After a weekend homecoming party outside the city that led to police calls, including a shooting incident, Vigo County is looking to see if its large party ordinance will help deter such events in the future.
Vigo County, like the city of Terre Haute, requires a special event permit for commercial parties featuring dancing and music, according to Sheriff John Plasse.
He said those permits are obtained through the county commissioner’s office and require a safety plan.
During Indiana State University’s Homecoming weekend, two parties (neither of which are affiliated with the university) are held across the county, one at Ambet’s Post 222 in West Terre Haute and the other at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds. It was held in.
Those hosting the party did not have the necessary permits, Plasse said.
He said he is talking with the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office about the possibility of involvement of people who failed to obtain the necessary permits, and “hopefully they get the message and don’t do it again.” Ta.
County ordinance states, “If a special event that requires a permit is held for more than one year on property that is not owned or leased by the person holding the special event, the owner and tenant of that property must ” is stipulated. Event organizers must jointly obtain an event permit. ”
Facility owners may also face consequences, but may need to be educated about the ordinance if they are unaware. “They obviously know the requirements, so there won’t be any more warnings in the future,” Plasse said.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, an unknown assailant opened fire in the crowded dance hall area at Ambet’s on Oct. 21.
Two people were shot and suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The two were taken to a hospital for treatment but have since been released.
No arrests have been made in the case, and investigators say witnesses are not cooperating with the investigation.
Plasse, a former Terre Haute police chief, said when he became sheriff, the county adopted an ordinance similar to one already passed in the city.
The ordinance is intended to avoid problems caused by large parties hosted by outside promoters, which have escalated into violence in the past.
A fight also broke out at the party at the amusement park, he said.
Meanwhile, within the city, call totals for this year’s homecoming weekend were similar to recent years, said Sgt. Justin Sears, Terre Haute Police Public Information Office.
The data includes all calls, not just those related to homecoming-related events. These numbers are the number of calls and arrests made on the morning of Homecoming Weekend, Friday through Sunday.
•2018: 331 reports, 21 arrests.
•2019: 339 citations, 24 arrests.
•2021: 286 citations, 25 arrests.
•2022: 267 citations, 25 arrests.
•2023: 337 citations, 30 arrests.
Sears noted that five arrests occurred in downtown Terre Haute after the party and Anvetz at the amusement park broke up. Most likely many of those people went downtown, where there are several restaurants and bars open.
As a result, the number of arrests has increased slightly compared to recent years, he said.
As for this year’s incidents, “I wouldn’t say they were the worst” than in recent years, he said.
The city’s special event permit requirements “have really helped. People are now having safety plans in place when they’re hosting these parties and large parties in Terre Haute,” Sears said. They have to have security.
The permit requirements “remove a lot of problems,” he says.
The city will plan and coordinate with the university, county, and other agencies regarding weekend returns.
“We had extra personnel patrolling the parade and walk. We had 14 to 20 officers on duty on Friday and Saturday nights, which is almost double the normal number of people,” he said. Told.
“It goes back to planning. We don’t take it lightly. We want to be ready for anything.”