusko County is home to more than 100 lakes, most of which are open to the public for recreation. Seven public beaches provide free access to the entire community and to visitors. Research shows that the lakes contribute more than $400 million annually to Kosciusko County’s economy. Healthy lakes increase business, tourism, employee retention, home values and quality of life, the release states.

But elevated levels of E. coli and blue-green algae toxins in lakes pose a threat to human health and therefore limit the community's access to lakes.

Lake RX projects to improve community wellbeing fall into three categories:

• Solutions on land: agricultural best practices, wetland revitalization.
• Solutions in the water: blue-green algae research, ecosystem rebalancing, weed management.
• Solutions in the community: water literacy, responsible boating, native shorelines.
By following Lake RX prescriptions, Lilly Center scientists will work to improve the health of local lakes and anticipate outcomes that include increased lake access, reduced health threats and increased economic value. The Lilly Center will work carefully to help residents and local businesses, including farmers, and other stakeholders understand the benefits of healthy lakes and ensure that the prescriptions are beneficial to all.

“Lilly Endowment has a long history of supporting efforts that improve the quality of life in communities across Indiana,” said Dr. Nate Bosch, Creighton Brothers endowed director at the Lilly Center. “It’s exciting that Lilly Endowment sees Lake RX as an important effort that enhances our communities through the care of lakes and streams.”

While this gift will have an immediate impact, the Lilly Center’s mission includes making lakes healthy for future generations. Under the grant agreement, of the $10 million gift, $8 million will be allocated to an endowment to support Lake RX on an ongoing basis as a permanent addition to the Lilly Center. The remaining $2 million will seed the initial on-the-ground and in-the-water projects.

“Lilly Endowment’s founders cared deeply about the well-being of communities in Indiana and had a special connection to Lake Wawasee in Kosciusko County,” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “We are pleased to support the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams’ comprehensive, research-based efforts to ensure that future generations of Hoosiers and visitors to the area can enjoy the lakes of north central Indiana.”

“Collaboration is at the heart of Lake RX,” said Rusty Martinez, assistant director of marketing at the Lilly Center. “We look forward to partnering on projects that are a win-win for the lakes and for our neighbors.”

Projects will include partnerships with lake stakeholders who share a vision for healthy lakes. Partners include lake associations, environmental nonprofits, local government, and state and federal agencies.

“The Lake RX grant is another great example of Lilly Endowment coming alongside Grace College and enabling us to serve our community better,” said Dr. Drew Flamm, president of Grace College. “The Lilly Center and Lake RX create a path for greater impact locally and across our region.”

The Lilly Center envisions implementing a variety of projects during the next five years. Not only will these projects improve local lakes and streams, but they will serve as a model to guide the improvement of waterbodies throughout the state and country.

The Lilly Center anticipates sharing project updates and findings from its research with stakeholders, the public and fellow scientists to help improve lakes throughout Indiana and the country.

For more information about Lake RX, visit lakes.grace.edu/LakeRx.

To learn more about Lilly Endowment, visit lillyendowment.org/.

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WARSAW — Two area lawmakers are developing a plan for US 30 that would address the Parker Street intersection — widely viewed as the most dangerous intersection along US 30 across all of Indiana.

State Senator Ryan Mishler and State Representative Craig Snow said they met with officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation earlier this month, which included a discussion of US 30 and specifically the proposed construction of an overpass over Parker Street and an interchange constructed further to the west at Springhill Road. 

Mishler talked about the issue Saturday while in Warsaw and said something "needs to be done."

In their meeting, Mishler said they put forth some proposals.

He said he plans to track how that progresses and how INDOT is budgeting projects.

He credited Snow for taking the lead on the issue by developing maps and even talking to stakeholders. 

“I think what we're working on together would be a really good plan moving forward for this area,” Mishler said. 

An interchange at Springhill Road would serve as a new connection to US 30 and is a short distance from both Parkview Kosciusko Hospital and Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital.

Aside from traffic safety concerns, Mishler said the projects would be a big boost for economic development.

He also said the proposals also reflect Slate Auto's plans to  bring nearly 2,000 workers to its future factory on Old Road 30 later this year.

“If they want to develop that corridor going to Slate, you've got to have something on 30. Once you put something on 30, I think you will see huge development coming around that area,” he said.

Snow said their proposal is similar to one in Whitley County, where Steel Dynamics Inc. worked with county officials and other industry to jump-start plans for the construction of at least two major intersections along US 30.

INDOT has previously endorsed the long-term plan of reconstructing the highway from Ohio to northwest Indiana, but aside from the initial progress in Whitley County, no money has been formally approved for initial steps toward specific construction segments.

Snow cautions that talks are preliminary and that it would take many years for construction to begin, if it is eventually approved.

Preliminary steps by consultants working with INDOT and the US 30 Coalition have progressed across the entire stretch of the highway over the past decade, but few developments have been made in the past two years.

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WINONA LAKE — Grace College hosted a joint groundbreaking with Kosciusko County Velo (KCV) on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the start of two highly anticipated community projects. 

Various groups, including Grace students, faculty, staff, administration and community partners, first gathered to break ground on the Community Fieldhouse at the Miller Athletic Complex. 

[caption id="attachment_130270" align="alignright" width="420"] The Kosciusko County Velo Cycling Board of Directors broke ground on phase II of the Winona Lake Bike Park at the Hauth Trailhead along Pierceton Road on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Times-Union[/caption]

Then, the crowd made their way to Hauth Trailhead, the future site of the Winona Lake Bike Park, for the second groundbreaking.

“Both of these projects are key components of the Catalyst Corridor initiative that represents a strategic investment to significantly enhance community well-being, recreational opportunities and overall quality of place in the Winona Lake-Warsaw and greater Kosciusko County area,” said Dr. Emiko Kreklau, executive director of the Catalyst Corridor.

 “At Grace College, we are unapologetic about our community involvement. When our community thrives, we all thrive. Collectively, these projects will address the health and wellness needs in the community while also contributing to the region's vibrancy.”

According to recent community surveys, 87.2% of residents do not believe there are enough recreational facilities, and 89.6% specifically indicate a need for additional indoor facilities. Currently, residents who participate in youth and adult sports leagues such as soccer, baseball, softball, cricket and flag football frequently travel outside the area for sporting events and practices.

The Community Fieldhouse addresses the shortage by providing year-round accessibility and comprehensive amenities. The project will include an indoor turf field capable of supporting U-12 soccer games with a divider curtain for younger age youth soccer. The space will also contain six total batting cages for baseball and softball, as well as a weight-training room and restrooms.

The fieldhouse will be located at the Miller Athletic Complex, and will be in a prime location for community access. 

Eight new pickleball courts will be built adjacent to the fieldhouse and six existing tennis courts, providing sufficient space for community pickleball tournaments. The fieldhouse will also be connected to the Heritage Trail and the Winona Lake bike trails, just across from the Winona Lake Bike Park.

The second ribbon-cutting celebrates another step toward construction of KCV’s upcoming bike park, which will include a pump track, a kids bike playground, jump lines, a skill zone and more. The project transforms 15 acres into a space where riders of all ages and skill levels can ride, learn and grow. It builds on KCV’s 10+ miles of mountain bike trails and expands access to safe, structured riding experiences for the entire community.

“The addition of the Winona Lake Bike Park, in conjunction with the new fieldhouse, off-road trails and greenways, creates great, healthy opportunities for residents of Kosciusko County to enjoy outdoor activities,” said Mike Cusick, president of KCV Cycling. “This new recreation hub will also attract many visitors from outside our region, which will result in a significant positive economic impact for our community.”

The Times-Union reports Cusick said they’re estimating 1,100 truckloads of dirt will be moved from the fieldhouse to the park to create the base for the park, and that thanks to Grace College President Dr. Drew Flamm and others at Grace, much of the needed dirt will be moved from the Fieldhouse project.

The Catalyst Corridor Project is a series of initiatives in Warsaw and Winona Lake that fall into four themes: innovation initiatives, wellbeing amenities, connection ways and enhanced placemaking. The Catalyst Corridor is made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its College and Community Collaboration (CCC) initiative.

To learn more about the KCV bike park and how to get involved, go to kcvcycling.org/blog/kosciusko-county-bike-park-learn-ride-connect/.

To contribute to the Community Fieldhouse, visit www.grace.edu/give-to-grace/current-projects/.

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WARSAW — The City of Warsaw Public Works Department is eager to offer the 50/50 Sidewalk Replacement Program to resident homeowners again during this year's construction season.

Homeowners selected for this program will contribute 50% of the concrete cost. The City of Warsaw will provide the other 50% of the concrete costs, as well as all labor, to update the property with a new sidewalk.

The first 20 request forms received will be completed during the 2026 construction season. Request forms must be submitted no later than May 15, to allow for quoting, planning, and scheduling. Requests will be completed on a first-come, first-served basis after payment for the homeowner's portion has been received.

Information packets and the quote request form are available at the Public Works Office, 794 West Center St.  They are also available on the City's website at warsaw.in.gov/sidewalk.

For questions, call Public Works at (574) 372-9561.

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WARSAW — State Sen. Ryan Mishler said he expects the Chicago Bears will likely decide on their future stadium in May or June, and continues to express confidence that they might choose Hammond. 

Illinois lawmakers are still in session and trying to develop a stadium plan outside of downtown Chicago, something they've been working on for three years.

At the same time, the Bears are considering a plan developed over three months by Indiana lawmakers for a new stadium in Hammond.

Earlier this month, the state of Indiana announced a new arrangement with the owners of the Indiana Toll Road that will funnel $700 million to seven northern Indiana counties for infrastructure improvements.

Some of that could be used in Lake County for related infrastructure near the proposed stadium site. 

Mishler said the new agreement should not be viewed as another inducement.

“It does look like we did it for that, but I can tell you the administration, the previous administration, was coming to me about the toll road. So it was even before this administration started. So it's two separate things, but another option for us to use for something up there,” Mishler said.

He said the Bears would like to have a new stadium ready by 2030, so construction would have to begin soon.

Mishler, who represents parts of Kosciusko County, said he thinks they made a good impression with the Bears.

“I think they're very impressed with how we operate, how we work together, get things done, and they're not used to a government that operates that way," Mishler said.

"I think that is a great compliment," he said.

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