Traffic Stop in Daviess County Leads to Three Arrests

Daviess County-On December 15th, 2020, at approximately 7:19PM, Trooper Ross Johnson was patrolling Interstate 69 in Daviess County. At this time Trooper Johnson observed a south bound vehicle near the 69 mile marker at a high rate of speed. Trooper Johnson conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle at that time. Upon Trooper Johnson’s investigation during the traffic stop, it was discovered that the 3 men in the vehicle were in possession of over 1.7 pounds of marijuana, a loaded firearm, and $31,080 of U.S. currency. All men were arrested at the scene with the assistance of the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office. Trooper Johnson is still investigating the case with the assistance of detectives of the DEA.

SPEARMAN, JOSHWIN       DOB: 19911031  

Dealing in Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

Possession in Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

WATSON, NARDO D       DOB: 19960319

Dealing in Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

Possession of Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

WADDELL, DEVONTAE R      DOB: 19931008

Possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon – Level 4 felony

Dealing in Marijuana – Level 5 Felony

Possession of Marijuana- Level 5 Felony

SPEARMAN, JOSHWIN       DOB: 19911031  

Dealing in Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

Possession in Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

WATSON, NARDO D       DOB: 19960319

Dealing in Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

Possession of Marijuana – Level 6 Felony

WADDELL, DEVONTAE R      DOB: 19931008

Possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon – Level 4 felony

Dealing in Marijuana – Level 5 Felony

Possession of Marijuana- Level 5 Felony

Two Vehicle Crash Claims the Life of a Marshall Man

Vigo County - A crash occurring on Interstate 70 at the five-mile marker westbound near Terre Haute, claims the life of a Marshall, Illinois man.

On Wednesday, December 16, at approximately 3:40 a.m., Indiana State Police Senior Trooper David Petrowski, along with the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department, responded to a two-vehicle accident between a passenger vehicle and a semi-tractor-trailer.

Preliminary investigation by Senior Trooper Petrowski indicates that a 2005 Ford Mustang driven by Tanner L. Carpenter, age 23, of Marshall, Illinois, was traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near the five-mile marker on the Wabash River bridge.  It was at this time that Carpenter lost control of his vehicle, due to speed too fast for the road conditions.  Carpenter’s vehicle went into an uncontrollable spin, striking the concrete barriers of the Wabash River bridge several times, disabling the vehicle in the middle of the passing lane of Interstate 70.  A 2014 Freightliner semi-tractor-trailer driven by Jose Hector Gurrola-Rodriguez, age 29, of Mexico, failed to observe Carpenter’s disabled vehicle, striking the driver's side door and forcing it into the median of Interstate 70.  Carpenter succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the accident. 

Deceased is Tanner L. Carpenter, age 23, of Marshall, Illinois.  Family has been notified.   

Drugs and alcohol are not a contributing factor of the crash.

Assisting Agencies:  Troopers from the Putnamville State Police Post, Vigo County Sheriff’s Department, Terre Haute Police Department, Vigo County Coroner's Office, Trans Care, Sugar Creek Fire Department, Camp’s Wrecker Service, Peffley and Hinshaw Wrecker Service and AAA Towing.  

I-70 Wreck Seriously Injures Missouri Man

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12 

WHAT:                      Single Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash

WHERE:                   Interstate 70 Eastbound at Milepost 133, Clark County

WHEN:                      Dec. 15, 2020 at 12:45 p.m.         

VEHICLE:                Unit 1- 2021 Black Chevrolet Equinox

DRIVER:                   Unit 1- Michael Garamella, 58-year-old male from Afton, MO – Flown to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

PASSENGER:           Unit 1- Peggy Argafg, 56-year-old female from St. Louis, MO – Flown to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

PRELIMINARY:      A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling East on Interstate 70 near milepost 133 in Clark County. The driver of Unit 1 ran off the roadway to the left and entered the median. Unit 1 then struck a metal drainage grate and overturned multiple times. Both Unit 1 driver and passenger were flown to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

CHARGES:               Unit 1 driver was cited for Improper Lane Usage.

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

Evansville man arrested for no license and outstanding warrant

On December 15, 2020, at 2:06 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Jennifer Loesch observed a Gray 2014 Ford Fusion that was in the roadway in the 4000 block of East State Road 168. Upon stopping to check on the driver he appeared to be nervous. At that point Deputy Loesch asked for identification of the driver. During a roadside investigation the driver was identified as 29-year-old Daniel Kiotak of Evansville and a run through the Indiana Data And Communications System revealed that Mr. Kiotak had never been issued a valid operators license. At the conclusion of her investigation Deputy Loesch placed Mr. Kiotak into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Never Licensed. Mr. Kiotak is also being held on an outstanding Failure To Appear warrant out of Vanderburgh County.

Assisting Deputy Loesch in her investigation was Fort Branch Police Chief Darrell Parker.

All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Report of a road rage incident results in arrest of Evansville man on DUI charge

On December 15, 2020, at 7:09 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Bryce Jutzi was dispatched to the 4000 block of Tulip Tree Drive in Princeton to investigate a road rage incident that had just occurred in the area. Upon arriving on scene Deputy Bryce Jutzi spoke with the reporting party and they identified the vehicle and the driver who was involved in the road rage incident. At that point Deputy Jutzi began an investigation into the incident. Upon speaking with both parties and reviewing security footage Deputy Jutzi placed 23-year-old Justin Lewis of Evansville into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail. Upon arriving at the Gibson County Jail Mr. Lewis was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. He remains in custody on a $650 bond.

Assisting Deputy Jutzi in his investigation was Captain Bryan Ellis.

All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

District #348 Advises Of Lumen Security Breach

From District #348: Due to a security breach and out of an abundance of caution, Lumen is requiring ALL users to take the following steps:

-Reset their passwords as of 7:00 am CST this morning (12/15/2020). Each user is allowed to reset their own password and is required to follow updated standards.

-Users will be locked out of their account after 5 consecutive failed logins.

-Users will be locked out of the system after 30 days of inactivity.

-Password should be no less than 8 characters.

-Password should include 1 uppercase letter.

-Password should include 1 lowercase letter.

-Password should include 1 special, non-alphanumeric character

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school.

U.S. 41 Pigeon Creek Bridge Slated for Replacement Following Bridge Hit

VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. –  Following an extensive review of the damage to the U.S. 41 Pigeon Creek Bridge in Evansville, the Indiana Department of Transportation has decided to replace the structure.

Since January, INDOT personnel have been working toward a solution for the truss bridge on U.S. 41 following a bridge strike that left the structure unable to carry traffic. During the investigation, it became clear that data supported replacement as a more fiscally responsible option over repairing the existing structure. Once the decision was made to replace, personnel began working on a design for a new bridge. Currently, INDOT has completed multiple steps toward replacement of the bridge including:

• A detailed inspection of the bridge to determine extent of damage, which revealed a significant amount of damage rendering the structure unable to carry traffic in its current state.

• A Damage Assessment Report including a summary of the condition of the superstructure components of the bridge.

• Historic Bridge Process (part of Section 106 ) to evaluate the structure’s historic status. This includes a Historic Bridge Alternative Analysis to provide next steps for the current structure under either a replacement or repair scenario.

• Active solicitation of all stakeholders and consulting parties. These parties include but are not limited to local government representatives, county and state historians, DNR, and historic landmarks commissions. A total of 21 different parties were approached as a part of this process.

• A Life Cycle Cost Analysis to compare alternative costs of repair vs. replacement.

• Final Design plans for the new structure.

The decision to replace the bridge is, in part, due to reduced costs for maintenance over the bridge’s lifespan and less risk of a future bridge strike as a modern replacement would not have a height restriction. The initial cost of the project is expected to be about $10 million, which includes the cost of raising the replacement bridge to match the grade of the structure in the northbound lanes and the associated pavement work. The estimate also includes a pavement repair on U.S. 41 from Diamond Avenue to Lynch Road.  

The project is scheduled for a spring 2021 letting, pending a review of the project by the Federal Highway Administration and final signatures on all historic bridge documents. If no further revision is required, this project is expected to begin construction in summer 2021.

Wabash District #348 December 2020 Personnel Matters

The Wabash District #348 school board approved these personnel items at their meeting Monday night.

Monday Pursuit with State Trooper lands two in Jail

Daviess County- Monday at approximately 2:30 pm, Indiana State Police Trooper Ross Johnson was patrolling U.S. 50 in Daviess County near the White River.  Trooper Johnson measured the speed of an approaching vehicle at 93 miles per hour in the 60 mile per hour speed zone. Trooper Johnson attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver fled. The vehicle continued east on U.S. 50 at a high rate of speed attempting to elude Trooper Johnson. The driver then turned onto South County Road 300 West. Trooper Johnson continued to pursue the vehicle until the driver stopped a short distance later near Old U.S. 50. Trooper Johnson was able to take both the driver and passenger into custody without incident. The driver and passenger were both found to be in the process of consuming suspected marijuana at the time of their arrest. The subjects were both housed in the Daviess County Jail pending formal charges.

The Driver was identified as Christian Jose Del Valle Maldonado. He has been preliminarily charged with the following:

Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle – Level 6 Felony

Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Level 6 Felony

Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor

Operating Motor Vehicle Without a License – Class C Misdemeanor

Reckless Driving – Class C Misdemeanor

The Passenger was identified as Josue L. Rodriguez. He has been preliminarily charged with the following:

Visiting a Common Nuisance – Class B Misdemeanor

Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor

Christian Jose Del Valle Maldonado

Josue L. Rodriguez

Ambulance Driver Ticketed Following Sunday Night Crash In Saline County

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police

District 19

WHAT:                      Two Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash

WHERE:                   US Route 45 at Illinois Route 142, Saline County

WHEN:                      Dec. 13, 2020 at approximately 8:34 p.m.

VEHICLES:              Unit 1- 2019 Ford Ambulance

                                    Unit 2- 2006 Dodge Dakota

DRIVERS:                 Unit 1- Brian Skinner, 25-year-old male from Christopher, IL - Uninjured

                                    Unit 2- Brian Baird, 44-year-old male from Harrisburg, IL - Uninjured

PASSENGERS:         Unit 1- Kristopher Melia, 36-year-old male from Marion, IL – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.

                                    Unit 1- Lisa Wenzel, 56-year-old female from Desoto, IL – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries

PRELIMINARY:       A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred:  Unit 1 was traveling north on US Route 45, with lights and siren activated, approaching the intersection with Illinois Route 142. Unit 2 was traveling south on Illinois Route 142 approaching the intersection with US Route 45. The driver of Unit 2 had a green light and proceeded through the intersection. The driver of Unit 1 had a red light and failed to yield, entering the intersection striking Unit 2. Both passengers in Unit 1 were transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries. Both drivers were uninjured.

CHARGES:               The driver of Unit 1 was cited for Failure to Yield at a Stop Intersection.

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

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