Yesterday evening at approximately 8:30 pm., Trooper Rob Caudill from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg was traveling north while patrolling near the Scott/Clark County line on Interstate #65.

When he neared the 23 Mile Marker he observed a red Mazda Miata in front of him drive off the roadway into the grass median and spin out of control.

The driver, Jason Michael Baker, age 39 of Sellersburg, was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, Dealing in a Controlled Substance, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Heroin, Possession of Marijuana, Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle, Reckless Driving and Driving While Suspended. He was also wanted on a State Parole Warrant.

He was incarcerated at the Scott County Jail.

The vehicle then returned to the north bound lanes of travel and trooper Caudill activated his vehicle’s emergency lights and attempted to stop the driver for unsafe lane movement.

The driver refused to stop and increased his speed attempting to allude trooper Caudill.  

The pursuit continued north to Exit 29, (Scottsburg), where the driver took the exit and went east on State Road 56. After pursuing the driver through several intersections and local streets, the driver went down a dead end road and attempted to turn around in a residential yard and crashed into a tree causing the vehicle to come to a stop.

The driver then fled on foot but was shortly apprehended by trooper Caudill after deploying his Taser.

After the driver, Jason Michael Baker, 39 of Sellersburg, was in custody, a search of him and his vehicle located suspected Methamphetamine, Heroin, Marijuana and other controlled substances.

Two guns, an AR-15 style rifle and an air fired handgun were located in the car.

This investigation is continuing.

Assisting agencies: Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Scottsburg City Police Department and Scott County EMS.

A Trooper from the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post, while conducting a welfare check of a broken down vehicle and its two occupants, arrested one of those occupants on numerous drug related charges on Thursday, December 28, 2017.

According to Trooper Aaron Meyer, at approximately 2:40 a.m. on December 28, 2017, he was dispatched to the 132 mile marker on the westbound side to check on a broken down vehicle. 

While speaking with the two occupants, he offered them the opportunity to sit in his patrol vehicle to get out of the frigid cold.  He reported the temperature at the time to be six degrees below zero.

His suspicions were heightened when the occupants refused his offer and indicated they would wait the 45 minutes, in their vehicle which was not able to run or provide heat, for the tow truck they had already called. 

Further investigation by Meyer led to a LaGrange County Sheriff Department K-9 being summoned to conduct an open air sniff around the vehicle.

Following a positive alert for narcotics, a search of the vehicle was conducted.  Methamphetamine, a plant-like material believed to be marijuana, ecstasy, heroin and prescription pills were allegedly located along with a syringe and other items commonly associated with the use and dealing of narcotics.  Purportedly, more than $800.00 in U.S. currency was also located.

The driver of the vehicle, Erin Paul Kaiser, 41 years of age and the passenger Scott Fraley, 55 years of age, both from Angola, Indiana were taken into custody without incident and incarcerated in the LaGrange County Jail.  Kaiser was preliminarily charged with driving while suspended prior. 

Fraley was preliminarily charged with the following:

• Possession of Methamphetamine
• Dealing Methamphetamine
• Maintaining a Common Nuisance
• Possession of Marijuana (with a previous conviction)
• Possession of Controlled Substance
• Possession of Paraphernalia

The Indiana State Police have identified the individuals involved in the early morning crash on I-465 that killed one woman.  

The crash claimed the life of 24-year-old Milca B. Alvarado Polanco of Indianapolis.  She was driving a white Nissan Sentra west-bound in the east-bound lanes when she hit a FedEx semi pulling double trailers head-on. 

The driver of the FedEx semi, Tony Splittstoesser, 51, of Champaign, Illinois received minor injuries in the crash.  Another FedEx driver, who was in the sleeper berth at the time, was not injured. 

Troopers are working to determine the reason why Polanco was traveling west-bound in the east-bound lanes.  The crash happened in the center lane of I-465 just east of the US 31 exit around 5:30 a.m.  The road re-opened to traffic shortly before 10:00 a.m.

On December 31, 2017, Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter promoted Indiana State Police Region IV Dispatcher Amanda Lawson to Region IV Dispatch Shift Supervisor.

Lawson is a 1993 graduate of South Ripley High School in Versailles, Indiana.  Lawson graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and also obtained an Associate’s Degree from Vincennes University.  

Lawson began her career with the Indiana State Police in June of 2010 when she was hired as a regional dispatcher for the Area IV Dispatch Center in Versailles.

Lawson currently resides in Versailles, Indiana.  She is a member of the Benham United Methodist Church and a member of the Versailles chapters of the Order of Eastern Star and American Auxiliary.

Supervisor Lawson will now be tasked with supervising other dispatchers who work out of the Region IV Dispatch Center at the Versailles Post which covers the Indiana State Police Versailles and Sellersburg Districts.   

Today at approximately 10:00 Troopers from the Jasper Post responded to I-69 near the 56 mile marker to the report of a crash with injuries.

Preliminary investigation reveals that a white 2009 Toyota Matrix driven by, Kaylee Jo Lashbrook, 31, Washington was traveling south on I-69 when according to the Lashbrook a dog appeared in the roadway.  When she swerved to avoid the dog, the Toyota traveled off the roadway, across the northbound lanes, and up an embankment.  The vehicle came to rest approximately 50’ off the road. The Toyota had extensive front end damage from traveling through the median and over large rocks along the side of the road. Lashbrook was transported by South West Medical to Daviess Community Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

“Drivers need to remember that when an animal appears in the roadway it is safer to hit the animal than to swerve to avoid it.  More injuries occur when people try to avoid the collision, especially at interstate speeds, than hitting the animal itself,” stated Senior Trooper Jarrod Lents. 

Troopers were assisted on scene by: The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Medical, and Tri-State Towing

Investigating Officer: Senior Trooper Jarrod Lents

Over the next 12 hours, wind chills could reach 25 below zero in Kentuckiana.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory for much of the WSLM Listening Area, from 9p Thursday night through Friday at 11a. 

Current counties include Scott, Washington, Jefferson, Clark, Jackson and Jennings. 

According to the weather service, temperatures below zero combined with winds of 5-10 miles per hour, will push wind chills into the 17 to 25 below zero range. 

The National Weather Service in Louisville relayed that the cold wind chills can cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed skin. 

The cold will spread from portions of North Central Illinois through Indiana. 

Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure to wear a hat and gloves and protect all exposed skin. 

The American Red Cross has the following cold weather safety tips if you need to get out. 

As temperatures drop this winter, the American Red Cross offers ten steps people can take to stay safe during the cold weather.

1. Layer up! Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing your body heat.

2. Don’t forget your furry friends. Bring pets indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.

3. Remember the three feet rule. If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs.

4. Requires supervision – Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.

5. Don’t catch fire! If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.

6. Protect your pipes. Run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children. Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.

7. Better safe than sorry. Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst.

8. The kitchen is for cooking. Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.

9. Use generators outside. Never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.

10. Knowledge is power. Don’t hook a generator up to the home’s wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator.

Indiana head football coach Tom Allen announced today that David Ballou (buh-lou) will serve as the program’s head strength and conditioning coach. A former Hoosier fullback, Ballou spent 2017 as the University of Notre Dame’s co-director of football strength and conditioning.
 
“David Ballou is one of the more highly-respected strength coaches in the country,” Allen said. “I have known him for many years and have followed his work at both the high school and collegiate levels. We are looking forward to him working with our program and helping us achieve our goals on and off the field.”
 
Ballou spent 14 years as head strength and conditioning coach at Avon (Ind.) High School. He lettered with the Hoosiers in 1997, 1998 and 1999, and was recognized as the Hoosier Strength Challenge Champion. Ballou graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and is looking forward to his return to Bloomington.
 
“It’s great to come back home,” Ballou said. “I have loved this university and football program for as long as I can remember. It’s very special to me. I could not be more excited to get a chance to work for Coach Allen, a man of high integrity and a great person. I am committed to helping this program win football games consistently, year after year, and winning a Big Ten championship.”
 
In Ballou’s lone campaign in South Bend, the Fighting Irish went 10-3 with a victory over LSU in the Citrus Bowl. ND posted a 4-8 record prior to his arrival. He helped develop the recipients of the Joe Moore Award, honoring the best offensive line in the country.
 
Prior to his arrival in South Bend, Ballou worked as the head football strength and conditioning coach at IMG, where the program made huge strides in speed and injury preventions. The 2015 team went undefeated (9-0) and ranked No. 4 in the country (USA Today). IMG also went unblemished (12-0) in 2016 and rated No. 1 nationally (MaxPreps). 
 
In 2016, seven IMG players were laser-timed at under 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash one year after having no players achieve that benchmark. Twenty-one of the 22 season-opening starters also started in the final game of the season.
 
Ballou was a part of the 2016 and 2017 NFL Combine Training at IMG. Over these two years, he trained 26 players that were drafted into the NFL.
 
During Ballou’s tenure at Avon (2002-14), teams won six state championships in multiple sports and seven others were finalists. He assisted in the development of 80 NCAA Division I athletes.

Ballou was a finalist for the 2014 NSCA National High School Strength Coach of the Year Award. He has held the credential as a certified strength and conditioning specialist (with distinction) since 2001.

In 2009, Ballou earned his master’s degree in human movement from A.T. Still University.

Ballou is married to the former Leah Horn, a Bloomington native, IU pole vaulter, two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and Indiana graduate. The couple has two daughters, Mallory (13) and Aubrey (10).

State Sens. Travis Holdman (R-Markle) and Erin Houchin (R-Salem) announced the introduction of Senate Bill 123 on Wednesday, which would expand the availability of newborn safety incubators, commonly referred to as “baby boxes.”

Keeping with Indiana’s Safe Haven law, Houchin joined Holdman in co-authoring SB 123 to expand the use of baby boxes in Indiana by allowing fire departments staffed on a 24 hour basis to install baby boxes.

Baby boxes are safety incubators where mothers can anonymously surrender their newborn babies.

Currently, there are only two in Indiana. Expanding this program is voluntary, allowing each fire department to make the decision whether or not to install these boxes. 

The Indiana Safe Haven Law enables a person to give up an unwanted infant anonymously without fear of arrest or prosecution if surrendered at a hospital or a site staffed by an emergency medical services provider.

Under the Safe Haven law, the Indiana Department of Child Services takes abandoned infants into custody through Child Protective Services and places the child with a caregiver.

“In circumstances where parents feel they cannot care for their newborn, while we would prefer for the child to be placed into the arms of another individual, these baby boxes can protect infants from in many cases what could otherwise be fatal circumstances,” said Houchin. 

“By ensuring these mothers have a safe, anonymous way to surrender their child, this option will reinforce our commitment to the well-being of children throughout Indiana.”

“Baby boxes allow women to give their baby a chance for a better life,” added Holdman. “Encouraging fire departments that are staffed 24/7 to have baby boxes will positively benefit more infants’ lives by increasing the number of locations baby boxes can be installed.”  

On Tuesday, Nov. 7, a baby was placed in one of the Safe Haven baby boxes in Michigan City, and was recently adopted.