A two vehicle crash Friday evening between Jasper and Huntingburg seriously injured a Petersburg man.

At 6:38 P.M. Friday, 21-year-old Christian Stepanek was southbound on US231 between Jasper and Huntingburg in the WITZ Bottoms when, for an unknown reason, Stepanek crossed the center line and drove into the path of 74-year-old James Weisman of Huntingburg. 

Stepanek’s 2002 Oldsmobile collided with Weisman’s 2002 Chevrolet truck in a head-on crash.

Stepanek was extricated from his vehicle and transported to Memorial Hospital in Jasper. 

He was later flown to St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville for treatment of a head injury.  Weisman suffered minor injuries and was transported to Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Both vehicles were total losses.  US231 was closed for nearly two and a half hours while the crash was investigated.

The incident remains under investigation.

The Indiana State Police was assisted at the scene by the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department, Jasper Police and Fire Departments, and Memorial Hospital EMS.

Thanksgiving morning at approximately 3:20 am, trooper Mark LaMaster observed a Chevrolet vehicle traveling north on Interstate #65 just north of the Sellersburg Exit, (Exit #9), speeding and travelling with the headlights on bright, failing to dim.

When trooper LaMaster stopped the vehicle and spoke to the driver, identified as James E Cole Jr, 24, from Chicago, IL, he could smell the odor of Marijuana coming from the vehicle.

A subsequent search of the vehicle located three quart jars with Marijuana.

One of the jars contained coconut oil laced with Marijuana which is used for infusing Marijuana into foods while being cooked.

James E. Cole Jr. resisted being placed under arrest by trooper LaMaster during being taken into custody. James E. Cole Jr. was charged with Dealing and Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, Maintaining a Common Nuisance and Resisting Law Enforcement.

He was incarcerated at the Clark County Jail awaiting his first court appearance.

A few hours later, again on Interstate #65, Lieutenant Chris Keeton stopped a semi-tractor travelling north on Interstate #65 near Eastern Blvd. in Clarksville for speeding.

The driver, Charles Alexander Jones, 26, from Louisville, KY, was wanted on an arrest warrant out of the state of Kentucky and was driving on a suspended driver’s license.

When Lt. Keeton conducted an inventory of the semi-tractor he located a loaded hand gun inside.

Charles Alexander Jones did not have a valid handgun permit.

Jones was placed under arrest for his outstanding arrest warrant out of the state of Kentucky and Possession of a Handgun without a Permit.

He was incarcerated at the Clark County Jail.

The Indiana Department of Transportation reminds Hoosiers to travel safely and plan more driving time during the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday. AAA projects 50.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving from November 22 through November 26, a 3.3 percent increase over last year. Hoosier Helpers sponsored by State Farm will patrol urban interstates in Indianapolis, Northwest Indiana and Southern Indiana near Louisville during heavy travel periods this holiday.

Most highway maintenance activities and construction projects will halt work this holiday weekend to increase roadway mobility and safety. INDOT directs its contractors to pull back barriers and barricades to the safest extent possible to accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic. Some restrictions will remain in place due to ongoing road construction, including:

Northern Indiana

I-469 is restricted to one lane in each direction between mile markers 11 and 17 in Allen County.

Lane closures will remain in effect on westbound I-80/94 between mile marker 3 and mile marker 12 as work continues on the Restore 94 project in Lake County.

The entrance ramp to I-94 at S.R.51 (Exit 15B) will remain closed for the next 3 weeks.

Both directions of I-94 are reduced to two lanes between mile marker 16 and U.S. 20 in Porter County.

The left lane of I-94 in both directions will be closed between mile marker 26 and 27 until noon on Wednesday, November 22.

Central Indiana

The I-465 East and I-465 West ramps to I-65 North remain closed for the duration of construction at the interchange on the south side of Indianapolis. A signed detour directs traffic south on I-65 to Southport Road Exit 103 to return northbound on I-65. I-65 and I-465 lane closures will resume Monday, Nov. 27. Both interstates may be reduced to one lane between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Weather permitting, construction is expected to be substantially complete, with all lanes and ramps open to traffic by the end of November.

I-69 lane closures for paving on the added travel lane construction project between State Road 37 Exit 205 and State Road 38 Exit 219 will resume Monday, Nov. 27. I-69 may be reduced to one lane each weeknight between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and weekends from 7 p.m. until 9 a.m. The additional lanes are expected to open in December.

Watch for lane shifts on I-65 in both directions as construction of added travel lanes continues in Tippecanoe County.

Southern Indiana

Northbound I-65 traffic is sharing the southbound side between mile markers 8 and 11 in Clark County. Two lanes are open in each direction.

Entrance and exit ramps are closed on westbound I-74 at S.R.101 (Exit 156) in Ripley County. To reach S.R. 101, westbound traffic on I-74 should use the S.R.1 exit and follow eastbound I-74 to return to S.R.101.

Intermittent lane closures will remain in effect on the U.S. 41 Twin Bridges over the Ohio River near Evansville.

Know before you go

Learn about traffic and road conditions, crashes and construction on state highways by visiting http://indot.carsprogram.org, calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or dialing 511 from a mobile phone.

Subscribe to receive INDOT news and information by text message or email at http://bit.ly/INDOTsubscription. Find links to INDOT’s regional Facebook and Twitter pages at http://bit.ly/INDOTsocial.

Find customer service contact information for your regional INDOT district at https://entapps.indot.in.gov/dotmaps/districtmaps.

Increased enforcement

Starting later this week, Indiana State Police (ISP) will join more than 230 local law-enforcement agencies across the state to spot violations to Indiana’s seat belt and impaired driving laws. Through the weekend after Thanksgiving, expect to see an increase in random patrols, saturation patrols and checkpoints. This overtime enforcement is supported with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

It’s the law

In every state, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. In Indiana, drivers under 21 with a BAC of .02 or higher are subject to fines and a license suspension for up to 1 year.

Indiana has a primary seat-belt law, meaning that police officers may ticket unrestrained drivers or passengers, even if no other traffic violation has taken place. In addition, all passengers under age 8 must be in an approved car seat or booster seat.