An Indianapolis man, 21-year-old Jaffet Zelaya, faces several charges following an event last weekend.
According to a press release about the incident, on Saturday, April 29, at approximately 3:10 p.m., the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, IU Health – LifeLine EMS and the Southern Brown Fire Department responded to the area of State Road 135 South and Orchard Road in response to a multi-vehicle crash with injuries.
During the investigation, it was determined that a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro being driven by Zelaya was traveling east on 135 South at a high rate of speed when it approached a hillcrest with a slight curve.
Zelaya’s vehicle went airborne and struck the roof area of another vehicle, a Chevrolet Silverado, traveling the opposite direction, then continued to land while flipping end over end and coming to rest on its roof before catching fire, the release said.
The driver of the Silverado, Kevin Sullivan, 46, of Indianapolis, was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Brown County Coroner’s Office.
A passenger in Zelaya’s vehicle, Silvio Padillo, 37, of Indianapolis, was airlifted to an Indianapolis are hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
According to the release, alcohol and speed are believed to be contributing factors to the crash.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Zelaya was arrested by the Brown County Sheriff’s office on the preliminary charges of: criminal recklessness/aggressive driving – resulting in death, a Level 5 felony; driving while suspended – resulting in death, a Level 5 felony; operating a vehicle while intoxicated – resulting in death, a Level 5 felony; criminal recklessness/aggressive driving – resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 6 felony; possessions of cocaine/narcotic drug, a Level 6 felony; operating a vehicle while intoxicated – endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor; and operating while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.
Man accused of shooting at house
HAMBLEN TWP. — A Nashville man, 20-year-old Justin Hall, faces two felonies after security camera footage placed him at the scene of a shooting last month.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Brown County Det. Brian Shrader was requested on scene at a reported shooting on Sweetwater Trail on April 7.
Upon arrival, he found Brown County Sherriff’s Deputy Oliver Hitz blocking traffic on Sweetwater Trail, because there were shell casings found on the road.
Shrader found two casings that had been marked on the road, which looked like they were run over. No other casings were found on the road or surrounding ditches, the report said.
Shrader then went up the residence where the shooting was reported and found another shell casing near the side door of the residence, as well as a bullet hole in the door.
Brown County Sherriff’s Deputy Chris Griggs then showed Shrader where a spent projectile had impacted a shutter and the bricks behind it and fell to the ground, the report said.
Griggs also informed Shrader that the owner of the residence knew Hall, and stated that he was responsible for the shooting.
Shrader entered the residence and saw a “spent bullet or projectile” lying on the living room floor. He reported that there was a bullet hole just above the couch, coming from a bedroom on the other side of the wall.
In that bedroom, the report said, was where the homeowner was sleeping. The bullet entered that room through the door that was also outside.
Shrader had the homeowner lie down on the bed, to demonstrate where she was sleeping at the time of the shooting. According to the report, the bullet hole was approximately an inch of two above her head.
Photographs were taken of the scene and the casings, all .40 caliber, were collected. A partial shoe pattern was also found on the side door, from when the shooter, later identified as Hall, kicked it.
Griggs was provided security footage of the shooting by the homeowner’s husband.
According to the report, Shrader watched several videos, which showed an individual get out of a vehicle that then backed into the driveway of the residence, pushing a flower pot in the process.
The footage also showed the individual that exited the car walk around the back side of the residence, crouch behind a truck, pull up a mask, then go to the house’s side door and kick it.
The door did not budge, the report said, so the individual took a step back and fired a single round into the door with a handgun. The person then ran back to the road.
In a second video, Shrader said he saw a bullet strike the shutter, then the suspect flee the scene. Shrader noted details of the individual’s clothing that could be seen in the video.
In security footage from another date, Shrader reported that he saw Justin Hall at the residence, wearing the same clothing items from the night of the shooting.
Another video from two hours before the shooting showed Hall in the same clothing at a different residence.
Shrader also reported that he found photos of Hall on his Facebook page that showed him wearing the same shoes as those in the shooting footage, as well as a picture of himself with a handgun in this pocket.
According to the report, the homeowner told Shrader that she had gotten into an argument with Hall the day before the shooting, where he had allegedly threatened to “shoot up” her house.
It is also noted that both of the homeowner’s children were present during the argument, as well as during the shooting.
Shrader reported that he spoke with Hall on the phone on the evening of April 7. According to the report, Hall allegedly denied doing anything and claimed he was a friend’s house during the time of the shooting.
Hall told Shrader he would be willing to meet with him, but within an hour of their arranged meeting time, Hall allegedly turned off his phone and began deleting pictures from his Facebook page, the report said.
Hall faces a Level 2 felony for attempted burglary and a Level 5 felony for criminal recklessness.
The probable cause affidavit was filed on April 10.
Woman faces felony for not reporting
A Nashville woman, 36-year-old Justine Beasley, faces a felony for failure to return to lawful detention last month.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on March 27, the Brown County Jail received a court order for Beasley, in the form of an order terminating stay and imposing sentence and order to appear.
On March 21, the court conducted a hearing, which Beasley appeared at via Zoom videoconference. At that hearing, the report said Beasley was ordered to report to the Brown County Jail at 4 p.m. on March 31.
Brown County Captain Kenneth Moore reported that, on April 3, he checked the jail bookings from March 31 through the morning of April 1 and found that Beasley had not booked into the jail to serve the sentence imposed by the court.
Beasley faces a Level 6 felony for failure to return to lawful detention. The probable cause affidavit was filed on April 5.
Local woman steals car, uses debit card
A Nashville woman, 55-year-old Anjeanette Crumrine, faces multiple charges after stealing a truck and attempting to use a debit card that was in it last month.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on April 6, Nashville Police Officer Heath Young was dispatched to the Brown County YMCA to take a stolen vehicle report.
Upon arrival, he was greeted by the victim, who was behind the counter, watching surveillance camera footage of the parking lot.
According to the report, the video showed a female, later identified as Crumrine, looking inside vehicles. Young watched Crumrine enter the victim’s truck and drive out of the parking lot in the footage.
The victim told Young that he had left the truck’s keys in the ignition and his daughter had left her wallet and debit card, bearing her name, inside the vehicle.
While Young was speaking with the victim, his wife got an alert from his daughter’s bank indicating the card had been used at the CVS Pharmacy in Nashville.
NPD Lt. Mike Horn went to CVS to speak with the employees and check surveillance footage there.
According to the report, the footage showed Crumrine enter the store, shop and attempt to check out using the debit card that was reported stolen.
After Young finished the stolen vehicle report with the victim, he relocated to CVS to speak with the employee, who gave him a verbal description of events and of Crumrine’s appearance.
Later that day, Young was dispatched to the Hard Truth Distillery parking lot for a recovered stolen vehicle. He arrived and confirmed it was the same truck from earlier, then contacted the victim so he could come complete an inventory of the vehicle.
According to the report, the victim said his keys, his daughter’s wallet and debit card and around $20 in change was missing from the truck. Young the released the truck back to the victim.
The Nashville Police Department asked the public via Facebook if anyone in the community could identify Crumrine, based on the photos taken from the CVS surveillance footage.
A few hours later, Lt. Horn received a call from Family Dollar in Nashville, who informed him that an individual matching Crumrine’s description was checking out at the store and leaving on foot.
Young was informed of her location and travelled to Family Dollar. While en route, Young saw her walking through the parking lot of the Salt Creek Inn.
He pulled his police vehicle beside her, stepped out, and asked Crumrine if she had any identification on her. She said she did, and gave him an ID card from California with her name and date of birth on it, the report said.
Horn then arrived and began to question Crumrine.
According to the report, Crumrine told the officers that she has a drug problem and needed some extra money. She had walked the Salt Creek Trail earlier that morning and noticed a truck with the keys in the ignition, which she said was an “opportunity to get a little extra money.”
Crumrine said she did not want the truck, the report said, but she thought there may be something of value in it, so she drove it to the parking lot where it was recovered and searched it.
She said she found the debit card and walked to CVS where she tried to make a purchase.
The officers placed Crumrine under arrest and recovered the truck keys and debit card from her.
Crumrine was transported to the Brown County Jail and booked with auto theft, a Level 6 felony; fraud, a Class A misdemeanor; theft, a Class A misdemeanor; and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, a Class B misdemeanor.
The probable cause affidavit was filed on April 11.
