of wabash county inc. www.thepaperofwabash.com March 26, 2014 Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977 Vol. 37, No. 3
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Family dogs shot as officers chase drug offenders by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com On the afternoon of Monday, March 10th, officers from the Wabash County Sheriff ’s Department and the North Manchester Police Department investigated citizen reports of a methamphetamine lab at a residence in Liberty Mills. According to court records, the resident ultimately consented to a search of the location, which confirmed the officers’ suspicions, but not before three individuals fled through a back door. North Manchester Police Officer Nate Birch and his K-9 partner, Hawk, were called to assist other law enforcement personnel in locating the three individuals. The suspects led officers along the banks of the Eel River toward the Herbert L. Taylor Audubon Preserve. The chase resulted in the arrest of all three individuals. It also resulted in the shooting of two family pets, Newfoundland dogs belonging to Ernie and Janice Bradley. In his report, Officer Birch stated that he put a tracking harness and 15-foot leash on K-9 Hawk to begin the track. Shortly thereafter, he met up with North Manchester Police Sergeant Jon Pace. K9 Hawk tracked footprints north toward the Eel River then followed them back out toward a nearby field, where they tracked along the river and through the Herbert L. Taylor Audubon Preserve. Sgt. Pace stated in his report that they tracked the subjects through the woods to a nature preserve trail, but he was unable to keep up with the K-9 and Officer Birch at that time, falling as much as 100 yards behind the pair. The chase continued into southern Kosciusko County. During this time, Indiana Conservation Officer Jon Engle appre-
ERNIE AND JANICE BRADLEY PET THEIR NEWFOUNDLAND, MCAFEE, after he was shot in the head as police officers chased suspected methamphetamine manufacturers through the woods near their home. The Bradleys’ other dog, Kramer, was shot and killed during the chase. (photo by Eric Stearley) hended one of the three subjects, Cassie Staton, near the entrance to the Audubon Preserve. Officer Birch saw Officer Engle with a female in custody near the entrance. He also saw two dogs pass by Officer Engle and continue toward him and K-9 Hawk. One of the dogs was
black, the other was light brown, and both were very large. In his account of the incident that followed, Officer Birch reported that he reeled Hawk in so that the K-9 was directly next to his left leg and then turned to his left to keep the dogs separated from
Hawk. He yelled at the two dogs to get back, but they kept coming. According to Officer Birch, the light brown dog reached Hawk first, jumped on his back, and bit Hawk just above the hindquarters. The black dog began to (continued on page 5)
After losing 275 pounds, local man thanks trainer on The Steve Harvey Show
JOSH STEELE AND HIS MOTHER, MINDY, surpised personal trainer Jakae Francis on The Steve Harvey Show after Francis helped them loses a combined 355 pounds. The episode airs Wednesday, March 26. (photo provided)
by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com Personal trainer Jakae Francis, owner of Wabash’s F.I.T. Personal Training, got the surprise of a lifetime when it was revealed that two of her most successful clients set her up for an appearance on The Steve Harvey Show. “It was just so unbelievable,” said Francis. “It’s still so surreal that this even happened. I feel like I had tunnel vision. I don’t remember a lot of what I said or what Josh said to me.” Josh Steele was the mastermind behind the surprise. A client for the past year and a half, he shed nearly half his body weight after deciding to get serious about losing weight two years ago. “My starting weight was 579 pounds,”
said Steele. “Basically, to sum it all up, I hated life. Just getting up in the morning, just doing normal activities that normal people take for granted like tying shoes, going up and down stairs, getting in vehicles. That kind of stuff, it was all a struggle for me every single day. I basically gave up all hopes of my dreams and passion for the future.” Inspired by weight loss shows on television, Steele tried out for Biggest Loser and nearly made it onto Extreme Weight Loss, but ultimately came up short. Two years ago this week, Steele decided he wasn’t going to let it stop him, that he was going to make big changes whether he was on television or not. After six months of dietary changes and religious (continued on page 10)