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The number of volunteer firefighters across the United States is declining.

Gosport is no exception.

These unpaid responders account for more than 60 percent of firefighters and more than 80 percent of fire departments in the country, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Gosport, a town of less than 900 people in rural Owen County, has relied on its volunteer fire department and a mutual aid agreement with the Owen Valley Fire Territory, but it might not be enough anymore.

“Fewer and fewer young people are becoming volunteer firemen,” Gosport town attorney Terry English said during a July 10 work session. “That’s not just here, that’s across the nation. And so we don’t have as many warm bodies as we might have had previously to man the pumps.”

To give the town fire protection, and keep decisions about funding it with tax rates with local leaders, the town is considering forming a fire territory. Fire territories are fire service consolidations that bring together two or more contiguous taxing units into one fire protection district.

In Gosport’s case, the territory would encompass the town, which is in Wayne Township and one of the other bordering townships, such as Montgomery Township to the west.

The main advantage of forming a territory is increasing revenue for fire protection services, which could fund equipment, property and positions for a territory serving Gosport. Creating the territory would lead to raised tax rates for the town, but it could be successful in revitalizing fire protection for the area.

According to Gosport Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Brian Leonard, the maximum levy possibility for the territory would be 40 cents. Meaning, if a taxpayer’s home is worth $100,000, they would pay $400 per year toward fire protection. English said the actual rate funding the territory would likely end up being around Spencer’s tax levy of $128 per year.

“We’re not talking about great sums of money here, but we are talking about more money on top of taxpayers in Owen County, who are already burdened and already upset about the amount of the assessed valuations of their homes,” English said. “What you have to determine is whether or not fire protection is important enough.”

According to the Journal Review, based in Crawfordsville, IN, Vernon Township in Hancock County increased its revenue by 488 percent by establishing a fire territory, and Pendleton increased its revenue by 921 percent.

This could go toward buying equipment that the State of Indiana may mandate, but that Gosport doesn’t currently have the money to buy.

“There’s no way we can stay open to the way we’re done,” town council member Michael Miller said. “The cost of everything has gone up so much.”

Regardless of the town’s final decision in creating a territory, Miller said the tax rates will go up regardless.

Public Law 134, signed by Gov. Mike Braun in March, requires local governments to compile data on each township and assess their performance by Dec. 31, 2026 and requires qualifying townships to merge by Jan. 1, 2029.

Miller said depending on how the mergers affect Gosport and the Owen County township trustees, the county commissioners could move forward with determining tax rates for the areas that are higher than what they are now.

“Our population’s too small,” Miller said. “I mean we choose to live here because of that, but now it’s gonna cost us. We need to have the fire protection.”

The territory would have an advisory function, making decisions about property ownership and equipment purchases, for example. However, Indiana law requires one of the entities involved to act as the provider unit and oversee the budgeting, accounting and bills. The Town of Gosport would take care of that end, giving the fire territory board a budget, English said.

The town needs to start having conversations about the territory, English said. The window to begin collecting money in 2028 requires the town to have finished the paperwork between Jan. 1 and March 31.

The town is also required to hold three public hearings about the potential territory.

“It’s just a matter of starting to move in the right direction and having the townships before we start committing money for preparation of documents, we have some idea from the township trustees that they, in fact, are interested in moving forward,” English said.

A vehicle matching the description of that owned by missing Johnson County man, Tyler Wagaman, has been located in Owen County.

Deputies with the Owen County Sheriff’s Department received a call in the area of US231, State Road 67 and Estes Road, otherwise known as Biscuit Junction.

According to a press release from the department, “the caller advised he had located a black pickup truck far into a wooded area on Estes Road.”

Upon arrival, a heavily damaged black Ford F-150 “bearing license plates matching those of a similar truck registered to Tyler Wagaman” was found by officers.

Wagaman was last seen in Johnson County on June 15.

A deceased individual was located in the vehicle and was taken into the care of the Owen County Coroner’s Office to make a positive identification.

“At this point in the investigation, it appears the driver was traveling southbound on State Road 67 at a high rate of speed and proceeded through the stop light at the 67/231 junction. He continued onto Estes Road, where he left the roadway to the west. The vehicle rolled several times and came to rest well out of view of the roadway,” the press release said.

Owen County Rescue Team responded to the scene to assist.

Owen County Sheriff Ryan White said that it appears to be a single-vehicle accident.

He also extended his thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Wagaman.

“I understand this will be a difficult time. The grieving process will take weeks, months and years to get through,” he said.

White stressed the importance of sharing what one sees, even if it takes time to connect it to an incident.

“The observations of one person led to this discovery, even though he wasn’t sure exactly what he saw, but he had the due diligence to follow through,” he said.

To read day five trial coverage, click here. 

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Quentin Lamont Porter Jr. sat at the defense table in the Owen County Courthouse listening to himself talk. 

On the sixth day of his trial, two years after his initial interview with police took place, Porter sat while the jury watched and listened to a three-hour-long recording of that interview. Porter was arrested for the murder of Malik Darea Sims that same day, July 24, 2024.

On the wheeled-in television screen, Porter sat in the corner of the room, with a Coca-Cola bottle, wearing yellow shorts and a grey T-shirt, being asked questions by Owen County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Nathan Martin, Bloomington Police Department Detective Jeff Rodgers and BPD Detective Chris Scott. 

Before the video began, Owen Circuit Court I Judge Don VanDerMoere II told the jury that what the police say during the interview is not evidence and should not be considered so. The information revealed “may or may not be true,” he said. 

“I’m not going to play it off like we haven’t done our homework,” Rodgers said in the video. He told Porter he was going to lay out everything they have within the investigation. “I think there’s two sides to every story,” he said. 

The detectives asked Porter what he was doing with Sims and why he made the decisions he did after Sims was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. 

Porter was the last person seen with Sims before Sims was killed on Stephenson Road in Owen County. 

At the beginning of the interview, Porter either remained silent or shook his head in response to questions the detectives asked him. As time went on, he opened up a bit more, revealing more and more of the story he claimed occurred and explained his innocence. 

Rodgers took the first go at talking to Porter, trying to get him to talk.

“I’m trying to understand right now, everything that they’re showing us is making you look like this cold-blooded killer,” Rodgers said. “You don’t seem like that kind of guy.”

Rodgers was trying to figure out if what happened was an accident, he said. Eventually, the situation will go to court, Rodgers told Porter, where strangers will be watching. They’re all going to ask why he didn’t say from the beginning if something else happened, if there was an accident, why Porter acted the way he did, Rodgers said.

“They’re going to want to know why you put the bag over his head,” Rodgers said. “Were you ashamed of what happened?” 

Porter didn’t respond. Sims was found lying in a field, with no shirt, socks or shoes. He was lying on his left side, wearing a pair of red shorts and had a black plastic trash bag tied over his head. 

The detectives continued to try and coax answers out of Porter.

“This is going to bother you for the rest of your life, no matter what happens from this day forward,” Martin said.

Rodgers said if an innocent man were sitting in front of him, the first thing he would say is that he didn’t do it. 

“This looks like you killed a kid and left him out like trash,” Rodgers said. “Tell me how something else happened. Tell me how I explain this, to his mom, to his family.”

Eventually, Porter told the detectives that he didn’t do it, that he was just trying to get a ride home from Sims. He said that Sims was shot by someone in a white SUV, while he sat inside Sims’ Audi A4. 

After Sims’ death, Porter allegedly drove away in the Audi and used Sims’ credit card and name to make purchases for days after. He used it to rent a car and to try to tow the Audi. 

“If it was a drug deal, I don’t give a sh*t,” Rodgers said. “I’m not the drug police."

Porter said after Sims was shot, and the SUV drove away, he drove the car about 75 yards up to him. He said he tried to drag Sims into the backseat of the car and used the plastic bag to control the massive bleeding. 

Porter said he wasn’t able to get Sims into the car, and instead left him in the middle of the road. He said he did not move Sims into the field where he was found the next day.

Porter said he didn’t call 911 because he didn’t have his phone and Sims’ was locked. After Sims died, Porter drove to his grandmother’s house in Indianapolis. Porter’s phone was later analyzed. Martin said police did not find much activity at all on the phone for about a week before Sims died. 

The detectives asked Porter why he didn’t stop at a gas station, or try knocking on someone’s door for help. 

“Why would I want to be associated with that?” Porter said. “Why would I want to sit around and get shot?”

Over and over, Porter told them he was trying to avoid a “bad situation.” He told them he was in the middle of nowhere and didn’t want to get shot too. 

“This whole situation is wrong,” Porter said. “The only reason I’m even in here is because I crossed paths with him on that day. I got a ride from Malik, that’s it.”

The detectives asked Porter why Sims didn’t actually drop him off at his mother’s house in Bloomington, and instead drove through Ellettsville and into Owen County. 

Porter said he didn’t know. 

“You’ll never convince me that you didn’t know more about that meeting than you’re telling me about,” Martin said. 

Porter said he thought Sims was “making a play.” Throughout the trial, Sims’ roommates and other witnesses confirmed they knew he sold marijuana. However, Porter also told the detectives that he didn’t really know Sims' business.

“If you can’t be honest about the little sh*t, we’re not going to believe you about the big sh*t,” Rodgers said. 

Scott asked Porter about what happened to the clothes he wore that day, if they were bloodied and where he washed them. Porter said he didn’t know where they were, and then mentioned taking them to his mother’s. At one point, Porter said he only got blood on his arms and hands from trying to drag the body into the car and cleaned it up with a towel. 

Martin said this wasn’t true. He claimed Porter shot Sims in the car, breaking the window. Then, he dragged him out and into the field. 

“You’re dodging anything factual, and you think that’s going to save you,” Martin said. 

Porter explained his actions by saying that he didn’t want to be involved in the situation, that he was just focusing on getting out of there. 

“You’ve shown no remorse,” Scott said. “You’ve done nothing but sit here, yawn and act like we’re wasting your time. You’ve done everything you could do to make yourself look guilty.”

Public defender Jacob Fish asked Martin questions after the video ended. He confirmed that Sims owned a Glock 23 handgun and asked if Martin took Porter’s statement about making a play to mean criminal activity. Martin said it could be. Fish also said Porter claimed that he did not tie a knot in the trash bag wrapped around Sims’ head, and confirmed with Martin that the DNA swabs taken around that area did not return to Porter. 

Porter decided not to testify that day, and both the prosecution and defense rested their cases. The next day of the trial will include closing arguments, VanDerMoere said. 

Ongoing trial coverage

• Day one
• Day two
• Day three
• Day four
• Day five

To read day four trial coverage, click here. 

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On the fifth day of the trial of Quentin Lamont Porter, Jr., who is charged with murder, Owen County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Nathan Martin took to the stand to begin his testimony, which was expected to last more than four hours. 

When 23-year-old Malik Sims’ body was discovered on July 15, 2024, Martin was one of the law enforcement officials called to the scene. He made observations about the victim and the location and condition of his body. Martin served as the lead investigator.

Sims was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. A medical examiner said the bullet entered near his right temple and exited near the left. 

During the course of the investigation, Martin said he went back to that spot on Stephenson Road at least 15 to 20 times, sometimes looking for new evidence as weather changed and crops were harvested.

On July 27, 2026, Martin told the courtroom at Porter’s trial the path he took to investigate the murder. Martin detailed the business records he went through, evidence he collected and places he traveled to, looking for more information. 

After leaving the scene where Sims was found, Martin went to Sims’ apartment in Bloomington to collect statements from two of his roommates. He received consent to look around their apartment and, after speaking with them, developed a person of interest: Porter. 

The following day, Martin went to Indianapolis, where Sims’ Audi A4 had been located by assisting detectives. He noticed the large trash bag over the driver’s side window. The car was consistent with the images Martin obtained from Flock Safety camera footage that followed the car on its path from Bloomington to Stephenson Road, and then to Indianapolis, he said. 

On the day Sims was found, two of his friends had used Find My iPhone location sharing to identify where Sims’ body was, and then to Indianapolis, where Porter traveled after Sims died. 

Martin was able to recover the phone, which had been sold using ecoATM, an automated kiosk that can be used to sell smartphones. He tracked it to a warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky and retrieved it.

As mentioned in earlier days of the trial, investigators looked through purchases made with Sims’ credit card after he died, purchases believed to be made by Porter. Martin worked to compare the Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) codes for items purchased from the item to the receipts found in Sims’ vehicle, which Porter allegedly drove away in after Sims was murdered. 

Martin analyzed seat covers and duct tape found in the vehicle, an iPad, a black New York Yankees hat bought from the Lids in Bloomington and earrings bought from KAY Jewelers. During the trial, Martin showed some of the items to the jury, wearing plastic gloves and using scissors to cut open plastic and brown paper evidence bags. 

Martin also spoke with Porter the day he was arrested, July 24, 2024. He said the defendant told him he was with Sims the day he died because he was trying to get a ride home. On the route the two took to Stephenson Road, they passed by Porter’s mother’s house, but didn’t stop there. 

“Quentin didn’t provide a great explanation,” Martin said when Owen County Prosecutor Benjamin Kim asked if Porter said why he wasn’t dropped off. 

Porter also said he didn’t have Sims’ wallet and didn’t know the location of the credit cards at the time of the interview. He did allegedly admit that he made transactions using Sims’ card to purchase food, fuel and at some stores. 

According to Martin, in the interview, Porter said when Sims was shot, by someone he claims was in a white SUV, he was the length of a football field away from the vehicle. He claimed that the driver’s side window was broken by a rock and that he used the plastic bag found wrapped around Sims’ head to “control bleeding” as he attempted to “load” Sims into the car, Martin said. 

Martin also testified that Porter told him he didn’t stop to ask for help after claiming to witness Sims be murdered because he was concerned that he would be perceived as responsible. 

Martin said he believes the incident took place inside the vehicle, where investigators were unable to find casings. Some bullets and fragments were recovered from the scene after crops were harvested. 

Indiana State Police forensic firearms examiner Rafael Perez testified and presented his analysis of Porter’s Taurus G2C 9 millimeter handgun, which was recovered from his backpack. Perez said he was not able to say whether any of the bullets presented from evidence on day five of the trial were fired from the gun. 

The jurors were given a chance to look at the gun and the bullets. 

Day five of the trial ended early, and Owen Circuit Court I Judge Don VanDerMoere II said the next day would begin with the three-hour-long video footage of Porter’s police interview. The trial is expected to take a total of eight days. 

Ongoing trial coverage

• Day one
• Day two
• Day three
• Day four
• Day six

In a joint meeting of the Owen County Council and Owen County Commissioners, both bodies approved the purchase of 18 acres on State Road 46 to build a new jail.

After more than two hours of public comment, each body passed a resolution approving the expenditure and the land purchase. The closing on the property is anticipated for 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 30.

More information about the meeting will be included in a full story later this week.

To read day three trial coverage, click here.

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From the gravel on Stephenson Road to the inside of a Taurus 9-millimeter handgun, jurors on Friday followed the trail of forensic evidence that investigators collected after Malik Darea Sims’ death and later analyzed through DNA testing. 

Friday was the fourth day of testimony in the trial assessing Quentin Lamont Porter Jr.’s involvement in the murder of 23-year-old Sims and related charges of auto theft, identity deception and theft.

Sgt. Ian Matthews, an Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigator for the Bloomington District, spent roughly two hours walking jurors through how investigators documented and processed evidence from the case.

During his testimony, he shared photos from the three of the four areas he collected evidence in the case: the scene on Stephenson Road, Sims’ gray Audi A4 and a Nissan Sentra Porter rented after the shooting. Although Matthews also collected evidence during Sims’ autopsy alongside the forensic pathologist and coroner, jurors were not shown photographs from that portion of the investigation.

The photographs from Stephenson Road showed disturbed gravel in the middle of the road, tempered glass fragments, a water bottle on the side of the road that was collected but never tested for DNA and red staining on the gravel that was later confirmed to be Sims’ blood. 

Jurors also viewed photographs of Sims as investigators found him. He was lying on his left side, wearing only a pair of red shorts, with a black plastic trash bag tied over his head. No shirt, socks or shoes could be seen on Sims’ body. There was also light-colored dust on Sims’ knees and thighs, which Matthews later testified appeared consistent with the gravel roadway, though it was not specifically tested. 

Matthews also documented what he described as potential drag marks leading from the center of Stephenson Road toward the area where Sims’ body was found. However, while the pattern was consistent with drag marks, without more distinctive characteristics, he could not definitively say whether the marks were the result of Sims’ body being dragged.

ISP forensic biologist Meredith Livingston later testified that swabs collected from the red staining tested presumptively positive for blood and produced a DNA profile matching Sims. 

Matthews also showed photos of the inside of the Audi A4, which included red staining along the stitching as well as streaky metallic silver spray paint on the seats that had been covered by seat covers. Matthews said he observed the smell of a cleaning solvent inside the vehicle as well. 

“There is no real good way to go about describing this pattern,” Matthews said of the blood pattern in the vehicle. 

Matthews said the closest description was pooling, with blood saturating toward the bottom of the seat because of gravity. 

On the driver's seat, there was not a splatter or smearing pattern that could be seen. But a dark red stain could be seen concentrated on the left side of the back of the seat where the back and seat join one another. 

According to Livingston, swabs collected from inside the Audi tested presumptively positive for blood and the DNA profile matched Sims.

Investigators testified the Nissan had been rented by Porter using Sims’ identification after Sims’ death. Inside that vehicle, a black Kenneth Cole Reaction backpack was found on the front passenger seat upon Porter’s arrest on July 24, 2024. 

Inside the backpack, Matthews said investigators found the Taurus G2C 9 millimeter that Porter purchased from Ace Pawn on July 9, 2024. 

The semi-automatic pistol was found to have red staining on the tip of the gun and on other areas. It was also found loaded with one cartridge in the chamber and nine in the 12-round magazine. There were also two loose cartridges found in the backpack. 

Matthews testified that they could not be sure if there were originally 12 bullets or 13, as it is possible that one was manually loaded into the chamber before adding the magazine. 

The most detailed forensic testimony centered on the Taurus handgun recovered from the backpack.

Livingston also testified that seven samples were taken from the weapon – an unstained area of the grip, inside the barrel, the end of the barrel, the slide lock, the chamber opening, the trigger and a stained area of the grip. While nearly all of the stained samples from the weapon tested presumptively positive for blood, only two swabs yielded samples sufficient for DNA testing. 

The unstained sample from the trigger had samples from two individuals, but only one profile was suitable for comparison and it matched Sims. 

Both Sims’ and Porter’s DNA was found in the stained sample from the grip of the weapon. 

Livingston explained how touch DNA is dependent on several factors including skin shedding rates, how frequently someone washes their hands, the item type and texture and how long the item was touched. In addition, she testified that the presence of touch DNA can be impacted by the environment, outside influence such as cleaning and exposure to the elements, particularly rain and the sun’s UV rays.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Megan Schueler highlighted several items investigators either did not submit for DNA testing or tested only for the presence of blood, questioning the completeness of the forensic investigation.

Schueler pointed to the fact that the water bottle found at the scene was not tested for DNA evidence, that the backpack was only tested for a presumptive positive for blood and not DNA and that Sims’ driver’s license was also not tested for DNA. 

Earlier in the day, Kevin Essett, who knew both Sims and Porter testified that on or around July 22 he notified police that Sims’ ID was found on the outside of his vehicle, tucked under his driver’s side windshield wiper near the hood of the vehicle. Essett said his vehicle, which was distinctive and depicted on his Instagram, was parked outside his residence while he was in Northern Indiana with his girlfriend prior to driving it to a driving range where he found the ID on his vehicle. 

Schueler also questioned Detective Chris Scott about his interviewing techniques after Porter was arrested on July 24, 2024 at a convenience market located at the corner of 17th and Dunn in Bloomington with the help of Bloomington Police Department's CIRT or Critical Incident Response Team. Porter was arrested without incident. She asked if the interview that followed was accusatory in nature. 

“I just talked to him,” Scott said. “I believe the interview had questions.”

Schueler also asked about the white SUV, possible marijuana sales by Sims and the alleged burglary that took place at Sims’ residence two months prior to his death. 

Investigators said that they did not observe nearby surveillance footage of a white SUV, though they had reviewed the footage prior to being given that information upon Porter’s arrest. 

Prosecutor Benjamin Kim has yet to have lead investigator, Owen County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Nathan Martin, take the stand or to show video footage of Porter’s police interview. Both elements are expected to be shared next week when the trial resumes on Monday, July 27 and is expected to take a total of eight days.

Ongoing trial coverage

• Day one
• Day two
• Day three‍
• Day five
• Day six