Police: Man high on drugs tries to break into home
LAKE LEMON — A 27-year-old Bedford man faces a felony in Brown County for trying to break into a home while under the influence of drugs on Aug. 5, according to a police report.
Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Colton Magner was dispatched to a home in the 3800 block of County Line Road for a report of a man outside screaming for help.
While he was on his way, a Monroe County deputy reported being out with a man in the 6000 block of South Shore Drive, east of County Line Road, according to Magner’s report.
The homeowner on South Shore Drive had called police saying that man — later identified as James Bennett — was trying to break into his home with a crowbar. Magner reported finding broken glass from a light on the porch.
Bennett told police he had been picked up in Bloomington with the intention of “fishing and getting high.” Bennett allegedly told Magner that he thought he smoked and snorted methamphetamine, but that he was not sure what drug he had actually used, according to the affidavit.
Magner reported that Bennett had cuts on his arms and he told police he cut himself with broken glass because he wanted “them” to leave him alone. He said people were trying to kill him, but he could not identify who he was talking about.
Bennett was wearing a red jacket, which matched the description of the man screaming for help on County Line Road, according to the affidavit.
The police report said that Bennett was not making logical statements and appeared to be hallucinating. He told police he initially went to a home down the road on South Shore Drive and that he broke a window on a garage door trying to get help. He then took a crowbar from that home and proceeded to the home in the 6000 block of South Shore Drive, where he broke the porch light.
On Aug. 6, Bennett was charged with attempted residential entry, a Level 6 felony; conversion, a Class A misdemeanor; and criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor.
Driver involved in crash charged with OWI
A 19-year-old Columbus man has been charged with three misdemeanors in Brown County after he crashed his vehicle after driving while intoxicated, police say.
Chad Newman crashed on Bear Wallow Hill Road July 21 just before 4:30 a.m. Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Minor reported smelling alcohol on Newman, that his speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot. A portable breath test showed his blood-alcohol content to be 0.14, more than the legal limit of 0.08, the affidavit states. A chemical test administered at the Brown County jail more than an hour later had Newman’s BAC at 0.15, the police report said.
Newman was formally charged on July 23.
Off-road vehicle crash leads to arrest
HAMBLEN TWP. — A local man was arrested early in the morning after flipping an off-road vehicle onto himself.
The accident occurred at about 3 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 near the 7000 block of Bean Blossom Road in Morgantown.
Tracy Luckey, 24, of Nineveh, was driving the ORV on private property in a wooded area. For reasons not yet known, the ORV flipped over, pinning Luckey underneath and leaving him unconscious, according to a news release from Indiana Conservation Officers, who are investigating the incident.
Luckey refused medical treatment at the scene, but was taken into custody by ICO Rob Klakamp and remanded to the Brown County jail on preliminary charges of operating while intoxicated.
Luckey was not wearing a helmet or proper safety equipment, ICOs reported.
ICOs were assisted by the Brown County Sheriff’s Department and Columbus Regional Hospital medics.
Driver checked, released after two-vehicle crash
A 61-year-old Bloomington woman was checked out by EMS after a crash on State Road 46 East Aug. 8.
The crash was reported just before 11 a.m. at the intersection of Old State Road 46 and 46 East, according to an accident report by Nashville Police Officer Evan Painter.
A witness reported seeing Patricia Sterling with her turn signal on to go left onto Old 46 when Kevin Lane, 28, of Columbus, came up behind her. The witness said Lane’s vehicle tried to swerve to the right to miss Sterling’s vehicle, but the left front side of his Honda Accord collided with the back right side of Sterling’s BMW, the accident report states.
The crash caused Sterling’s vehicle to shoot forward and to the left. Her vehicle came to a rest on Old 46. Lane’s vehicle was found in the middle of 46 East near the Brown County State Park north gate, according to the report.
Lane told police he had looked over at Eagle Park for a second and when he looked back he was “right on top” of Sterling’s vehicle. He said he tried to swerve to avoid a crash, but that did not work.
Sterling said her vehicle was hit before she saw anything coming.
Both cars were towed.
Lane and Sterling initially told first responders they were OK, but Sterling began complaining of chest pain. EMS arrived on scene and checked her. Medical personnel determined she was OK and Sterling refused further treatment.
Both drivers were wearing seat belts.
