Police

A proposal to ban drivers from using handheld cellphones on Indiana roads is advancing in the state Legislature. A state Senate committee voted 8-1 Tuesday to endorse the bill that only permits cellphone use with hands-free or voice-operated technology, except in emergencies. Tina Smith of Indianapolis testified from a wheelchair about how she and her husband had stopped their motorcycle …

A motorist has been killed in northwestern Indiana after a car was struck by a stolen SUV whose driver was fleeing police. State police say a trooper attempted to pull over the SUV about 7:30 p.m. Friday after seeing it travel about 99 mph near the Elkhart and St. Joseph county line. Other officers joined the pursuit and as they …

A northern Indiana woman who pleaded guilty for her role in a hit-and-run crash that killed three people has been returned to jail after violating probation. Forty-three-year-old Penelope Grosswiler pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for hiding evidence related to the August 2017 crash, in which a vehicle driven by her husband, Leonard Grosswiler, struck and killed a man and …

State police troopers are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident at the Three Rivers Community Players Club in Lockport Township. The group’s building is located by Walmart. Authorities said the incident occurred between 9 a.m. Jan. 13, and 6 p.m. Jan. 14. Further details about the theft were not available in a department media release.

A woman was arrested after she allegedly stole a recreational vehicle in Cass County. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called around 6 p.m. Sunday to a field on Osborn Road, near Eagle Point Road in Calvin Township. Behnke said the nature of the call centered on a suspicious vehicle parked in the vicinity. Deputies located the RV stuck in …

A bicyclist was struck by a car earlier this week in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sunday to M-40 near Hoffman Street. Behnke said a car driven north on M-40 crested a hill and struck a bicycle ridden by David Hutchins, age 57, of Jones. Hutchins was transported to Three …

Sheriff Brad Balk reports that deputies on Tuesday at approximately 7pm, responded to the intersection of US-131 and Riverside Drive in Constantine Township for a two vehicle crash. Two females ages 27 and 31, accompanied by a 36-year-old male all from Elkhart, turned southbound on a northbound lane on US-131 from Riverside Drive. The vehicle turned into oncoming traffic, colliding …

A Constantine man was injured Tuesday afternoon in a traffic accident on Business Route US-131 at the intersection of Zerbe Road. The victim, 58-year-old William Clewell, collided with a semi, and was entrapped in his vehicle. Clewell was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital for treatment. The driver of the semi, Carl Manley, age 58, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was uninjured.

Authorities say a 16-year-old girl visiting Lake Michigan for the first time is missing and presumed drowned after apparently being swept into the water by a large wave. The Ottawa County sheriff’s office says Eliza Trainer and an 18-year-old friend were knocked into Lake Michigan off Holland State Park about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Trainer’s friend was able to get out …

Northern Indiana officials say a woman whose minivan plunged into a retention pond, killing two of her three children, missed a curve on an icy road just before that crash. The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s office said Thursday that 31-year-old Brooke Natalie Kleven and her 3-month-old daughter, Hendrix Kleven, both remained in critical condition following the New Year’s Eve crash. …