Elkhart County

NEW:

The Indiana State Dept. of Health announced it would offer more free COVID-19 testing next week in Elkhart County. Elkhart County will remain in Stage 4 through July 17 as the rest of the state moves to Stage 4.5 of the 'Back on Track' plan to reopen Indiana's economy. 

NEW:

According to the latest figures released by the Indiana State Dept. of Health on Wed., June 24 Elkhart County saw a day that tied its second highest yet for new COVID-19 cases. The county reported 101 new cases. That ties the case count on June 12.  June 17 remains the day the county saw its highest case count yet, with 112 new cases on that day. 

During Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb's regularly scheduled COVID-19 news conference Wednesday, one of the first topics addressed was the surge of COVID-19 cases being experienced in Elkhart and LaGrange Counties.

A building at Bonneyville Mill County Park in Elkhart County is framed by blossoming tree branches in WVPE's latest Photo of the Week.    

Thanks to Candice Parker of Granger  for this submission. 

The  photo was taken on Candice's drive home from work in Shipshewana on May 15th. 

Bonneyville is home to Indiana's oldest continuously operating grist mill that still produces stone-ground flour.  

Are you capturing images of spring and nature in bloom or of area landmarks? 

Email photos to wvpe@wvpe.org. 

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana man faces welfare fraud and other charges alleging that he hid his father’s body for two years so that he could cash his benefit checks.

Irvin Nicholson Jr. was charged Tuesday with three counts of felony welfare fraud and one misdemeanor count of failure to report a dead body.

Normally around this time of year, you would expect to start seeing garage sales. Warm weather is right around the corner and many people have more time to clean out their homes with the shelter in-place order.

THE LATEST: 

On the afternoon of Sunday, March 22, the Indiana State Dept. of Health announced two more coronavirus deaths in the state.

The Goshen News is reporting that Goshen Health has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Saturday Elkhart County announced its first case of the disease. Indiana State Health Dept. data so far does not reflect the additional cases in Elkhart County.

Meantime, St. Joseph County Sheriff William Redman announced on social media Sunday that, "My department is complying with Governor Eric J. Holcomb's Executive Order suspending all eviction and residential foreclosure proceedings during this state of emergency." 

Indiana Public Broadcasting has learned that a press briefing has been scheduled by the Indiana Governor's Office for Monday at noon.  The Governor's briefing will be about 15 minutes in length and will emanate from a location in front of his office doors.

A northern Indiana woman has pleaded guilty in the fatal 2018 shooting of a man whose body was dumped in a wooded area.

NEW: 

Today the St. Joseph Co. Prosecutor's office released new information in the pursuit and fatal crash from Friday that followed a police chase. The driver police were chasing is still at large and has not been named, but some of the others who were riding with him have been charged. Charging documents provide some more clues as to why police may have been chasing the vehicle in the first place. The documents indicate that those who have been arrested are accused of having a role in setting up a meeting with a victim by using Tinder with a plan to to lure the victim in with the promise of exchanging sex for money, but once the victim gave over the money, to run away with it before any sexual activity took place. The victim told police he dove from his own moving vehicle for fear of being murdered. 

Indiana State Police responded to a Toll Road crash in Elkhart County on New Year's Eve morning that left a semi dangling after the cab of the truck fell onto railroad tracks below.

The Elkhart County Sheriff's Office released information via Facebook on a Christmas Day dog attack. 

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb today has granted clemency to Berto N. Dooley. age 40, who was convicted in Elkhart County in 2003 for possession of cocaine and being a habitual substance offender. 

According to the executive order issued by Holcomb, Dooley had less than two years remaining on the executed portion of his sentence and has gotten a bachelor's degree while incarcerated. 

Complete election night results from St. Joseph County are available here.

Complete election night results from Elkhart County are available here.

An individual in Elkhart County has died from EEE, eastern equine encephalitis according to the State Dept. of Health in Indiana.

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) — Officials say a metal forming company plans to invest $52 million and create 250 jobs in northern Indiana.

Chris Stager, president of the Elkhart County Economic Development Corp., says Brinco wants to use a former Chassix facility in Bristol that's been vacant since 2017.

The Elkhart Truth reports that the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 and they plan to hire 150 new employees during the first phase.

BREMEN, Ind. (AP) — An Elkhart man with felony rape and child molestation convictions on his record has been charged with sexually assaulting an Amish woman last month in Marshall County.

49-year-old Michael Middaugh is charged with rape, burglary with an armed weapon and criminal confinement.

The woman told the Marshall County Sheriff's Department that she was home with her 2-year-old child on Aug. 28 when a man pulled up in a car asking for directions before he grabbed her and raped her at knifepoint.