On April 2, Tipton County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a storage unit facility after someone reported hearing a dog barking from one of the storage units. After breaking open the lock, they discovered a dog had been locked inside the unit for an unknown amount of time.
The manager of the Tipton County Health Department shared information that Tipton County has the second-highest suicide rate in Indiana. When Tipton County Jail Commander Ray Sheppard heard this statistic, he decided to do something about it.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced up to $100 million in funding for research into various methods of preventing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in poultry flocks including therapeutics, vaccines and research.
• Kourtney Lane Fights, 36, Greentown, was arrested by the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office on March 10, 2025, on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person and operating a vehicle with a BAC of .10 or more.
During a Tipton Common Council meeting in February, Mayor Keegan Schmicker commented on several City of Tipton updates.
(Editor’s Note: The following cases were filed in the Tipton County Clerk’s office during February 2025. Although some are listed as defendants, all are presumed innocent until found guilty by the court.)
• Jasmine Marie Purnell, 21, Tipton, was arrested on March 4, 2025, by the Tipton City Police Department on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement.
Members of the Tipton Common Council discussed several items at their meeting on Monday, including the budget for 2026. Council President Nate Kring stated that several budget reductions would be coming from the state for the 2026 budget. Kring said, “Tipton needs to have people - kids going to the school, people living here to help bring more money to the city. We (Common Council members) will do everything we can to help the mayor bring people to the city. During the rest of our terms, we need to support the mayor’s efforts.” It was noted that property tax is around 47 percent of the city’s revenue. Kring brought up the closing of BMO, stating this was due to the declining community and declining customers at the bank. Mayor Kegan Schmicker said that even though we are just starting 2025, that he and the department heads have already begun discussing the 2026 budget.
• Michael Christopher Hawkins, 33, Noblesville, was arrested on Feb. 18, by the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office, on a charge of failure to appear.