A Tuesday traffic stop for a seatbelt violation ended with a driver going to jail for possessing fake government identification cards.

At 12:55 P.M. Tuesday, Senior Trooper Jarrod Lents observed the driver of a green 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager traveling northbound East Street in Odon without his seatbelt fastened. Lents pulled over the mini-van and spoke with the driver, 51 year old Victor Noriega Natareno of Odon.

During the course of the stop, Natareno presented Lents with an identification card from the Guatemalan consulate. As he did so, Lents saw what appeared to be an Indiana identification card in Natareno’s wallet. Natareno gave the card to Lents; the card had Natareno’s picture but had a different name and was noticeably fraudulent. Lents later learned that the card was in fact fraudulent, and that Natareno was in the United States illegally. Lents additionally found Natareno to be in possession of a fraudulent Social Security card, as well as a United States Permanent Resident card.

Natareno was arrested without incident on three counts of possessing a counterfeit government identification card and was lodged in the Daviess County Security Center.

Arrested and Charges:
Victor Noriega Natareno, 51
Odon, IN
– Counterfeit Government Issued Identification (3 counts), Class A Misdemeanor
– Operator Never Licensed, Class C Misdemeanor

Monday afternoon the Marion County Coroner and Howard County Coroner offices provided preliminary autopsy information for the cause and manner of death of Howard County Deputy Carl Koontz and the suspect, Evan Dorsey.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office preliminary autopsy report has determined Deputy Carl Koontz died the result of a single gunshot wound to the pelvis.  Homicide is the manner of death.

The Howard County Coroner’s Office preliminary autopsy report has determined the cause of death of the suspect, Evan Dorsey, was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The Howard County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police, as well as police agencies across Indiana are greatly appreciative of the outpouring of support for Deputy Koontz’s family.

To our friends in the media and public, we understand there are many questions related to the tragic loss of Deputy Koontz’s life.  Many of the questions being asked by media are the same questions we are working to answer as the investigation continues.

As is standard policy with Indiana State Police investigations, they will not be commenting on specific points of progress.  Once the investigation is completed, it will be submitted to the local prosecuting authority for review.

Homicide investigations are, by nature, very fluid with information that has to be checked and verified as the investigation moves forward.

Part of this in-depth investigation will be the finalized autopsy reports for Deputy Koontz and suspect Evan Dorsey.
Typically, final autopsy reports take several weeks to complete.

No further investigative information is available until the investigation is completed.

A Shoals man was arrested this afternoon on alcohol-related charges after he nearly crashed head on into an Indiana State Trooper.

At 4:04 P.M. this afternoon, Trooper Ross Johnson was patrolling US 50 east of Shoals when he observed, in a curve, a black 2013 Chevrolet Silverado traveling at a high rate of speed while partially in Trooper Johnson’s lane.

Trooper Johnson was able to clock the Chevrolet at a speed of 72 miles per hour in a 50 mile per hour zone before swerving off of the roadway to avoid the collision. Johnson turned his car around, activated his emergency lights, and stopped the Chevrolet.

Trooper Johnson spoke with the driver, 50 year old Paul M. Davis of Shoals. During the course of the stop, Johnson had reason to believe Davis had been driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages. Davis refused to take any tests for breath or blood alcohol content, and was placed into custody for Operating While Intoxicated – Chemical Test Refusal. Davis was transported to and lodged in the Martin County Jail without incident.

As a constant reminder, the Indiana State Police remains ever vigilant in taking intoxicated drivers off of Indiana’s roadways. From March 4 through the 27th, the Indiana State Police is participating in Operation Pull Over, in which extra patrols are dedicated towards targeting dangerous and impaired drivers.

If you observe a driver traveling in a dangerous manner, please dial 911 and tell the emergency dispatcher your location, a description of the suspect vehicle, the direction of travel, and a brief description of what the driver is doing wrong.

Arrested and Charges:
Paul M. Davis, 50
Shoals, IN
– Operating While Intoxicated – Chemical Test Refusal, Class C Misdemeanor
– Driving Left of Center – Class C Infraction

Howard County Sheriff Steve Rogers has just announced that 27 year old Deputy Carl A. Koontz, an almost three year veteran of the Howard County Sheriff Department has died as a result of the gunshot injuries he sustained during a warrant service early this morning.

At approximately 12:30 a.m., Koontz, along with Howard County Sheriff Sergeant Jordan J. Buckley and officers from the Kokomo Police Department were attempting to serve a search warrant at 380 Chandler Street in Russiaville, southwest of Kokomo.

According to Rogers, officers were looking for an individual with an outstanding arrest warrant.

When the officers knocked on the door of the residence and announced their presence, there was no answer.  Upon entering the residence, the officers were confronted by gunfire and they in turn returned gunfire.

Koontz and 35 year old Buckley were wounded during the exchange.

A Russiaville officer and other deputies were able to extract the wounded officers from the residence and provide first aid.

Both Koontz and Buckley were transported initially to Howard Regional Hospital, stabilized and then airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Deputies had secured the area around the residence, removing residents adjacent to the scene for their safety.

Howard County SWAT, Kokomo Police SWAT and Indiana State Police SWAT responded and attempts to contact the occupant of the residence began about 2:30 a.m. with no response.  These attempts continued for about two hours.

SWAT personnel were able to confirm an individual was deceased inside of the residence.  That person’s identity has not yet been confirmed.

Indiana State Police is the lead investigative agency and while the investigation is still in its early stages, crime scene investigators and detectives are working diligently to determine the dynamics of the incident.