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.