The Paper will be closed May 28th in honor of Memorial Day. EARLY DEADLINES are as follows: ADS - Friday, May 25th at noon NEWS - Thursday, May 24th at noon
T HE PAPER
May 23, 2012
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
TAS Motorcycles invite Wabash County to meet Danica Patrick’s bike By J.D. Sparks There’s a legend in Wabash County, according to Terry Paul, owner of TAS Motorcycles. Sitting on a lift in the back of his building on South Miami Street sits a motorcycle built for automotive racing star Danica Patrick. “This is a great honor for this bike to be in our shop,” Paul said to The Paper. “It’s just a really good feeling. We’re all honored. We really are—the whole group. I’ve had a lot of friends help work on it and it’s just an awesome bike.” The motorcycle’s current owner, Wabash resident Bobby Hunt, beamed with pride. “I’ve had it in shows all over the place,” Hunt said. “From Peru, (North) Manchester, Walton, Muncie,
Anderson, just all over. “She’s been in seven different magazines and I’ve won several different shows with her. The bike has 15 coats of mother pearl paint. It lights up all up under the front fender, back fender and frame and has an ostrich-skinned seat. “It was built for Danica by her sponsors. She sat with it at shows.” Hunt said he brought it to TAS M o t o r cy l c e s because he felt he could trust Paul and his crew. “My son knows Terry and he had done some work on my grandson’s bike,” Hunt said. “I don’t leave this ‘cycle with just anyone. If I can’t trust them, it stays with me. And I like Terry. We need to keep him in town.
Hunt added, with a laugh: “It even stays with me in my living room during the winter.” Paul notes the fixes he and his crew have made to Hunt’s motorcycle. “She (referring to the motorcycle) had some engine troubles and there was some welding to be done to the front tree,” he said. “We had to change all of her fluids. “We’re getting her ready for the next season to show her. Eventually, we’re going to make some deep engine modifications.” Paul also mentioned, jokingly, how the motorcycle seems to know about its own fame. “She has a unique temperament and personality,” he said, smiling. “For a while, she didn’t want to turn
BOBBY HUNT AND TERRY PAUL stand next to a motorcycle once owned by automobile racing star Danica Patrick at TAS Motorcycles, Wabash. Hunt now owns the bike. (photo by J.D. Sparks) on for us. When we finally got her to turn on, she spewed a bunch of black stuff. She eventual-
ly came around to us, though.” The motorcycle will be inside TAS Motorcycles until
June 2, when the shop will be hosting a motorcycle and hot rod swap meet. Admission to the
swap meet is $10 per
table with a portion of
the
proceeds
going to charity.
Jared Johnson arrested on two counts of arson from 2002 apartment fire by Brent Swan On May 16 the Wabash City Police Department arrested Jared Johnson, Urbana, on two counts of Class A Felony Arson in
connection with an apartment fire in 2002. According to WPD Detective James Kirk, the five-unit apartment house located at 213
E. Hill St. caught fire on Feb. 21, 2002 at 11:20 p.m. Shortly after the fire had started, Charles Hyden Jr. and Jake Buzzard, who were on their
Falls Cemetery has free flags for Memorial Day Falls cemetery will provide free flags to decorate veterans’ graves in any Wabash County cemetery. Stop by the cemetery’s main building on Memorial Day, May 28, from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. during their open house. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of First Merchants Bank. If the veteran’s grave is located in Falls Cemetery and you are unable to stop by in person on Memorial Day, a flag can be placed upon request, by calling the Falls Cemetery’s office at 260-563-2605, or through email anytime to friends.of.falls.cemetery@gmail.com.
way home from work that night, saw the fire and reported it to 911. Some of the residents of the apartment were unable to get out of the building because of the flames and smoke in the hallway area. Some tenants were forced to climb out windows to the roof before climbing down ladders and with the assistance of the Wabash City Fire Department. Two of the building’s residents, Dixie Catterton and Tom Blair, sustained injuries from the fire.
Index Classifieds ......................33-38 D&E ....................................19
Weekly Reports................12-15
Catterton suffered from smoke inhalation while Blair was treated for burns to his feet. Both were taken to Wabash County Hospital. At the time of the fire, the building had approximately 12 residents. Shortly after the incident, Jared Johnson was named a person of interest in the case. “After the Hill Street fire we had a few tips come into our office that indicated Mr. Johnson could be a suspect in the fire,” Kirk said. “After the fire in 2010, we received
more tips about the Hill Stret fire that helped lead to an arrest,” In 2010, Johnson’s three children perished in a separate fire. “The two counts of arson in this arrest stem from the house fire on Hill Street only,” Kirk said. “No charges have been filed for the 2010 house fire. That investigation is still open and ongoing.” When asked about the amount of time that has passed since the Hill Street fire, Kirk said, “When there are injuries involved, in this
In Memoriam Lillian Bloxson, 79 Roger Gheen, 76 Madonna Kistler, 67
Carol Meeks, 67 Bernice Mindala, 88 Ruby Palmer, 91
Ruth Rowe, 86 Norma Slagle, 77 Billy Tigler, 78
Jared Johnson
case with Ms. Catterton and Mr. Blair, there is no statute of limitations. Over time, we’ve been able to put together the tips that we have gotten to get us to where we are today.”
Vol. 35, No. 10
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326