Harrison County man accused of ramming truck into police vehicle
Sep. 13—FLOYD COUNTY — A Palmyra man is behind bars in Floyd County as Indiana State Police investigate an officer-involved shooting following an altercation over the weekend.
Coltan Smith is facing three felony and two misdemeanor charges and was being held Tuesday on a $10,000 cash-only bond at the Floyd County Jail.
He's charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon, resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving at an unreasonable speed.
Police said Smith led them on a pursuit early Saturday morning, crashing into a cruiser and then fleeing the scene.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, Harrison County Sheriff's Deputy Spencer Davis said he was called to the bar Hog's Tavern in Lanesville at about 2 a.m. Saturday on a report of people fighting and throwing things into the roadway.
Another Harrison County Sheriff's deputy who was at the scene said the fighting had stopped when he arrived, but the owner of the bar said a black diesel pickup truck was doing burnouts in front of the business and then headed east on Ind. 62. Officers left the scene to locate the truck.
Davis said he went to search for the truck near the Floyd County line but didn't see it. He turned around to head west on Ind. 62 and got a call from another officer who told him he had located the vehicle heading eastbound. Davis then said he parked and observed the black truck going eastbound on Ind. 62. His radar unit indicated the vehicle was going 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Davis wrote he got back on the road when the truck passed him, but even when he started traveling at speeds higher than 100 miles per hour in his cruiser he still couldn't get close enough to the truck to read its license plate. He said that he activated his emergency lights at the Floyd County line and the truck didn't indicate its driver was trying to stop the vehicle. Davis wrote he activated his lights and siren within view of the truck and it continued to flee.
The officer said in the affidavit that he was in a pursuit at 2:19 a.m. near Broadus Road on Ind. 62. At that point the truck was traveling at speeds in excess of 93 mph.
The truck abruptly stopped at Martin's Body Shop in Georgetown and the officer said he observed the driver put his arm out the window and stick up his middle finger. The driver then took off and started traveling east on Ind. 62, slamming on the brakes at the intersection of Yenowine Lane.
The officer wrote he had to slam on his brakes and skid to stop to avoid hitting the truck. As the cruiser came to a stop, Davis wrote he observed the truck moving backward toward his vehicle. The truck slammed into the cruiser, causing the front and back airbags to deploy.
The officer said he stepped out of the cruiser at that time and said he pulled out his department-issued weapon, a Glock 17, and fired three rounds in the driver's area of the cab of the truck. The truck then continued east on Ind. 62. Davis wrote he advised the department that his truck was out of commission and he had fired his weapon.
Harrison County, Floyd County and Indiana State Police officers weren't immediately able to locate the black truck. A Flock camera captured a photo of a black truck matching the description of the vehicle at U.S. 150 and Old Vincennes Road. It was noted that this vehicle had a fictitious Indiana license plate.
ISP arrived at the scene of Davis' wreck and began to investigate the officer involved shooting, according to the affidavit.
At about 3 a.m. a man called Harrison County dispatch to report someone was shooting at the truck he was riding in, and that the shots came out of nowhere.
Officers arrived at the intersection of New Cut Road and John Arthur Road in Palmyra to speak to the man who called them. Initially, the man told officers he was involved in a bar fight at Hog's Tavern in Lanesville and left with Smith. He told officers he was driving Smith's truck and that somewhere between Lanesville and Palmyra someone shot at the truck, with the bullet zipping by his head and hitting the windshield.
Officers informed the man that the truck in question was pursued by a police cruiser and rammed the police cruiser. The man then changed his story and told police he was called by Smith about the incident and went to go pick up him and a friend.
The man told police he lied because he thought someone randomly shot at his friends and they were too afraid to report it.
Later on Saturday, police said Smith showed up at the Harrison County Sheriff's Department to report his truck had been stolen. He told police a story that wasn't consistent with what they observed the night before and said he'd left his truck in a field after determining he was too drunk to drive home.
Police then arrested Smith.
Smith was in Floyd Circuit Court No. 1 on Monday. He told the judge his truck was still missing and asked if there was any way he could be let out on his own recognizance.
Judge John Terrence Cody set his bond at $10,000, cash-only.
