An Indianapolis man was arrested for Vehicle Theft and other charges after leading police on a 20-mile pursuit in Scott and Jackson Counties Monday evening.

Shortly before 7 pm Monday, the driver of a white, 1994 Chevrolet log truck pulled into the Taco Bell in Scottsburg for a dinner break.  The driver left the vehicle running with the keys still in the ignition.  A few minutes later, the owner realized the truck was missing from the parking lot and spotted the vehicle northbound on I-65. 

Indiana State Troopers soon located the vehicle and attempted to stop the truck near the Austin exit; however, the driver failed to pull over and continued northbound.  Troopers continued to follow the truck, which at one time appeared to be stopping at the Exit 41 ramp, but then continued north.  The truck eventually stopped at the bottom of the Seymour ramp at Exit 50 when Seymour City Officers assisted Troopers. 

The driver, Robert Lee Coffee, 29, of Indianapolis, was taken into custody and transported to the Scott County Jail without further incident.  He was charged with Auto Theft – Level 6 Felony, Theft Above $750 – Level 6 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement – Level 6 Felony, and Reckless Driving – Class C Misdemeanor.   Information gathered in the investigation lead officers to believe Coffee was hitchhiking from Bowling Green, Kentucky, and stole the vehicle when he was unable to obtain a ride to Indianapolis. 

The log truck was returned to the owner without damage. 

Troopers were assisted by officers from the Seymour City Police Department, the Crothersville Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and Indiana State Police Versailles District Troopers. 

A Jeffersonville woman was arrested on Sunday evening for Neglect of a Dependent after leaving her ten-year-old and five-year-old children alone in a car while shopping at an area Wal-Mart. 

On January 19, 2020, around 8:37 pm, Trooper Justin Geltmaker responded to the Wal-Mart on Grant Line Road in New Albany after a concerned citizen reported two young children left unattended in a parked car.  

When Trooper Geltmaker arrived, he was flagged down and alerted to the vehicle, a red, Chevrolet Malibu, which was not running. 

Trooper Geltmaker advised the temperature was near 37 degrees at the time, and the local weather service advised a “real feel” of 28 degrees. 

Based on information gathered in his investigation, Trooper Geltmaker believed the children were left unattended for a minimum of 15 minutes before the police were notified.     

When Geltmaker approached the vehicle he could see two small children in the back seat, one of which was still secured in a car seat. 

Trooper Geltmaker said he spoke with the children who advised their mother, Nashunda S. Greene, 40, Jeffersonville, IN, was inside the store shopping. 

An assisting New Albany Police Officer then went into the store to have the mother paged.  Greene was taken into custody when she arrived back at the vehicle. 

The children were turned over to the custody of their father at the conclusion of the investigation. 

Trooper Geltmaker was assisted by the New Albany Police Department and Trooper Jared Ferguson. 

The American Red Cross has extended its urgent call for donors of all blood types to give blood or platelets.

With influenza escalating across the country and preventing some donors from giving, and winter weather threatening to cancel blood drives, the Red Cross now has a critical shortage of type O blood and urgently needs donors to restock the shelves.

Currently, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of type O blood available for patient emergencies and medical treatments.

Type O positive blood is the most transfused blood type
and can be given to Rh-positive patients of any blood type. While just 7% of the U.S. population has type O negative blood, it can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what hospital staff reach for during emergencies when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type.

Every day, the Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood donations and more than 2,600 platelet donations for patients who rely on blood to survive. Shortfalls in donations can cause
delays in essential medical care for patients like 12-year-old Dagan Hawkins.

Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November, Dagan has required platelet and blood transfusions during his cancer treatments. “There was a time when they needed to have
blood products delivered from another hospital because they were unavailable there,” said Dustin Hawkins, Dagan’s father.

Donors of all blood types – especially types O positive and O negative – are urged to make an appointment to give blood now using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Dale United Methodist Church, 1 West Elm St. Dale , IN 47523
1/27/2020: 3 – 7 p.m.

Lincoln Trail Elementary, 13726 Indiana 245 Lamar, IN 47550
1/30/2020: 1 – 6 p.m.

Luce Elementary School, 1057 North County Road 700 West Richland, IN 47634
1/27/2020: 2 – 7 p.m.

St. Bernard Catholic Church, 547 Elm St. Rockport, IN 47635
1/22/2020: 4- 8 p.m.

St. Meinrad School of Theology, 200 Hill Drive Saint Meinrad, IN 47577
2/6/2020: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Santa Claus United Methodist Church, 351 North Holiday Blvd. Santa Claus, IN 47579
1/30/2020: 1 – 6 p.m.

Paroquet Springs Conference Centre, 395 Paroquet Springs Drive Shepherdsville, KY 40165
1/21/2020: 3 – 7 p.m.

Elizabethtown Community Drive, Towne Mall, 1704 N. Dixie Elizabethtown , KY 42701
1/27/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
1/31/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2/3/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2/7/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

American Legion Post 113, 1251 Ring Road Elizabethtown, KY 42701
2/1/2020: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Ft. Knox Hansen Center, 1053 Spearhead Division Ave. Fort Knox, KY 40121
2/4/2020: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

St. Brigid CCC, 314 East Main Vine Grove, KY 40175
2/14/2020: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Hodgenville Elementary School, 33 Eagle Lane Hodgenville, KY 42748
1/27/2020: 3 – 8 p.m.

Hodgenville Woman's Club, 19 Lincoln Square Hodgenville, KY 42748
2/11/2020: noon – 5 p.m.

VFW Auxiliary, 770 By-Pass Road Brandenburg, KY 40108
2/11/2020: 2 – 7 p.m.

Parkway Baptist, 2580 Springfield Road Bardstown, KY 40004
2/2/2020: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

New Haven Rolling Fork Fire, 362 Center St. New Haven, KY 40051
1/26/2020: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

First Baptist Church of Taylorsville, 115 W. Main St. Taylorsville, KY 40071
2/11/2020: 2 – 6 p.m.

On January 17, 2020, Captain Joe Guarneri served an outstanding arrest warrant at the Scott County Jail.  John Reardon, 53, of Nabb, In. was arrested on an outstanding warrant for Invasion of Privacy. 

On January 17, 2020, Deputies John Hartman, Keith Hartman, Chris Bowling and Zach Brown along with Reserve Deputy Nate Love went to an address on Chasteen Road in an attempt to serve an outstanding arrest warrant. 

Upon arrival Richard Deweese, 41, of Deputy, In. was arrested on an out of county warrant.  Deweese also received additional charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of a Syringe, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Possession of a Legend Drug, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia and Auto Theft. 

On January 19, 2020, Deputy James Ward conducted a traffic stop in rural Scott County. 

An investigation led to the arrest of Charles Roberts, 32, of Henryville, In. for Operating as a Habitual Traffic Violator.