Car that fatally struck Indiana trooper stolen days earlier, driver held without bond
The man accused of killing an Indiana State Police trooper in a Hendricks County crash last week had stolen the vehicle from his mother before fleeing Missouri with two other people, according to court documents.
Trooper Aaron N. Smith was killed when he was struck by the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse on Ronald Reagan Parkway just outside of Indianapolis on June 28.
Eddie Pernell Jones, 18, is now charged with murder, resisting law enforcement and auto theft in connection with Smith’s death. A passenger in the vehicle, 19-year-old Demareon Curry, is facing auto theft and resisting law enforcement charges in the crash.
Court records: Jones stole Chevy Traverse from his mother
Six days before the deadly collision, Jones, Curry and a 15-year-old girl were at Jones’ mother’s home in Sikeston, Missouri, about 144 miles south of St. Louis. Jones’ mother fell asleep and the trio left in her Traverse, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When Jones’ mother called because her car was gone, Jones, Curry and the girl decided to drive to St. Louis, where they slept in the car for a few days, Jones told police in an interview at the Hendricks County Jail.
They delivered for an app service to make money while in St. Louis. Then they decided to travel to meet Curry’s friend in Bloomington, according to the affidavit.
It’s unclear how they ended up in Indianapolis, but Jones told police they arrived on June 26 and slept in the car in a hotel parking lot.
Trooper alerted to stolen vehicle by license plate camera
On June 28 the three were parked in the Traverse at a gas station/McDonald’s on Kentucky Avenue near South High School Road on the southwest side of Indianapolis.
Jones told police he was driving with Curry in the passenger seat and the teenage girl in the back seat, according to the affidavit.
Curry alerted the group to the police being behind them. Dash camera footage showed an Indiana State Police trooper pulling behind the Chevy Traverse. The trooper had received a notification from a nearby license-plate-reading camera that the car was stolen, according to the affidavit.
The trooper activated his emergency lights and began giving verbal commands for the occupants of the car to stick their hands out the windows. As the trooper waited for backup, Jones, Curry and the girl initially complied, the dash camera footage showed.
Jones later told police he wanted to surrender while at the McDonald’s, but Curry told him to flee and he gave into peer pressure. The 15-year-old girl told investigators all three occupants decided they should flee, according to the affidavit.
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“(The girl) stated they told (Jones), 'do what you gotta do man,' and so he decided to take off,” the probable cause affidavit reads.
Video showed the Traverse backing into one of the squad cars then hitting another vehicle in the McDonald’s parking lot before fleeing. That’s when two ISP troopers began pursuing in their squad cars.
Teens thought troopers would stop chasing if they got to the interstate
Jones later told police he was trying to get to the interstate because Curry believed troopers would stop the pursuit at that point, according to the affidavit.
Jones drove south on Kentucky Avenue then north on Ronald Reagan Parkway, crossing into Hendricks County and over Interstate 70. A semi-truck was blocking the entrance lane to the interstate so Jones continued north on Ronald Reagan Parkway then did a U-turn at Stafford Road.
Smith was struck by the Chevy Traverse on Ronald Reagan Parkway just north of I-70 as he tried to throw stop sticks into the road to stop the vehicle, according to investigators.
Jones told police his glasses slipped off so he couldn’t see well while trying to escape police. He also said that he saw Smith from about 100 yards away and that he applied the brakes and lost control of the car before the collision, according to the affidavit.
Video from a traffic camera reviewed by IndyStar showed the Chevrolet turning toward Smith as he was throwing stop sticks onto the road.
The probable cause affidavits in the case note Jones was driving almost two full travel lanes away from Smith shortly before the crash.
“At this moment Trooper Smith can be seen beginning the motion of throwing the Stop Sticks toward the path of the suspect vehicle when the suspect vehicle suddenly veers toward the right in the direction of Trooper Smith,” the affidavit reads.
Prosecutor: 'He’s aware of Trooper Smith'
Hendricks Superior Courts Magistrate Joshua Adair ruled Jones will be held without bond Monday during an initial hearing, while Curry’s bond was set at $5,000 with enhanced pretrial supervision. Curry will not be allowed to leave Indiana without permission from the court.
Jones and Curry both appeared on video from the Hendrick’s County Jail for their hearings, wearing orange jumpsuits. Attorneys for both men were not yet listed online before publication of this article.
Loren Delp, the Hendricks County Prosecutor, played a video from when the pursuit began, dash camera footage showing the collision and video recorded by a traffic camera showing the aftermath in court on Monday.
“(Jones is) aware of Trooper Smith,” Delp said while arguing that Jones should be held without bond.
Jones knew Smith was going to get control of the stolen vehicle and stop the pursuit before he turned his vehicle into Smith to avoid the stop sticks, Delp said.
Smith and the stolen vehicle landed in an embankment off the side of the road. Troopers drew their weapons and ordered the occupants of the Chevy Traverse to exit the car.
Curry and the girl exited, while Jones was entrapped in the car. All three were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Smith was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital, where he died, according to state police.
Investigators later found out the 15-year-old girl is a ward of the state of Missouri, who had been reported missing.
“The girl told police she could see Smith preparing to throw the stop sticks from the vehicle then Jones sped up and turned,” the affidavit reads.
Who was Trooper Aaron N. Smith?
Smith was born in Franklin. He graduated from Whiteland Community High School in 2008, where he played football and wrestled, according to his obituary.
He held a private pilot’s license and graduated from Indiana State University in 2014 with a degree in aviation management.
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As a trooper, Smith was on the State Police Crash Reconstruction Team and had recently been awarded two lifesaving awards. Smith was a sergeant in the Indiana National Guard, serving as utilities equipment repairer.
He earned several military awards, including the Army Achievement Award and Army Service Ribbon.
Smith attended Emmanuel Church Greenwood Campus, where he and his wife Megan Smith assisted with the children’s ministry.
“Aaron also enjoyed smoking a good brisket, flying drones, hunting, and spending time with family and friends,” the obituary reads.
How to help family of fallen trooper Aaron Smith
An account to benefit the family of Trooper Aaron N. Smith has been established at Indiana Members Credit Union.
The account has been set up under “Aaron Smith Memorial Fund.” Donations can be made by stopping at the nearest IMCU branch or by calling 800-556-9268.
Donations also can be made through the Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation, 1710 S. 10th St., Noblesville, 317-431-0755. Donations to the Fallen Heroes fund also can be made online by clicking here.
GoFundMe will not be used as a platform for making donations, officials said Monday.
Contact the reporter at 463-214-7590.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana trooper killing: Teen stole mother's car before crash, police say
