Mid-States Corridor survey refusals turn into court summons
DUBOIS COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) – A long-time battle over the proposed mid-states corridor project has now become a legal battle. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is suing over 100 property owners after they say they refused to allow land surveyors to do their job.
Huntingburg resident, and owner of Ring Farms, Dave Ring is 1 out of 121 property owners on 70 individual properties being sued by INDOT. The department claims residents unlawfully prevented land surveyors with the proposed Mid-States Corridor to access their property. 'I mean, if they'd ask permission to get on your property, that would be a whole different thing,' says Ring, 'but they don't. They didn't.'
The suit says Indiana law gives INDOT the authority to survey any property and claims residents refused to grant access after attempts to call, mail letters, and visit door to door. Attorney Russ Sipes is representing roughly half of the 70 individual properties and says if INDOT wants access to properties they have to use the legal system.
INDOT suing Dubois County property owners
'We expect the surveyors to be able to get on the property,' says Sipes, 'but this way they do it with a court order.'
INDOT also claims surveyors feared for their safety and requested law enforcement to visit properties to inform owners of the law, but say residents refused to comply. The filing says residents 'are not entitled' to interfere with INDOT's survey process. You can read the full lawsuit in the viewer below. Addresses of defendants listed in the suit have been blacked out for privacy.
INDOT-v-LC-Bar-LLC-et-al-Veri_1742994560-1Download
'To say we don't have to ask permission or we don't, that fires people up,' says Ring. 'It changes the attitude of a lot of people.' Sipes adds, 'Right now there's just a lot of concern, a lot of anger, a lot of worry. People thinking about what they thought was going to be their life and their legacy, now thinking that it's going to be a four-lane highway that they can look at when they drive down it.'
A 130-acre section of Ring's three generation farm falls right in the middle of the proposed corridor. For Ring and numerous other farmers, it's not about the family history, but the livelihood they have built.
'This field right here is my plant,' explains Ring. 'Like Jasper Engines has a plant, OFS has a plant, furniture plant. You know, if you knock those plants down, you go somewhere else and you can build it. But this plant here, you cover it with asphalt, it's gone forever.'
Eyewitness News reached out to INDOT for comment. A spokesperson for the department replied, saying, 'INDOT does not comment on active or pending litigation.'
Mid-States Corridor survey refusals turn into court summons
New Reduced Conflict Intersection is operational
Lack of maintenance to blame for Princeton siren outage
Century Aluminum says tariffs will move business forward
Posey County EMA Director taking proactive approach to severe weather threat
Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Beat Tariff Price Hikes With Woot's Amazon Device Deals From as Little as $12
Amazon makes a bunch of CNET's top picks for smart home gadgets, smart speakers and more, but buying them directly at Amazon doesn't always score you a deal. If you're looking to shave off some of the cost, don't skip the sale at Woot happening now. Tariffs are expected to raise prices on all sorts of electronics, so getting ahead of the game is ideal. Woot is an Amazon company, and right now there are a variety of Amazon-made devices marked down with as much as 46%, starting as low as $12. Some items are new, others are open box and a few are factory reconditioned. Though the overall sale runs through June 13, multiple items have already sold out so act quickly to avoid disappointment. If you're looking to secure your space, the refurbished Ring Video Doorbell 3 is a good option and it's down to just $50 right now. There are also outdoor options like this Blink Wired Floodlight Camera for $30 bucks or the Ring Outdoor Stuck Up Cam for $35. You can also nab a brand new 2nd-gen Echo Show 8 smart display for $50. And a new 5th-gen Echo Dot smart speaker will cost you just $54. Once you're set up with smart home stuff galore, you can't go wrong with an additional refurb Amazon smart plug for $12. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. If you're more in the market for entertainment than home security, the sale has got you covered. The Amazon Fire HD 8 for $20 is an absolute steal for a tablet. It's the not the latest version but this refurbished model should still be good for streaming or scrolling. Prefer streaming on your TV? Upgrade your current television with a refurbished Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for just $30 -- it comes with an Alexa Voice Remote, too. And if you're more of a reader, consider this refurbished Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, now just $60. If you want more savings, see our picks for Amazon deals for under $100 and our smart home deals roundup to get everything you need for your home. Why this deal matters You can get yourself some great tech from Amazon right now at low prices thanks to Woot's generous offers. If you were looking to get a new TV, smart speaker or tablet, it's a great time to shop. We don't anticipate these items going for lower any time soon and Woot sales tend to sell out quickly.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police find 2 dead inside Lake County home
A death investigation is underway after police found two bodies inside a Tavares home. Officers made the discovery Tuesday night at the Etowah subdivision. Drone 9 flew over the crime scene in the gated community. The Tavares Police Department has not said how the two people died or what their relationship was to each other. Investigators told Channel 9 it appeared to be an 'isolated incident.' Monitor for updates on this case. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Drive Clean Indiana eyeing Evansville as its next big E-V charging hub
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – Drive Clean Indiana held a seminar at Red Bank Library on Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure opportunities in Evansville. The non-profit organization is a subsidiary of US Department of Energy, which has begun rolling out their GOEVIN initiative for 2025. Executive Director Carl Lisek says GOEVIN is aimed at raising support for EV charging stations in an effort to find potential grant applicants to build infrastructure with. GOEVIN is striving to build strong partnerships with local businesses and government bodies that are committed to making Indiana green for years to come. Only three percent of vehicles registered in Indiana are EV's. GOEVIN aims to change this by establishing more charging stations in the state, giving Hoosiers more choices. The program has received no federal funding thanks to Volkswagen who has pledged nearly four million towards the construction of hubs in Indiana. Over three million of that will build Direct Current Fast Charging (D-C-F-C) stations. The price tag is a hefty one for these chargers due to their power usage and ability to charge vehicles quickly. Lisek and his team also want to implement Level two charging stations in Evansville. These stations are catered toward EV drivers that travel long distance and have down time for a slower charge. Due to less energy demands, the non-profit has allocated around one hundred and seventy thousand for the construction of these stations. The Drive Clean Indiana team is committed to making Evansville a cleaner and safer place to live. Although there are critics Lisek says, 'You are going to run into that no matter the technology. Education is key, showing success, getting people behind the wheels of electric vehicles, I think that has been one of our successes.' With the help of Evansville officials, Lisek team hopes to have Evansville working as a fully functional EV charging hub by late December of 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.