Local charged with felony auto theft
BEAN BLOSSOM — A 19-year-old from Brown County has been charged with a Level 6 felony for auto theft after he reportedly stole a utility vehicle from Bill Monroe’s Music Park and Campground earlier this summer.
On July 15, Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Schonfeld was notified by Deputy William Pool of a theft that occurred the previous night at Bill Monroe’s.
Surveillance video showed two young men stealing a Kawasaki utility vehicle off the property. Both subjects had been contacted by police, but both reportedly denied having anything to do with the theft.
Deputy Kyle Minor received word from the mother one of the individuals, a juvenile, who said that she had information about the theft and that her son had something to tell police.
The young man told police he and Joseph Reimer, 19, Nashville, were the ones who had stolen the vehicle and that it was left somewhere on State Road 45. Police located the vehicle and notified the owner, who asked if there were still power tools on the back, but there were none present, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Police were then advised that Reimer had the tools. Minor made contact with Reimer who said he was not involved in the incident, but did know who was involved. After conversations with Reimer, police said his story changed numerous times throughout questioning. He consented to a police search at his home and police did not find anything inside his room.
Reimer’s father advised police the sock cap Reimer wore the night of the theft was in the bathroom. Police showed Reimer’s father the surveillance footage and he confirmed that it was Reimer.
Reimer was placed under arrest and transported to Brown County jail. He was formally charged on July 18.
County prosecutor urges bus awareness
With school starting, the Brown County Prosecutor’s Office wants to remind the community to slow down around school buses and to stop when the school bus stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing.
“Unfortunately, school bus stop-arm violations are all too common in Indiana and can lead to fatal results involving our most precious citizens,” states a press release from Prosecutor Ted Adams.
Last April, the Indiana Department of Education did a one-day survey with thousands of bus drivers from across the state participating. For one day, 6,665 bus drivers from 195 school districts took part in an observational survey where the drivers counted stop-arm violations throughout the day. In just one day, the drivers recorded 2,041 violations.
Rural roads in Brown County “necessitate the utmost caution from our licensed drivers to protect our school-aged children,” the release states.
“There’s no excuse for ignoring school bus stop-arms. For kids to learn and grow, they must be able to get to school safely. Please slow down and stop when you see buses on the road. Our office pledges to prosecute violators that are reported to our office to the fullest extent of the law,” Adams said.
“We have an officer dedicated to the enforcement of this conduct; we have video systems installed on our school buses; we even sometimes have officers riding on the school buses. We take this very seriously and, if you pass an extended school bus arm, we will catch you and we will have the evidence to convict you. Please drive with caution if you see a school bus because we do not dismiss these types of cases.”
Disregarding a school bus stop-arm is a Class A infraction, which could result in fines and a license suspension. It could also impact costs of insurance. It is a major 8-point offense that becomes a part of an individual’s driving record. If a driver is charged with recklessly passing a stop-arm, it is a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in jail time. Further punishment could come if injuries or death occur as a result of the reckless passing.
“I think folks treat school bus lights like traffic lights; sometimes if we see a yellow light, we might speed up to ‘make the light,’ but the exact opposite should happen when you see yellow lights on a school bus preparing to stop: you should immediately begin to brake,” Adams said. “I believe nobody ever wants to intentionally ignore a school bus stop arm, but we do not need to prove an intentional act, and folks are sometimes shocked when they see the video. My office has prosecuted a number of good folks that simply were not paying attention; it is absolutely critical to the safety of our children to drive with caution around school buses and I hope this serves as a friendly reminder.”
