Category Archives: Indiana

LaPorte County, Ind. – 1 killed, drunk driver arrested in semi crash on I-94 | wsbt.com

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Police have released more information about a deadly crash Thursday morning involving two semis in LaPorte County. They say a drunk driver was responsible.

The full news release is below:

LaPorte County-Indiana State Police responded to three vehicle crash, involving two semis, which closed I-94 for approximately two hours, and killed one of the semi drivers.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Rogelio Escutia revealed that at approximately 2:01 a.m., a 2007 International semi pulling a refrigerated box trailer, driven by George A. Leeth Senior, 37 of Hammond, was on 911 calling in an alleged drunk driver. Leeth described the vehicle, which was later identified as a 2006 Audi station wagon, as driving erratically, off and onto the road, from lane to lane, with speeds varying from 25-60 mph east bound on I-94. The Audi stopped in the middle of the right lane at the 43 mile marker (this is approximately 2 ½ miles west of the Indiana/Michigan State line) and the driver got out of his vehicle and began to walk around.

Leeth, who had activated his four way emergency hazard lights as he was talking to 911, stopped behind the Audi and got out of his semi to talk to the Audi driver. Leeth advised the Audi driver, later identified as Howard B Gutenstein, 47 of Valparaiso, to get back inside his car because of traffic in the area. As Leeth started to climb back into his semi, a second semi hit Leeth’s semi pushing it slightly into the rear of the Audi.

The second semi, a 2006 Freightliner pulling a tanker, driven by Steven Lunn, 52 of Olympia Fields, Illinois, was east bound in the right lane when he swerved to the right to avoid Leeth’s semi. Lunn’s semi hit the rear of Leeth’s trailer causing the cab to come to rest in the right lane and the tanker on the outer shoulder. Lunn’s semi was owned by Langer Transport out of Jersey City, New Jersey. He was loaded and placarded for Ethanol. No load was lost or compromised.

Lunn had to be extricated from his semi and pronounced dead at the scene by the LaPorte County Coroner of massive trauma. FAMILY HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.

Leeth was taken to Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Michigan City for non-life threatening injuries. Leeth’s semi was owned by Fore Transportation out of Harvey, Illinois, and loaded with perishable food. No load was lost.

Gutenstein was not injured. Further investigation revealed he had a blood alcohol content of .13%; Gutenstein was taken to LaPorte County Jail where he was charged with Operating While Intoxicated causing Death, a Class C Felony and Endangering, a Class A Misdemeanor.

read more here > UPDATE: 1 killed, drunk driver arrested in semi crash on I-94 – wsbt.com.

Jeffersonville, Indiana – Man charged with golf cart DUI after ejected passenger killed | courier-journal.com

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Matthew Myers

A Jeffersonville man was killed early Saturday after he was thrown from a golf cart and struck his head against a downtown building.

The death of Chad Anderson, 32, remains under investigation. But the accident led police to arrest Anderson’s friend and the driver of the golf cart, Matthew Myers, said Detective Todd Hollis, Jeffersonville’s police spokesman.

read more here > Jeffersonville man charged with driving a golf cart while intoxicated after friend dies | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com.

Pekin, Ind. – Motorcyclist killed in head-on collision with suspected drunk driver | wbiw.com

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A crash Monday afternoon left one man dead and another seriously injured.

67-year-old Johnny Ferrill, of Sellersburg, the driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash was on State Road 60, just east of Motsinger Road in Washington. Sheriff Claude Combs says the department received numerous 911 calls reporting a possible drunk driver driving erratically on State Road 60.

Combs says the driver, 31-year-old Brooke Bunch, of Pekin was traveling eastbound in a 2004 Jeep Cherokee had ran off the right side of the roadway, then came back onto the highway. She then crossed into the left bound lane colliding with the motorcycle.

Bunch was transported by helicopter ambulance from the scene to University of Louisville Hospital.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the accident.

Witnesses who saw Bunch’s erratic driving started calling the department seven minutes before the fatal crash when Brook was on Jackson Street in Salem.

They told police Bunch was swerving constantly and had crossed a double yellow line.

Then in front of O’Sully’s liquor Store Bunch crossed the yellow line and almost caused a head-on collision with a red Grand Am.

The driver of the Grand Am laid on the horn and was able to avoid the crash by swerving into the other lane.

One witness told WSLM radio they followed Bunch so they could report the Jeep’s location to police. When they reached the bypass Bunch was all over the road.

They then passed Motsinger Road and that is when Bunch, according to witnesses, topped the hill and went completely over into the other lane.

According to dispatchers, an oncoming vehicle had to leave the roadway to avoid the collision.

At that point, a witness says, Bunch left the roadway, went down an embankment, made a u-turn and then went back onto the highway.

A short distance later, Bunch collided with the motorcycle, causing the cycle and its rider to fly into the field.

via WBIW.com – 1340 AM, Bedford, Indiana.

LaPorte County, Ind.: Brother charged with drunk driving in death of brother | southbendtribune.com

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A North Liberty man and his brother had just left a bar before a motor vehicle crash that claimed the life of one of them.

That’s according to allegations filed in LaPorte Circuit Court against 22-year-old Ryan Flotow, who was charged Tuesday with Class B felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and Class A misdemeanor operating while intoxicated.

Kyle Flotow, 21, died in the early-Sunday crash on 875 East near 100 North outside Mill Creek.

The charges were leveled when Judge Tom Alevizos ruled there was sufficient evidence for Ryan Flotow to stand trial on the allegations.

About 3:30 a.m., responding emergency personnel found a heavily damaged silver 2000 Mitsubishi partially in the road. Police said the car was sitting there after hitting trees.

”It was a very unfortunate scene,” said LaPorte County Police Chief of Detectives Pat Cicero, who was among the responding officers. ”Our prayers go out to the family, of course.”

Ryan admitted to officers and witnesses that he had been drinking alcohol and expressed concern for his brother, who was already dead in the passenger seat of the vehicle, according to court records.

Ryan told officers he and his brother had recently left Little Tavern II in Rolling Prairie and had not made any stops since leaving the bar.

He also told police he was distracted by the radio and conversation with his brother, according to court documents.

Ryan, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to IU Health LaPorte Hospital, where a blood draw revealed a 0.152-percent blood alcohol level, according to court documents. He could face anywhere from a six- to 20-year sentence on the most serious offense.

Ryan was ordered held on $2,500 cash bond and is expected to be arraigned Friday.

According to his obituary, Kyle was a student at Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend.

via Brother charged with OWI in death of his brother – southbendtribune.com.

Indianapolis: Woman, 22, charged with drunk driving in crash killing two | wthr.com

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Tiffany_McGinnis_1364129524064.jpg

Tiffany McGinnis

Police say alcohol may have been a factor in an early morning accident that killed two people. Sherelle Davis, 25, and Mercedes McGinnis, 22, were both pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, officials said.

At approximately 3:22 a.m., officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched to the 7400 block of E. 30th Street on a business burglar alarm. Dispatchers subsequently received a second call indicating that someone needed help.

When officers arrived they found a car that had crashed into a building, ejecting and killing two of the vehicle’s occupants. Investigators believe that a Chevy Impala was traveling south on Richardt Avenue approaching the intersection of E. 30th St. where it comes to a dead-end. Officers believe the vehicle’s driver continued south through the dead-end, went over a guard rail, rolled and crashed into a building.

The vehicle caused external damage to the Univar USA Inc. building. No one was inside the building at the time of the crash. A third victim, originally reported by the police to have died, is currently in critical condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital. Officers have reasons to believe that alcohol may been involved and have requested members of the FACT team to conduct an investigation.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as 27-year-old Tiffany McGinnis of Indianapolis voluntarily submitted to a blood draw to test her blood for illegal intoxicants. Police say she has been arrested on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and serious injury. She is currently being held in the Marion County Jail. Two other occupants of the vehicle were transported to area hospitals, both in stable condition.

The two deceased victim’s names are not yet available for release as they have not been positively identified.

St. John, Indiana: Man allegedly drunk, driving 120 mph in fatal St. Patrick’s morning crash | posttrib.suntimes.com

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Traveling an estimated 120 mph and under the influence of alcohol, a St. John man is accused of causing a fiery crash which killed another man Sunday morning in St. John then fleeing the scene.

David R. Hatfield, 39, is charged with failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, a Class B felony; operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a Class C felony; and several misdemeanors and infractions. He is currently at the Lake County Jail.

The crash, which killed 59-year-old Crown Point resident Paul Gebauer, occurred around 5:20 a.m. Sunday. When police arrived at the scene in the 9400 block of W. 109th Avenue, both vehicles had been destroyed by fire and Gebauer was lying face down across the driver’s seat. He died after suffering severe burns.

Hatfield’s blood-alcohol level registered 0.17 percent. Lake County Lt. Steve Trajkovich downloaded information from the Camaro’s airbag control module, which revealed that the car was traveling at 120 mph a mere 1.5 seconds prior to the collision. The impact of the Hatfield’s 2012 Chevy Camaro split the seam of the gas tank on Gebauer’s 1998 GMC van, causing fuel and fumes to escape and a fire to ignite.

A witness told police he and his wife were traveling north on Parrish Avenue when he saw a large flash of light to the east, which turned out to be the fire caused by the collision. He headed toward the crash scene to help. At the scene, he saw a man with short dark hair walking away from the Camaro. He asked the man if there was anyone in the van, and the man replied “there’s somebody in the other one” very coldly and callously as if it was of no concern to him. The witness tried to help Gebauer, but he couldn’t open the door because the fire made the handles too hot. He heard Gebauer screaming for help, and the witness tried to enter the van, but a loud explosion caused the van to become fully engulfed.

Officers found that Hatfield headed to the home of a friend in the Gates of St. John subdivision. Hatfield’s friend said he told them he needed a place to stay due to marriage difficulties and he never mentioned the crash. She said he had been drinking and noticed his car wasn’t in the driveway. She called her husband, who was headed home from work at the time. He came upon the crash scene and heard from police that a driver had fled the scene. He asked the officer who they were looking for and was told his name was “Dave.” He directed police to his house, where they took Hatfield into custody.

via Man was drunk, driving 120 mph in fatal St. John crash – Post-Tribune.

LaPorte County, Ind. – Man who died in head-on was intoxicated – wsbt.com

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Police say a man who died in a head on-collision he caused was intoxicated.

LaPorte County police revealed on Tuesday that Walter Bracich had a .186 percent blood alcohol level.

Police said the 46-year-old Hobart man was northbound in the southbound lane of U-S 421 near 100 North when the crash happened around 11 Friday night. That’s between Michigan City and Westville.

The oncoming driver, 32-year-old Marlon Saunders of Union Pier, Michigan told police just as he crested a small hill he encountered a car operated by Bracich in the opposite lane.

The head-on collision then happened so suddenly Saunders did not have enough time to brake or even honk the horn of his 1999 Ford F-350 pickup truck, police said.

The Ford Crown Victoria operated by Bracich came to rest in the middle of the two lane highway and was struck by a third vehicle operated by 51-year-old David Sorenson of Huntington, Indiana.

Bracich was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene of massive internal injuries.

Saunders and Sorenson were both transported to a hospital for observation. Any injuries they sustained did not appear serious, said police.

LaPorte County Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Huffman said Bracich was diabetic and his glucose level was very high at just over 500. He said being intoxicated with such a high sugar level could have worsened Bracich’s impaired ability to drive by causing disorientation.

Huffman said most alcoholic beverages contain sugar and raise can the blood sugar levels in diabetics.

”Both of them together is not a good mixture. It’s just a bad combination,” said Huffman.

via LaPorte County police: Man who died in head-on was intoxicated – wsbt.com.

Frankfort, IN: 27-year-old woman hit and killed by drunk driver | wlfi.com

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A 27-year-old woman is dead after deputies said she was hit and killed by a drunk driver.

Clinton County deputies said it happened just before 5:00 Sunday morning.

Police said a woman was crossing the street on State Road 39, just outside of the Frankfort city limits, when a black pick-up truck traveling southbound hit and killed her.

Deputies said the driver, Joseph W. Stahl, was arrested for an OWI resulting in death.

Stahl is currently being held in the Clinton County Jail. The name of the victim is not being released at this time

via Woman killed by drunk driver | WLFI – Clinton County, Indiana.

Scottsburg, IN: Suspected drunk driver hits, kills Walmart greeter going home Christmas Eve | wlky.com

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Police said a drunk driver killed an Indiana man trying to get home on Christmas Eve.

The victim, 82-year-old Dean Shepherd, had just left his job as a Walmart greeter. He was walking when an oncoming car crashed into him off State Highway 56 in Washington County.

On Wednesday, police decided to bring charges against the driver involved in the crash, and many people in the community are left remembering Shepherd.

From behind the doors of the store, he made all the difference simply by saying hello.

“He was always happy and had a big smile on his face,” said neighbor Jerry McKnight.

“The driver that caused the crash was traveling east and went completely left of center and hit Mr. Shepherd head on,” said Washington County Sheriff Claude Combs.

Police believe that driver, Gilbert Mullis from Bloomington, was not only speeding, but drunk.

via Police: Drunk driver hits, kills man walking home from work | Indiana News – WLKY Home.

Gary, IN: Dead woman found in back seat during traffic stop. Driver-sister charged with DUI | nwitimes.com

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The sister of a woman found dead Thursday in a vehicle during a traffic stop in Gary has been arrested, said Gabrielle King, Gary police public information officer.

Julie Ann Hacker-Keminsky, 28, of St. John, was arrested Friday on charges of operating while intoxicated and child endangerment, Police Chief Wade Ingram said. Calls to the Lake County prosecutor’s office Friday were not returned.

The coroner’s office was called about 7:30 p.m. Thursday after police stopped a red Pontiac Grand Am at the Shop’n'Go Mini Mart at West 25th Avenue and Harrison Street and found 36-year-old Kristy Hacker, of Gary, dead in the front passenger seat. A child was found unharmed in the backseat.

Although Hacker’s cause of death remains pending at the coroner’s office, she is likely to have died of an accidental drug overdose, King said.

There were no signs of visible trauma on Hacker.

A band could be seen around the upper part of Hacker’s left arm as coroner’s office investigators pulled her body from the vehicle.

Hacker-Keminsky was later transported to a local hospital.

via Sister arrested after Gary woman found dead in passenger seat : Gary News.

Gary, IN: Alleged drunk driver rear-ends semi, dragged over a mile on her birthday | huffingtonpost.com

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An intoxicated Hammond, Ind. woman’s 34th birthday came to a dramatic end early Saturday when she rear-ended a semi truck on a Gary-area interstate and was dragged in her car over a mile when the semi driver didn’t notice the collision.

According to the Northwest Indiana Times, Natasha M. Garza had been out drinking in celebration of her Friday birthday when she crashed her Chevrolet Cobalt into a semi trailer around 2:40 a.m. Saturday.

The semi driver proceeded to drive about a mile westbound with Garza’s vehicle wedged under the back of his truck before he finally noticed the crash had taken place and pulled over on Interstate 80, near Gary, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Garza’s blood alcohol level was .21 percent, over two times the legal limit of .08. She was cut out of her car by firefighters and sustained non-life-threatening injuries to her wrist and ankle, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. She was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license.

The truck driver, Juan G. Palafox, of Romeoville, Ill., was not injured in the crash but was cited for a logbook violation.

via Natasha M. Garza, Indiana Woman’s Car Dragged For Mile By Semi Truck In Drunk Driving Collision.

Terre Haute, IN: DUI suspect in custody after pedestrian critically injured | wbiw.com

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A Terre Haute man is behind bars, and another in the hospital, after an accident Wednesday night.

Travis Napier is being charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in serious bodily injury and possession of a controlled substance.

Police say that around 10 p.m. Napier was driving north on Lafayette when he crossed the south lane and went over the curb, striking pedestrian Benjamin Stanton.

Stanton was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and is in critical condition.

Officials say Napier did fail a field sobriety test.

He is being held at the Vigo County Jail, and will appear in court again on Monday.

via WBIW.com – 1340 AM, Bedford, Indiana.

Fort Wayne, IN: TV sportscaster faces DWI charges | The Journal Gazette

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Kent Hormann

Longtime Fort Wayne TV sportscaster Kent Hormann has been charged with two counts of driving while intoxicated.

Hormann’s blood-alcohol content tested at 0.13 percent, more than one and a half times the legal limit for driving in Indiana, after being stopped in Markle on Sunday evening, according to Huntington County court documents and his employer.

Court documents said he was also cited on a charge of driving left of center and of operating a motor vehicle with a fictitious registration number.

Bond was set at $7,000 and a pretrial conference has been scheduled for Nov. 5.

Indiana’s NewsCenter said on its website that Hormann has been placed on a leave of absence.

He has been co-host with Dean Pantazi and Tommy Schoegler of the Friday night local sports program “The Score,” which airs on WPTA 21-Alive.

A Fort Wayne native, Hormann began his broadcasting career in 1978 with WFFT-TV, Channel 55. He joined WKJG-TV in June 1981 and served as a videographer, sports anchor and sports director, according to his biography on the INC website.

This is the second time this year that a veteran local broadcaster has been accused of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

Indiana NewsCenter morning co-anchor Mary Collins, arrested June 26, was removed from the show and replaced. The 2012 arrest was her second alleging drunken driving.

via TV sportscaster Kent Hormann faces DWI charges | The Journal Gazette.

Warsaw, IN: Amish horse-and-buggy struck by accused drunk driver. Horse dead at scene | staceypageonline.com

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Francisco Gonzalez

The driver involved in a hit and run near the Warsaw Walmart store Saturday night was drunk, according to Warsaw Police.

Warsaw Police and the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office are still investigating the weekend accident in which Francisco J. Gonzalez, 24, of 704 Southside Dr., Warsaw, slammed his vehicle in a horse pulling an Amish wagon.

Police say Gonzalez’s blood alcohol level was .17 percent. He was taken to Parkview Hospital following the accident, but was released before police could take him into custody.

At approximately 10:52 p.m., emergency responders were called to Sheldon Street north of the Warsaw Super Wal-Mart for a passenger car that had struck a buggy and then fled the scene. Emergency personnel located the buggy over the curb on the west side of Shelden Street and observed that the horse had died.

read more here > Horse Killed By Drunk Driver.

Ft. Wayne, IN: Driver with .52 BAC in serious condition after hitting four vans. One victim also serious. Yes, we said .52! | indianasnewscenter.com

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Fort Wayne police say a driver with a blood-alcohol content 6½ times the legal limit caused a crash at Maplecrest & Evard Roads.

Witnesses tell police that around 2:40 p.m., a Toyota Corolla was headed southbound on Maplecrest Road, failed to stop at a red traffic light and rammed into four minivans stopped at the intersection in front of Hillsboro addition.

Fort Wayne firefighters had to extricate two people from the wreckage.

The male driver of the Corolla was taken to a hospital in serious condition. A BAC test on the driver read 0.52%.

One other person is also in serious condition. Another is in fair condition.

read more here > Police: Man With 0.52% BAC Causes Crash | Indiana’s NewsCenter: News, Sports, Weather, Fort Wayne WPTA-TV, WISE-TV, CW, and MyFOX | Local.