Police: Delivery driver threatened because of ethnicity
A 57-year-old Brown County man has been charged with a felony after police say he pointed a gun at an Amazon delivery driver, called him several names because of his ethnicity, and told him he would shoot him if he did not leave his property.
Drew Miller, of Bean Blossom Road, was charged on Nov. 17 with intimidation, a Level 5 felony.
On Sept. 14, police were dispatched to respond to a call from the driver, who said he was making a delivery when the homeowner pulled a gun on him. Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Jackson met with two Amazon employees; the victim was being trained by the other employee. When the two arrived at Miller’s home, they told police noticed two dogs in the yard. The victim got out of the vehicle with the packages and put them on the home’s porch, according to a probable cause affidavit.
While returning to the vehicle, the dogs were in front of the driver’s side door, so the victim walked around to the passenger side to get in. That’s when Miller pulled up the driveway in a black truck.
Miller exited the vehicle with chrome-plated .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, calling the victim several names referring to his ethnicity and telling him he should go back to where he came from, the affidavit states. Miller said if the man did not get off his property, he was going to shoot him.
At this point, the trainer exited the vehicle. He told Miller they were delivering packages and there was no need for a gun.
Miller put the gun behind his back and said he did not have a gun. He then told the trainer to tell Amazon if they ever send anyone but a white man to his house, he is going to shoot them, the affidavit states.
The two Amazon employees left the home and contacted their company dispatch, who advised them to call the police.
After speaking with the witness and victim, police went back to Miller’s home. He said when he pulled into the driveway, he saw the victim picking up rocks from his driveway to throw at his dogs, according to the affidavit. He said he pulled around the delivery truck and exited his vehicle to yell at the victim. He denied pulling a gun.
Officer Shane Jackson wrote that Miller was hesitant to show police the gun he had in his truck, but then pulled out a brown cloth work glove containing a pistol like the victim had described.
When asked how the witness would have known he had a chrome-plated .25-caliber pistol if he didn’t pull it out of his truck to threaten them, Miller said he did have the gun, but he had it behind his back, and the two must have seen it when he was getting out of his truck, according to the affidavit.
Police: Crash caused by driver with high blood alcohol
Police say a 52-year-old Brown County man had nearly four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he crashed his vehicle on Nov. 4.
Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Minor responded to the crash in the 2200 block of Greasy Creek Road just before 2 a.m. and reported finding Gary Watkins in the vehicle. Watkins told Minor he had been driving.
Minor reported smelling alcohol on Watkins, that he could see alcohol containers in his vehicle, that his speech was slurred, his eyes were glassy, his manual dexterity was poor and his balance was unstable. Watkins also reportedly could not open his door and staggered from the vehicle during the crash investigation, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A portable breath test showed his blood alcohol level to be 0.31. Watkins also submitted to a chemical test, but the results of that test were still pending, according to the affidavit.
On Nov. 4, he was charged with three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Police: Man threatened, attacked multiple people
HAMBLEN TWP. — A 40-year-old Brown County man faces two charges after police say he threatened and attacked multiple people at a home on Hicks Road on Oct. 30.
Eric Couch, of Hicks Road, was charged on Nov. 2 with two counts of battery resulting in bodily injury, both Class A misdemeanors.
Couch told Sgt. Colton Magner and Sgt. Jimmy Green that he had been in a fight with another man. He said he had been shoved by him and the two then “went to the ground,” a probable cause affidavit states. Couch said he may have hit the man in the face a couple of times.
A male relative at the scene wrote in a statement that a family argument led to a “wrestling match” between Couch and the other man. He said he did not see any punches. He did say that a female relative had kicked Couch while he was on the ground.
The man who was fighting with Couch told police that Couch punched him in the face and threw him down in the gravel. He said Couch also threatened his life and another person’s life. He said the initial contact was Couch grabbing him from behind, not him shoving Couch first, the affidavit states.
A woman in the home told police that she was in the home talking with people there when Couch told her to shut up or “she was going to get it.” She and the victim began to leave, then Couch followed her and headbutted her before grabbing the man.
Magner reported seeing injuries on the male victim including scrapes to his wrist, hand, head and busted lips. He was checked out by EMS, but refused transport for further treatment.
Couch was arrested and taken to the Brown County jail.
Local woman charged with OWI misdemeanors
A 24-year-old Brown County woman faces two misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after she was stopped for speeding in Nashville on Oct. 18.
Patrolman Billy Bryant with the Nashville Police Department stopped Whitney Williamson of West Washington Street after he clocked her driving 44 mph in a 30 mph zone in the 300 block of State Road 135 North, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Bryant reported smelling alcohol on Williamson and she admitted to drinking earlier that day. A breath test showed her blood alcohol content to be 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
She was arrested. On Oct. 19, she was charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of 0.15 or more, a Class A misdemeanor, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.
Driver in crash charged with drunken driving
Police say a 57-year-old Seymour man was intoxicated when he crashed his vehicle in Brown County on Oct. 24.
Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholson Briles reported in a probable cause affidavit that Ted Brock crashed his vehicle just around midnight near the Brown County Law Enforcement Center.
Briles reported that Brock smelled of alcohol, that his speech was slurred and slowed, that his eyes were glassy and his balance was “very unsteady.” Brock also allegedly told Briles he was intoxicated and should not have been driving, according to the affidavit.
At the jail, Brock submitted to a chemical test, which showed his blood alcohol level to be 0.18, more than twice the legal limit.
On Oct. 26, Brock was charged with three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Stop for speeding results in OWI misdemeanors
A traffic stop for speeding on Oct. 16 resulted in a 40-year-old Bloomington woman being charged with two misdemeanors in Brown County.
Patrolman Davis Huynh with the Nashville Police Department stopped Angela Porter at the Brown County State Park west gate entrance after clocking her driving at 64 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Huynh reported smelling alcohol on Porter and noticed alcoholic beverage containers in her vehicle, the report said. A breath test showed her blood alcohol level to be 0.12, over the legal limit of 0.08.
She was formally charged with two misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated on Oct. 19.
Improper pass traffic stop results in OWI charges
Charges have been filed against a sports bike driver who was stopped by police in August for making an improper pass on a double yellow line.
Patrolman Billy Bryant with the Nashville Police Department stopped a bike driven by 31-year-old Robert Harman in the 600 block of State Road 135 North just after 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 9, a probable cause affidavit states.
Bryant reported smelling alcohol on Harman. A breath test showed Harman’s blood alcohol level to be 0.10, and a chemical test showed Harman’s level to be 0.12, over the limit of 0.08, the report said.
On Oct. 16, Harman was formally charged with two Class C misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Sheriff’s department increasing seat belt patrols
The Brown County Sheriff’s Department will be increasing seat belt enforcement patrols through the end of November as part of the national Click It or Ticket mobilization. More than 250 law enforcement agencies around the state will be working overtime to reduce vehicle deaths and injuries.
The patrols are supported with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
“Over the years, we’ve had a number of incidents where someone wasn’t wearing their seat belt and was either injured or ejected that could have been prevented,” Brown County Sheriff Scott Southerland said.
“Buckling up matters. It saves lives and is your best defense against injury or death. Don’t skip this simple step and pay for it later.”
Last year, out of the total number of motorists involved in crashes, 90 percent were wearing a seat belt. Despite this, unrestrained motorists accounted for over half of all vehicle fatalities in 2019 (308 out of 565), according to data from the criminal justice institute.
Drivers under the age 34, particularly young male drivers, were more likely to be found not wearing a seat belt. Additionally, people not buckled up in crashes were three times more likely to get injured when the driver was speeding and seven times more likely when the driver was impaired.
Indiana has a primary seat belt law, which allows law enforcement officers to stop and cite drivers and passengers for failing to wear a seat belt. Drivers also can be cited for each unbuckled passenger under the age of 16.
“Every time you go somewhere in a vehicle, whether you’re a driver or passenger, you should always wear a seat belt,” ICJI executive director Devon McDonald said. “Not only is it the law, but it’s the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself on the road.”
