Mulberry News

After six frustrating years, Lafayette resident Charles W. Schaefer is finally close to recovering $35,000 that the owner of a loan brokerage business in Mulberry stole from him. The businessman, 46-year-old James R. Hudson Jr., formerly of Lafayette, was sentenced Wednesday in Clinton Circuit Court to 10 years on probation after pleading guilty to violating Indiana's Loan Broker Act, which is a Class D felony. Judge Linley Pearson also ordered him to pay Schaefer $52,000, at a rate of $75 a week. That amount includes interest that Schaefer would have accrued over the years. Schaefer, a 73-year-old long-haul driver, said Thursday that he's pleased the case has finally come to a conclusion. Though Hudson was charged in March 2010, the theft occurred six years ago, he said. 'I don't hate him,' Schaefer said. 'I hate what he did to me because he put my life through hell.' Hudson used to own Indiana Mortgage LLC in Mulberry. He was charged after investigations by the Indiana Secretary of State's Prosecution Assistance Unit and the Clinton County prosecutor's office. According to court documents, Hudson had brokered a refinanced mortgage for Schaefer. A settlement statement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that Schaefer's net proceeds should have been $46,603. However, Hudson instead gave the victim a cashier's check for $10,983 and took the remainder for personal use -- including a $308.20 check to Best Buy and a $1,250 check to himself. Schaefer was told that his amount was lower than expected because of tax liens for an unrelated business he owned. That information was a lie. 'I've been like a whipped puppy with my tail between my legs,' Schaefer said. 'I put my life on hold for six years because of this.'

The Jackson Township Community Band, under the direction of Matthew S. Huber, will perform today to observe and celebrate Veterans Day.

A Mulberry man was under the influence of alcohol and drugs Aug. 23 when he caused a crash in Tippecanoe County just five minutes before being involved in a fatal crash in Mulberry, charges against him allege.

Erika Burghardt shows Cathy Kochert, left, and Suzette Post how her mother, Brenda Parks, reacted when Burghardt was named Miss Indiana State Fair on Sunday.

Erika Elaine Burghardt of Tippecanoe County topped 87 other contestants to earn the title of Miss Indiana State Fair during Sunday's final day of the queen pageant in the Pepsi Coliseum.