Greencastle woman facing neglect charge for letting 14-year-old drive resulting in accident

Monday, December 21, 2020
Talissa Marie O’Conner

BRAZIL -- A 30-year-old Greencastle woman is facing charges of Level 5 felony neglect of a dependent following a traffic accident Saturday evening in Clay County.

Talissa Marie O’Conner was booked into the Clay County Justice Center early Sunday morning after being medically cleared at St. Vincent Clay Hospital.

O’Conner was incarcerated without bond, awaiting formal court proceedings on the charges.

Due to the ongoing investigation, Clay County law enforcement has not released all details or the parties’ names.

The two-vehicle accident was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

When Clay County Sheriff’s Department officers and first responders arrived on the scene, the subsequent crash investigation determined that a pickup truck struck a northbound van from behind near the intersection of County Road 700 North.

The accident occurred as an unidentified Vigo County resident and driver of the van had stopped to wait for another vehicle to turn west before continuing north. The van was struck from behind by the 14-year-old juvenile driver (name not released) of the oncoming pickup truck.

Investigators determined O’Conner had told the juvenile to drive the pickup truck.

The collision sent both vehicles off the road and into a nearby ditch. The road was closed for approximately an hour to clear damaged vehicles.

No injuries were reported from the four passengers inside the van (which included two juveniles).

Members of STAR Ambulance checked out all occupants of the pickup, which had eight passengers, seven of which were juveniles.

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  • *

    Don't do drugs, kids. That is a rough 30...

    (And yes, she may be an incredibly nice person - aside from making a 14 year old illegally drive with a truckload of other juveniles. LOL.)

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 4:05 PM
  • Man I hate when I agree with a comment from DPR - that is a hard 30. Maybe it's a typo - I was in an accident when I was 30 and the Banner printed my age as 39.

    -- Posted by unbiased on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 4:28 PM
  • Just a guess, but meth?

    -- Posted by FactswithoutBS on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 6:46 PM
  • Oh Talissa, rough upbringing and looks like a tougher adulthood. Girl, get it together and take care of yourself. You can do it.

    -- Posted by kbmom on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 7:11 PM
  • So sad....I hope that this young woman can get some help. Please be kind with your words...this is someone's mother, sister and daughter.

    -- Posted by putcoresident84 on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 7:48 PM
  • She made a big mistake.

    -- Posted by donantonio on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 9:20 PM
  • Agreed, pretty big mistake. Hope she’s prevented from repeating it.

    -- Posted by techphcy on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, at 9:20 PM
  • Everyone needs help from time to time. Don't judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes. There are too many demented comments on this site.

    -- Posted by donantonio on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 8:13 AM
  • *

    Don Antonio - I'm gonna guess that this goes a bit beyond making a mistake.

    Making a conscious decision to have a 14-yr old drive illegally, transporting what sounds like an over capacity of people, including seven juveniles, in a truck is not simply a mistake. It is reckless endangerment.

    Does she need help? Probably.

    Will she seek help? Probably not willingly.

    Does she deserve to go to jail? Most certainly.

    When she gets out, she will be at the crossroad... will she continue down the path she has chosen previously or will she change the direction of her life? We can only wait and see.

    If she changes direction, she may be forgiven by society.

    If she doesn't change direction, she is the author of her own destruction.

    And while I appreciate your desire to live your faith, remember that there are some who are/will be lost, regardless of how much you try to save them.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 8:30 AM
  • Under the influence, can a conscious decision really be made? I’m not saying I know any facts about this case and what Talissa did was absolutely wrong, but let’s not give her credit to even make a conscious decision. I don’t know what it takes to drive someone to turn their life around. This could go either way.

    -- Posted by kbmom on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 9:45 AM
  • I will venture to say that the majority of those on this site have committed some errors in their lives as well yet like to point their boney fingers at others simply because their mug shot appears in the local rag called the BG.

    DPR--you do not know whether she will receive salvation. That is between her and God.

    You are eloquent at times but, in this case you are wrong. But, if you feel the need to write a thesis on my comments then be my guest.

    -- Posted by donantonio on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 2:25 PM
  • This is some who's EXTREMELY CLOSE TO HER and she DIDN'T make a conscious decision she WASN'T under the influence of drugs HER BLOOD SUGAR HAD DROPPED OUT EXTREMELY LOW due to being a type 1 diabetic and the 14 year old took the wheel and moved her to the passenger seat! Has she been an addict in the past? Yeah but she is sober and was sober!if you don't know the facts maybe you should keep your comments to yourself!

    -- Posted by sstuart1002002 on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 2:33 PM
  • She definitely has the look of a classic case of low blood sugar.

    /s

    -- Posted by techphcy on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 2:57 PM
  • Why were so many writing such cruel messages about her? Especially so close to Christmas.

    Every time you point your finger at someone just remember there are 3 more fingers pointing back at yourself.

    -- Posted by donantonio on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 5:00 PM
  • You people are so rude just because she made a mistake one that she had no control over you're going to sit there and judge her? You're pathetic. Yes she's done wrong but she has also done some of the sweetest things I have ever seen. We were in avon and a homeless woman was walking without shoes and she literally took hers off and gave them to the homeless woman so take your judgement elsewhere because you can't always believe what you read I bet you believe that our government only wants the best for us and that they aren't corrupt.

    -- Posted by sstuart1002002 on Tue, Dec 22, 2020, at 5:20 PM
  • *

    Don Antonio - Yes, her salvation is between her and God.

    When they used to execute people, they prayed for them "may God have mercy on your soul"... b/c here on Earth you still have to take your medicine. God's grace doesn't get you out of repercussions of your bad actions.

    So climb down off of your moral high horse and try having a reasonable conversation.

    Stuart - only one problem with your defense... "Investigators determined O’Conner had told the juvenile to drive the pickup truck."

    Sounds like a conscious decision to me.

    I hope she is sober, and stays sober. I don't wish the addicts life on anyone. I have seen the damage done, not only to the addict but to too many innocents.

    However, according to the article, she TOLD the 14 year old to drive the truck (not take the wheel, not pull over), which was over loaded (b/c there likely ain't 8 seat belts in that vehicle). She did something wrong. She should admit it, take her medicine, and learn something from it.

    But please, continue to call me rude and pathetic, while you defend the indefensible.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Wed, Dec 23, 2020, at 8:26 AM
  • DPR-your words probably reflect the very thoughts of 99 percent of those who read the article. Best wishes to Talissa, but I doubt she was arrested on the whim of an officer making a deliberate effort to ruin her day.

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Wed, Dec 23, 2020, at 12:06 PM
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