Putnam Scanner for Dec. 4, 2020

Thursday, December 3, 2020

County Jail

Nine people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently

Wednesday

• At 2:38 p.m. Jory P. Bell, 38, Indianapolis, was booked in for driving with a suspended license.

• At 4:03 a.m. Oscar J. Fox, 26, Indianapolis, was lodged at the jail for battery against a public safety official.

Tuesday

• At 11:07 p.m. Dustin M. Strube, 42, Greencastle, was taken into custody for domestic battery.

• At 4:24 p.m. Dakota C. Dunn, 23, Terre Haute, was housed at the jail on a Vigo County warrant.

Monday

• At 7:30 p.m. Amber G. Keck, 33, Plainfield, was booked in for criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

• At 5:39 p.m. James P. Keeton, 35, Cloverdale, was lodged at the jail for failure to register as a sex or violent offender.

• At 12:11 p.m. Logan J. Pizzo, 29, Greencastle, was taken into custody for possession of a controlled substance.

• At 9:33 a.m. Timothy J. Smith, 43, Coatesville, was housed at the jail on a writ of body attachment.

• At 9:13 a.m. Austin M. Kirk, 40, Danville, was booked in on a writ of body attachment.

Sheriff’s Office

Putnam County sheriff’s deputies investigated four recent property-damage crashes.

• At 9:07 a.m. on Wednesday, Jessica M. Ralph, 35, Coatesville, was traveling southwest on Heritage Drive approaching Emergency Exit 21 in a 2015 Ford Focus. Michael L. Foster, 67, Coatesville, was traveling in the opposite direction in a 1999 Chevrolet pickup.

Ralph told Deputy Brian Helmer she rounded a corner and the sun blinded her. At this point, she crossed the center line and collided head-on with Foster’s vehicle.

Foster said he honked his horn and tried to put his vehicle into the ditch but could not avoid the collision.

Foster was transported to the hospital by Putnam County EMS. Ralph had a couple of cuts on her legs but refused medical treatment.

Both vehicles were towed. Helmer estimated damage at $10,000-$25,000.

• At 7:13 p.m. on Tuesday, Catherine A. Caes, 19, Brownsburg, was westbound on U.S. 36 near County Road 725 East in a 2008 Toyota RAV4 when she hit a deer.

Deputy Josh Deal estimated damage at $2,500-$5,000.

• At 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dayson A. Cox, 19, Cloverdale, was westbound on County Road 375 North approaching a curve in a 2015 Jeep Patriot.

Evidence at the scene gathered by Deputy Robert Soilleux showed that Cox had crossed left of center and as it approached the blind curve, then failed to turn, simply traveling straight off th road and into a ditch before it crashed through a wire fence. It then traveled over the top of several trees before it ultimated crashed into a large tree.

The stories from Cox, his passengers and witnesses varied.

Cox had originally told dispatch he was run off the road by another vehicle. When Soilleux arrived on the scene, Cox said another car had been parked in the road, blocking the westbound lane. He said when he applied his brakes, he skidded off the road.

The front seat passenger, Isaiah Albright, told the deputy there had been no other vehicle involved. He blamed the crash of the poor mechanical condition of the vehicle, which was registered to Kathy Albright of Cloverdale. The passenger said the vehicle’s brakes were bad and the headlights were very dim. He said because of the dim headlights, the driver did not see the curve coming.

One witness, who was also westbound, said the crashed vehicle had passed him at a high rate of speed. He added that he had not seen any other vehicle in the area.

The witness added that when he arrived on the scene after the crash, there were three young men on the scene discussing who they would say was driving, with each giving him totally different accounts of what happened.

A second witness said he lives near the location, was outside and hear the noise of speeding vehicle approaching, followed by loud screeching of tires and ending with the sound of a crash.

Fearing serious injury, the witness rushed to the scene, but found three uninjured males exiting the crashed vehicle. The witness said the boys told him another vehicle was involved, but could not decide if the other vehicle ran them off the road or was parked along the side of the road.

Both witnesses said one male had fled the scene before law enforcement arrived.

Both Cox and Albright told Soilleux the third male was Hunter Sheffler.

Soilleux found no evidence of a car parked along the side of the road, nor in the road.

Cox was charged with misdemeanor false informing.

The registered owner’s husband removed the vehicle from the scene.

Soilleux estimated damage at $5,000-$10,000.

• At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, Dean M. Whittaker, 56, Greencastle, was attempting to turn north from County Road 450 south onto Manhattan Road in a 2016 Ford F-250.

Whittaker told Deputy Daniel Birt a vehicle suddenly appeared southbound. He then accelerated into the turn, pushing his truck off the roadway.

The truck came to rest in the ditch, submerged in mud. The truck was sitting at an angle completely off the roadway, but right at the fog line.

Whittaker tested at .33 alcohol concentration equivalent on the portable breath test and subsequently at .32 on the certified test — more than four times the legal limit.

He was booked in the Putnam County Jail at 10:27 p.m. for driving with an ACE of .15 or more.

Additionally, he was cited for driving without a license.

The truck was towed. Birt estimated damage at $1,000-$2,500.

City Fire

The Greencastle Fire Department recently performed six medical assists and had one disregard.

Information included in the Putnam Scanner is taken from reports provided to the Banner Graphic by the Greencastle Police, the Greencastle Fire and the Putnam County Sheriff’s departments.

Individuals listed in the blotter have been arrested on probable cause and have not been formally charged. Charging information may change after an initial arrest.

Questions about listed charging information should be directed to the arresting agency.