Bristol

Police say Jared Lay was driving a Jeep Wrangler north on C.R. 23, south of C.R. 14 in Bristol early Saturday morning when he apparently lost control of the vehicle and drove off the east side of the road. An Elkhart County Sheriff's Department crash report indicates the accident happened about 4:45 a.m. Lay's vehicle hit a ditch, tree stump, mailbox and post before he was thrown from the Jeep. The vehicle continued on, hitting another ditch, mailbox and tree before rolling on its side.

An Elkhart County teen was airlifted to the hospital after a tractor accident around 9 p.m. Monday night. Police say 17-year-old Rachel Grove of Bristol was riding the tractor on County Road 31 when it began to wobble and veered off the road. It rolled down a bank and landed on top of her, pinning her underneath. Then it caught fire, badly burning her legs. Grove is listed in serious condition.

Just before 12:30 p.m. Friday, a passer-by called 911 saying flames and smoke were visible in the area of a house on C.R. 23, between C.R. 102 and the Indiana Toll Road. Firefighters quickly located the burning house in the 51000 block of C.R. 23 and called for mutual aid. There's no immediate information available on whether anyone was in the house at the time. Reporter John Paul will have more on this stoy on Friday's 5 and 6 p.m. news on WSBT22.

Additional firefighters were called to help early Wednesday as crews battled a garage blaze east of Bristol. The fire was reported at 2:10 a.m. in the 13000 block Indiana 120, just east of York Elementary School. There were no reports of injuries. Middlebury firefighters called for assistance from Bristol as the fire continued to burn. Elkhart County dispatch said the garage was a larger structure than a typical residential garage. There was no immediate word on what was in the garage or any cause of the fire.

Police say two teenagers were injured Sunday when their ATV struck a tree about three miles north of Bristol city limits. The crash happened around 1 p.m. The girls — a 15-year-old from Middlebury and a 16-year-old from Motteville — were driving southbound on County Road 29 north of County Road 4 when they swerved off the road and hit the tree. The 15-year-old driver was thrown off and hit the tree with the left side of her face, receiving severe head trauma and cuts.

MILTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Cass County police say a 28-year-old Bristol man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Sunday morning in Milton Twp. This happened just after 3 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of M-60 at the overpass with U.S. 12. Emergency responders arrived to find Gregory A. Snyder lying in the roadway, away from his vehicle.   Police say the initial investigation shows he was heading eastbound on M-60 when he crashed into the left guardrail while going under the overpass.

A man convicted of murdering an Elkhart County woman in her apartment in 2008 will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole, the punishment handed down by a judge Thursday morning. Tyrice Halliburton was convicted of murdering 23-year-old Sheena Kiska during a burglary attempt in Bristol in March of 2008. After Halliburton's trial last month, he attempted to escape the courtroom but was later found. The court is not pursuing any additional charges for the escape attempt because he has already been sentenced to life.

BRISTOL - Two people were injured in a car accident in Bristol Tuesday afternoon. Dispatch says that MedFlight was called to the accident after the car hit a mailbox. Police responded to the scene in the 20700 block of County Road 6 around 12:29 p.m. This location is between County Road 19 and County Road 21. Police say Gregory Littlefield, 21, was heading east on County Road 6 when he lost control of his car and sliding into a trash can, mailbox, and a tree. He was driving a 1998 Buick Achieva.

A Friday evening dirt bike ride didn't go so well for a Bristol youngster. Jacob Arousell, 3, was driving a 2008 Yamaha PW50 dirt bike on private property on Larry Lee Drive just after 6 p.m., when he crashed the bike into a tree, per an Elkhart County Sheriff's Department news release. The youngster was wearing a helmet, police said, and he was taken to Elkhart General Hospital for treatment of arm and abdomen bruising. The child was later released, hospital staff told WSBT.

ELKHART COUNTY -- A Bristol man sustained severe burns following a fire on Elkhart's far-east side Wednesday morning. According to our reporter at the scene, police say a man was doing landscaping just before 9 a.m. in the area of Old U.S. 20 and County Road 13 when it happened. Investigators believe the flame from his cigarette mixed with the vapors from a nearby gas can ignited the flash fire that severely burned parts of his upper body. Emergency responders tell us the man is believed to be in his 60's.

GOSHEN - The man accused of killing the owner of an Elkhart tattoo parlor is being held in jail without bond after making his first court appearance on Thursday. Todd Stewart, 35, of Bristol was arrested Wednesday for shooting to death Mark Miller, 44, and dumping Miller's body in a 55-gallon barrel last September, a barrel that was found along the St. Joseph River near the Six Span Bridge on County Road 17. Stewart, who worked for Milller, appeared before Elkhart Circuit Court Judge Terry Shewmaker, who entered a “not guilty” plea on Stewart's behalf.

WAKARUSA - Good news for Wakarusa. Last year, Utilimaster announced plans to relocate to Bristol, but another large RV company will take over most of the old Wakarusa plant. The 95-acre site takes in about 54,000 square feet of space, 16 buildings to be exact. “It was a concern of ours on how the property is going to be marketed and what type of businesses could we get into the property,” said Town Manager Jeff Troxel. But Troxel's concern and that of the town was recently addressed when Utilimaster announced it has sold the majority of its plant to Forest River.

BRISTOL - One big idea, and a local woman is now getting national attention for a new toy. It uses colors and sounds to help babies reach their potential earlier. The idea was developed by Marcia Haut of Bristol, who has years of experience as a special education teacher and developmental therapist. The product she came up with is the Noggin Stik developmental rattle. It uses colors and sounds that help capture a child's attention and increase focus. The Noggin Stik aims to encourage early milestones.

Police say Jared Lay was driving a Jeep Wrangler north on C.R. 23, south of C.R. 14 in Bristol early Saturday morning when he apparently lost control of the vehicle and drove off the east side of the road. An Elkhart County Sheriff's Department crash report indicates the accident happened about 4:45 a.m. Lay's vehicle hit a ditch, tree stump, mailbox and post before he was thrown from the Jeep. The vehicle continued on, hitting another ditch, mailbox and tree before rolling on its side.

This week some students are taking part in a special day camp in Bristol in Elkhart County. But they're not learning about nature, or making crafts. As WSBT's Ed Ernstes reports in the video attached above, they are living history and learning first-hand what life was like as a soldier during the Civil War.

A police pursuit turned deadly Friday night when a motorcyclist and his passenger died. Bristol Police attempted a traffic stop on a motorcyclist at S.R. 15 and Kesco Drive about 9:20 p.m.  Motorcycle driver Anthony Arroyo fled from police and apparently lost conrtol of the cycle in the 55000 block of S.R. 15. Both Arroyo and his passenger, Celia Ramirez, died at the scene. The Elkhart County Fatal Alcohol Crash Team was called to the scene, a standard procedure in fatal and serious injury vehicle accidents.  Stay with WSBT online and on air for updates on this story. 

MILTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Cass County police say a 28-year-old Bristol man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Sunday morning in Milton Twp. This happened just after 3 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of M-60 at the overpass with U.S. 12. Emergency responders arrived to find Gregory A. Snyder lying in the roadway, away from his vehicle.   Police say the initial investigation shows he was heading eastbound on M-60 when he crashed into the left guardrail while going under the overpass.

A Friday evening dirt bike ride didn't go so well for a Bristol youngster. Jacob Arousell, 3, was driving a 2008 Yamaha PW50 dirt bike on private property on Larry Lee Drive just after 6 p.m., when he crashed the bike into a tree, per an Elkhart County Sheriff's Department news release. The youngster was wearing a helmet, police said, and he was taken to Elkhart General Hospital for treatment of arm and abdomen bruising. The child was later released, hospital staff told WSBT.

A man convicted of murdering an Elkhart County woman in her apartment in 2008 will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole, the punishment handed down by a judge Thursday morning. Tyrice Halliburton was convicted of murdering 23-year-old Sheena Kiska during a burglary attempt in Bristol in March of 2008. After Halliburton's trial last month, he attempted to escape the courtroom but was later found. The court is not pursuing any additional charges for the escape attempt because he has already been sentenced to life.

BRISTOL - Police say a man found guilty of murder and sentenced to life without parole Thursday escaped from custody while still in the courthouse and was quickly recaptured. A jury found Tyrice Halliburton guilty in a 4-year-old murder case that inspired a proposed law aimed at making tenants safer. The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without parole soon after, and a WSBT reporter at the scene says that's when he made a run for it. He never made it out of the building.