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Last updated on Thursday, January 1, 2015
(UNDATED) - 2014 had both tragedies and triumphs. The following stories highlight those events.
Two Convictions Dismissed In Fatal Boating Accident
The Indiana Court of Appeals dismissed two of the three felony convictions against Winston Wood of Bloomington, whose boat collided with another in 2010 resulting in the death of a Bedford woman and her grandson.
51-year-old Susan Collier and her grandson, 8-year-old Gage Pruett, died in the accident. Collier's husband Rusty was seriously injured.
Judge James Kirsch said that finding the then 21-year-old Wood guilty of three charges of leaving the scene of an accident was double jeopardy; punishing him three times for one crime. One leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death conviction remained and the others were dismissed.
Wood received a $2,000 refund for fines levied for those two convictions.
Judge Kirsch ruled that Wood acted "reasonably" when he drove his boat away from the scene of the fatal collision because he believed it was damaged and taking on water and that Wood had no knowledge of Indiana statute or what was required of him in an emergency situation.
According to investigating officers, both drivers were at fault in the accident.
The majority opinion, written by Judge Melissa May and supported by Judge John Baker, says that while there was sufficient evidence to convict Wood, he only left the scene of the accident one time and thus he cannot be convicted of same crime more than once.
Wood testified during his trial that he was overcome by panic the evening of June 28, 2010 after seeing Susan Collier's dead body floating in the water after the collision at Lake Monroe. He testified that not helping the victims and speeding away from the scene was wrong.
Seymour Man Sentenced To 35 Years After Killing Wife With Baseball Bat
A 58-year-old Jackson County man accused of beating his wife to death with a baseball bat in April 2011 received a 35-year prison term.
Terry L. Wade of Seymour received the sentence from Senior Judge William Vance after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon, which is a Class A felony.
According to police, 54-year-old Vicky Wade was reported missing by her sisters when she didn't answer phone calls and text messages and failed to show up to visit her mother in the hospital. The sisters called police and a locksmith, who let officers inside the house.
There, Vicky's body was found sitting upright in a chair. Terry was unconscious after overdosing on suspected painkillers.
Police say Terry Wade used an Easton aluminum baseball bat to hit his wife twice in the head, killing her.
Court records indicate Terry Wade was charged with domestic battery in 1992, then again in 2007. He was convicted of the first count, but the second charge was dismissed. Neighbors say Terry Wade's behavior recently got worse.
Thousands Of Gallons Of Water Gush Into Jackson Superior Court Building
In early January, a fire sprinkler line broke at the Jackson Superior Court Building, gushing perhaps thousands of gallons of water into the structure.
Firefighters turned off a sprinkler riser, stopping the flow of water. Firefighters say the line had frozen because of the recent frigid temperatures. The water was quickly shut off but not before about three-quarters of an inch of water covered the north half of the building, including the chambers of Jackson Superior Court Judge Bruce Markel and the courtroom.
Man Arrested For Robbing IU Credit Union
IU police arrested a man in connection with the robbery of the IU Credit Union Branch on East 17th Street.
40-year-old Patrick C. Hardy was arrested on charges of robbery, forgery and possession of cocaine.
According to IU Police, Hardy walked into the credit union handed the clerk a note and indicated he had a weapon, but no weapon was shown to the clerk.
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