Last night and early this morning, Indiana State Police conducted a saturation patrol targeting dangerous and impaired drivers throughout Knox County.

Between 9:30 last night and 3:30 this morning, troopers issued 18 traffic tickets, 33 warnings and arrested three impaired drivers. Troopers also cited and released two individuals for possession of marijuana.

Arrested and Charges:

• Keith A. Luenebrink, 28, Monroe City, IN

1. Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated – Refusal, Class A Misdemeanor
2. Outstanding Warrant out of Knox County            

• William R. Thais, 63, Vincennes, IN   (BAC .18%)

1. Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Class A Misdemeanor
2. Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated –Endangerment, Class A Misdemeanor

• Tanner M. Allen, 21, Vincennes, IN   (BAC of .08%)

1. Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Class C Misdemeanor

Arresting Officers: Trooper Brock Buchanan, Trooper Jordan Lee and Trooper Hunter Manning

The Indiana State Police are committed to traffic safety and will continue to conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints to apprehend impaired drivers and to deter others from drinking and driving.

During the evening hours of Friday, January 31, 2020, Investigators and Troopers from the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg arrested a Marengo, Indiana man for Child Molestation.

Detective Chris Tucker launched an investigation in November of 2019 after he was contacted by the Indiana Department of Child Services and learned of possible inappropriate or illegal conduct involving a minor. 

During the investigation, Tucker gained probable cause to believe sexual conduct occurred between Michael L. Ransdell, 68, and a child at an unspecified time during 2018. 

The alleged incident occurred at a New Salisbury, Indiana residence.   

As a result of the investigation, Detective Tucker requested an arrest warrant for Ransdell on one count of Child Molestation, a Level Four Felony. 

On Friday evening, Trooper Ryne McMahel arrested Ransdell at his residence in Marengo. 

After his arrest, Michael Ransdell was transported and remanded into the custody of the Harrison County Jail without incident. 

Detective Tucker was assisted by case workers with the Indiana Department of Child Services.

All subjects are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

One female and two others – all from Scott County – were seriously injured this evening in an accident involving a car and train.

Shortly after 5:00 pm on February 1, 2020, an accident involving a CXS train and a small passenger car occurred approximately one-tenth of a mile west of US 31 on Christie Road in Austin. 

The accident resulted in one fatality and two seriously injured.  Stephanie Trabue, 22, of Scottsburg was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by the Scott County Coroner’s Office. 

Karli Rose, 20, of Austin and Hannah Combs, 17, of Austin were both airlifted from the scene and transported to the University of Louisville Hospital for life-threatening injuries. 

While responding to the accident an Austin Fire Apparatus being operated by Dustin Jordan was involved in a single-vehicle accident resulting in a minor injury to the passenger Jodi Parks. 

The Sheriff’s Office has turned the crash investigation over to the Indian State police who are reconstructing the accident and any further information will need to be obtained through the State Police. 

Any further information in regards to the accident with the fire truck will need to be obtained from the Jennings Township Fire Department. 

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Austin Police Department, the Scottsburg Police Department, the Crothersville Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the Railroad Police, the Jennings Township Fire Department, the Vernon Township Fire Department, the Scottsburg Fire Department, Scott County EMS, Air Methods Air Ambulance and Stat Flight Air Ambulance. 

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today issued the following statement regarding his vote to oppose additional witnesses in the impeachment trial:

“It would establish a dangerous precedent if the Senate were to fix defective articles of impeachment. If the House felt that additional witnesses and evidence were necessary to prove their case, they should have pursued these legal disputes in the courts to protect the rights of the accused. This is exactly what our Founding Fathers’ carefully designed system of constitutional checks and balances calls for. In their rush to impeach this President, the House did not follow the appropriate process. It is for this reason, that I am duty bound to oppose the motion to call additional witnesses.”

Milestone Contractors will begin tree clearing operations along Carr Hill Road over I-65 in Bartholomew County next week.

The road will close beginning Monday, February 3, and reopen by Friday, February 7, weather permitting, once tree clearing work is complete.

Nighttime shoulder closures are also planned on I-65 near the bridge, located just south of Exit 68 (S.R. 46/Columbus).

Bridge work is expected to begin the following Monday (Feb. 10) and Carr Hill Road will close at that time through mid-July. Additional restrictions will take place on I-65 during bridge deck demolition and overhead work.

The official detour for the closure will follow Terrace Lake Road to Goeller Blvd. to S.R. 46.

The nearly-$5 million superstructure replacement project was awarded to Milestone in November and also includes C.R. 200 S. over I-65. The project completion date is November 30, 2020. Motorists should slow down and use extra caution when traveling in and near the work zone. 

Troopers arrested a Georgetown man early Tuesday on numerous felony charges after first observing a simple equipment violation.  

Trooper Zachary Lavey, and newly appointed Probationary Trooper Dakota Novak, were patrolling SR 135 in Harrison County around 2:30 Tuesday morning when the officers spotted a white Hyundai Sonata displaying green lights. Indiana law only allows for white or amber lights to be displayed to the front of a car. When the officers attempted to catch up with the Sonata, they realized the driver had greatly increased speed and was traveling approximately 100 mph as they continued south into Corydon. The driver, later identified as Damon Michael Arnold, 46, Georgetown, Indiana, eventually stopped in Corydon and pulled in to a local hotel parking lot.  

As Lavey and Novak continued the stop and investigation, they discovered over 24 grams of suspected methamphetamine as well as marijuana and drug-related paraphernalia. Officers also found Arnold was a Habitual Traffic Violator (HTV) with only an Indiana ID card. Damon Arnold was arrested and charged with the following: 

1. Dealing in Methamphetamine – Level 2 Felony
2. Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 4 Felony
3. Habitual Traffic Violator – Level 6 Felony 
4. Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor
5. Possession of Paraphernalia – Class C Misdemeanor
6. Reckless Driving – Class C Misdemeanor

Arnold was also wanted on a Level 6 Felony warrant out of Floyd County for HTV. Officers transported Damon Arnold to the Harrison County Jail without further incident.