Woman faces drug charges after traffic stop

A Nashville woman is facing two felony and two misdemeanor drug charges after an Indiana state trooper pulled her over when she hesitated at a green light.

Trooper Matt Hatchett had stopped at Van Buren and Main streets in Nashville in the northbound lane of Van Buren Street behind a Chevrolet Impala on July 30 just after 8 p.m. The light turned green and the vehicle did not move for 10 to 15 seconds. He used the horn to gain the attention of the driver, 28-year-old Brandy Couch.

When the vehicle proceeded through the intersection, continuing on Van Buren Street left of center, Hatchett conducted a traffic stop.

When Hatchett asked Couch why she sat at the light, she reportedly told police that she thought she had seen someone she knew driving in a truck next to her. When asked why she had crossed the center line, she told the officer she was trying to eat her McDonald’s.

Couch’s appearance matched a suspicious person call which Hatchett had taken 45 minutes earlier at Pleasant Valley Church. The caller said that the woman was acting “strange” and had sat in the parking lot for about three hours during the church’s yard sale.

Hatchett asked for her identification and vehicle registration, but Couch told him that her license had been taken by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office a few weeks prior when she had been arrested.

According to the police report, Hatchett asked if he could search the vehicle, to which Couch asked, “right now?” He said it would be right then, and she told him there was a small bag containing methamphetamine residue somewhere in the vehicle, the police report said.

Additional officers were requested to the scene and when they arrived, Couch was asked to exit the vehicle. She had a sheet wrapped around her like a diaper, according to the report.

Nothing was found during the vehicle search. Officer Billy Bryant told Hatchett that Couch was moving around while sitting down and wouldn’t answer if there was anything illegal on her. Hatchett asked if a female officer came to the scene and searched her, would they find anything on her person. Couch then handed Hatchett a pouch from under the sheet containing two syringes, a burnt metal spoon, a glass pipe with residue, an empty bag and a red plastic container, the police report said.

In the container was what appeared to be methamphetamine, plus 10 1/2 orange pills and three white pills. Couch told Hatchett that she used methamphetamine, but the pills — which she said were Adderall and Klonopin — belonged to a friend.

Couch was placed into handcuffs and taken to the Brown County jail. She now faces two Level 6 felonies for possession of methamphetamine and possession of a syringe; a Class A misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance; and a Class C misdemeanor for possession of paraphernalia.

Man taken to hospital after Clay Lick crash

A 60-year-old Brown County man was transported to the hospital on Aug. 1 after the vehicle he was riding in was run off the road by a truck.

Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld responded to the crash at 1170 Clay Lick Road just after noon. The driver, 58-year-old Catherina Couch, told police she was driving south on Clay Lick Road when a truck ran her Pontiac off the road, an accident report states.

After the Pontiac left the road the west side of the road, it continued sliding through a nearby yard at an angle before striking a tree on the rear driver’s side. It came to a rest facing northwest, Schonfeld reported.

The truck the driver described was not at the scene.

Couch’s passenger, Charles Couch, was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for pain in his shoulder and upper arm.

It was marked “unknown” if the driver and passenger were wearing seat belts.

The vehicle was towed from the scene, according to the report.

School bus safety patrols to be conducted

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office and Nashville Metropolitan Police Department will be watching out for students this fall. Over the next couple of months, officers will be positioned along bus stops and routes looking for stop-arm violations and motorists driving dangerously.

The overtime patrols are part of the state’s Stop Arm Violation Enforcement (SAVE) program, which was developed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute last year, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Officers will work with local school corporations and bus drivers to identify problem areas where the highest number of violations occur.

“We take these violations very seriously and personally, as they jeopardize the safety of every child on that bus,” said Sheriff Scott Southerland. “Pay attention to the road, and if you see a bus with flashing yellow lights, that means slow down and get ready to stop — not go faster. As drivers, we’re all responsible for school bus safety.”

In 2019, thousands of bus drivers in Indiana participated in an annual survey and reported more than 2,500 stop-arm violations in a single day. Taking that one-day total as an average, that means an estimated 450,000 violations could have occurred during the 2019 school year.

In Indiana, it’s against the law for motorists to pass a bus that’s stopped and has its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. This applies to all roads, with one exception. On multi-lane roads divided by a physical barrier or unpaved median, vehicles traveling the opposite direction of the bus may proceed with due caution.

“Always err on the side of caution when it comes to school bus safety. If you’re not sure what to do, just stop,” said Devon McDonald, ICJI Executive Director. “The best way to think about it is to drive like it’s your child boarding or riding that bus.”