#WTLCIndyNews: Marion County Sheriff’s Cop Son Arrested For Dealing Drugs; Highlights of Pence’s State Of The State And Obama’s Last State Of The Union Addresses; Tickets Still Moving For Tonight’s $1.5 Bil Powerball Drawing; …More

Source: Ivan Bajic / Getty

Get In the Know With Kim’s Wednesday News & Sports Headlines

A second-generation cop gets busted for dealing drugs in Indy; Police investigate odd deaths–one at a bar and another in a wheelchair; Indiana’s governor delivers the State of the State focused largely on undoing damage from last year’s religious freedom and LGBT civil rights battle; President Obama goes-in with his long list of accomplishments, wishes and more during his last State of the Union address; Powerball fever continues as cold weather wreaks havoc and an enemy of sheltered animals gets active in the city. Check out these news headlines, sports stories and more below, plus links to more content.

Local:

Investigators say an Indianapolis Metro Police officer who’s also the 35-year-old son of Marion County’s sheriff is under arrest for suspected drug dealing. Sheriff John Layton issued a statement to WTHR-TV. In it, he said, “This is obviously a heartbreaking moment as a parent, especially as a parent who is also the sheriff, and even more as the father of a police officer.” Police say it doesn’t appear Nikolas Layton, who is a ten-year veteran of the police force, dealt drugs while he was on duty. The younger Layton is now out of lock-up on bond.

A St. Louis man critically injured during a scuffle at a downtown bar is dead. Police say John Hilf hit his head on a banister early Saturday morning after he was involved in an altercation at Kilroy’s Bar N’ Grill. The Marion County Coroner’s Office says he died of blunt force trauma from a fall. IMPD says the circumstances surrounding the incident are still being investigated.

Police in Marion say they’re still trying to figure out why someone killed a local man in his wheelchair in his own home.  Officers found the body Tuesday. They have a suspect, Waylon Sadler, but he’s not yet been charged with murder. Police say they are holding Sadler on a warrant for other violent crimes.

Source: Indiana Governors office / Gov Office

Governor Mike Pence is willing to consider expanding Indiana’s civil rights laws to include protection for sexual orientation and gender identity. During his State of the State address Tuesday night, Pence said he believes no one should be “harassed or mistreated because of who they are, who they love or what they believe.” He added, however, that any bill sent to his desk must be consistent with the Indiana Constitution. Pence said jobs, the economy, schools, roads and confronting drug abuse are his priorities.

In National News:

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

President Barack Obama is calling for unity as he begins his last year in office. In his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama praised the bipartisan budget deal hammered out late last year. He called for more bipartisan work in criminal justice reform and in battling prescription drug abuse. Obama said the U.S. should not fear change but should embrace it and “make it work for us.”  While these comments were positive, he also took time to push back against the political rhetoric that’s been heard on the 2016 presidential campaign trail, saying any politics that targets people based on race or religion should be rejected. Obama remarked that it’s not a matter of political correctness, it’s a matter of understanding of what makes allies instead of enemies. The president also spent lots of time discussing the economy. He touted the ongoing recovery from the deep recession and rejected any notion that the American economy is in decline, calling it “fiction.” He noted the U.S. has the strongest, most durable economy in the world despite statements to the contrary that are repeated by GOP candidates on the campaign stump. He also acknowledged that despite the nation’s economic recovery, many Americans still feel anxious and squeezed as the economy is changing. He called on Congress to embrace equal-pay-for-equal work and for them to boost the minimum wage.

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is making it clear that she was referring to Donald Trump as one of the “loud voices” during the Republican response to President Obama’s last State of the Union address Tuesday night. Haley told NBC’s Today show Wednesday morning that candidates need to tone down the inflammatory speech in the presidential race. Haley is considered a top choice among some to be a vice presidential candidate, but says she hasn’t thought about such a move.

The Pentagon says the ten U.S. sailors who’d been held by Iran are now free and doing well this morning. The nine men and one woman were held and questioned overnight. The Navy sailors were in two small boats traveling from Kuwait to Bahrain when they were detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for straying into Iranian waters.

Source: SAUL LOEB / Getty

Today is the big day…the drawing for the largest lottery prize in history is just hours away. The Powerball jackpot has grown to $1.5 billion. The lump-sum cash value of the jackpot is $930 million. The odds of winning this life-altering jackpot are about one in 300 million. Tickets are still moving and retailers are reporting long lines. The drawing takes place tonight just before 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

In Sports:

The NFL’s Rams are relocating to Los Angeles, but the future of the San Diego Chargers remains up in the air. Thirty of the league’s 32 owners voted Tuesday to approve the Rams moving to Inglewood for next season, leaving St. Louis behind. The Chargers were also approved for relocation, but league officials are giving the San Diego franchise a year to decide if they want to join the Rams.

The Indiana Pacers outscored the Phoenix Suns by 15 in the fourth quarter Tuesday night to pull away for a 116-97 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won’t get any time to rest. They are right back on the road for tonight’s matchup with the Celtics. Game time is 8 p.m. Eastern.

The Butler University community is in mourning today. Former Butler big man Andrew Smith died Tuesday at the age of 25 after a lengthy battle with Cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma and later leukemia. His wife Samantha confirmed the death on her Twitter account Tuesday. Smith was a six-foot-11 center and played a key roll on both the Bulldogs’ national title game teams.

Indianapolis Weather:

Bitter cold this morning may temp you to leave your car warming up. It’s not a good idea as one Indy mother discovered. Keep vehicles locked. The bitter temps left some Indy-area schools on two-hour delays this morning as well.

Don’t be deceived by morning sunshine because it’s still frigidly cold which has also prompted the city to cancel trash pick up and recycling for today. The sun will give away to clouds later this afternoon. Wednesday’s high near 25 degrees.

Finally:

This story may leave you asking…”what’s wrong with people?” Metro police are trying to identify the person caught on surveillance video stealing a donation box from the Humane Society of Indianapolis. It was taken from one of their dog kennels on January 5. A man wearing a black zip-up sweatshirt with gray skulls on the right side was caught on camera. Anyone with information is asked to call 317-327-6147.  See his photo in the Tweet below:

### (@1067WTLC) ###