Elkhart County

An Elkhart County mother will have to wait even longer to see the man charged with abusing her daughter brought to justice. Tyler Beathea appeared in a court today for a pretrial conference, but no decisions were made. Beathea's defense attorney simply asked for more time to review the case. Meanwhile, the family of the 3-year-old victim says the whole situation has forced them all to be strong for her. Her mother and grandmother are both disappointed to see the court proceeding pushed back, but they say all they can do now is wait for justice to be served.

ELKHART COUNTY - A serious blow for an Elkhart County man who helps build homes for Habitat for Humanity. All of his hand tools were stolen at a job site, and he used his rent money to make up for the loss. The community is reaching out in a unique way - to buy him new tools. For several years, Duffy Sherman has been working with Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County to build new homes for those in need. He works with volunteers and those who eventually become homeowners.

ELKHART - An Elkhart company that makes wood products for the RV industry is looking to expand and add up to 100 new jobs. It's happening at the Genesis Products plant on the city's north side. The company wants to invest $4 million to renovate and equip part of its operation. Demand for its wood paneling, doors, cabinets and furniture products is off the charts. “We have sort of been busting at the seams at a couple of our locations,” said Genesis President Jon Helmuth.

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - A federal judge has approved class-action status for a lawsuit alleging that dust and other emissions from a northern Indiana wood recycling plant pose a health threat and nuisance to nearby residents. About 150 people who live near the Elkhart plant sued VIM Recycling in 2009, two years before the plant was sold to Soil Solutions. Environmental attorney Kim Ferraro told The Elkhart Truth ( http://bit.ly/12pkg0D ) that last week's decision by a federal judge in South Bend to approve the plaintiffs' September 2011 request for class-action status means more than 1,700 people could become part of the lawsuit.

ELKHART COUNTY - Police have arrested two people for one of the handful of cigarette store robberies over the last two weeks in Elkhart County. Nicholas Chaplin, 24, and Abigail Pifer, 19, of Elkhart are behind bars for the holdup at Low Bob's on Cassopolis Street near Simonton Lake on January 25. They were arrested on February 1. Chaplin is being held in the Elkhart County Jail on $100,000 bond, while Pifer is in custody on $75,000 bond. Since their arrest, two other tobacco stories have been robbed, including the same Low Bob's.

ELKHART - Elkhart County police are investigating yet another cigarette store robbery, the 5 th in just over a week. Detectives say Low Bob's on State Road 19 north of Elkhart near Simonton Lake was robbed by two men Sunday. The men walked into the store around 6:45 p.m. and made off with some cash and cartons of cigarettes. They left the store in a black or dark late model Chrysler, which police say was driven by a third man. The robbers are described as white, wearing black hoodies and had bandanas covering their faces.

ELKHART COUNTY - Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem and keeping them out of the hands of teens or drug abusers isn't easy. But a group in Elkhart County has come up with a new way to get rid of old prescription drugs.  The Nappanee Police department is the first of several police agencies in Elkhart County to have one of these in their lobby. It's a med return box, a place where people can drop off unused or expired prescription drugs on their own. It's a way to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands.

ELKHART - Another armed robbery at an Elkhart County convenience store. Saturday night, county police were called to the scene of the latest holdup at Stogie's Discount Tobacco in the 30900 block of Old U.S. 20 west of the Elkhart city limits. CLICK HERE for map. Shortly before 7 p.m., an employee was robbed by two men at gunpoint. Police say after ordering the worker to the ground, the suspects got some cash, several cartons of cigarettes and the cashier's purse before leaving the store headed west on Old U.S. 20. The suspects are described as two white men. One was armed wearing a tan jacket, gloves and had a bandana covering his face.

ELKHART COUNTY - A small SUV led police from 4 agencies on a high-speed chase early Tuesday afternoon. It started shortly before 1 p.m. in Edwardsburg, Mich. and ended more than a half-hour later when the SUV crashed southwest of New Paris in Elkhart County. The driver of the Geo Tracker crashed in a field near the intersection of County Roads 17 and 46, but Elkhart County dispatch says the driver was not hurt. WSBT has learned from Elkhart city dispatch that the person involved was wanted in Cass County on a domestic battery charge and was arrested at the end of the chase.

The weather has made a quick change after the recent snow. Now, we're talking flooding. A flood watch is in effect for the WSBT viewing area from Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning. A combination of heavy rain and melting snow could cause flooding problems. WSBT Chief Meteorologist Paul Emmick says some locations could receive one to three inches of rainfall. Higher amounts are even possible in places. A Dense Fog Advisory is also in effect until 1 a.m. on Tuesday.