POLICE NEWS: Crash injures driver, splits car in two

Aimee Ambrose, Goshen News, Ind.
·4 min read

Jun. 24—A Warsaw man was critically injured and his car was sheared in half in a two-vehicle collision south of Milford early Wednesday morning.

Spencer Stapleton, Warsaw, allegedly ran a stop sign on C.R. 900 North, and the car he was driving was struck by an oncoming minivan driven by Nicole Jeffries, Warsaw, at the Ind. 15 intersection around 5:05 a.m., according to Kosciusko County police in a news release.

Stapleton's car was split in half by the collision, police said. Stapleton was thrown about 50 feet from the vehicle.

He was flown to an area hospital, unnamed in the release, to receive treatment for critical injuries, police said. A passenger in the car, Dusty Deshane, Warsaw, was also flown with non-critical injures.

Jeffries and two passengers in her van refused medical treatment at the scene, police said.

Two other vehicles, parked at a house near the intersection, were also damaged as a result of the crash.

CRASH

A tractor-trailer driven by Robert Klimek, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, rear-ended a tractor-trailer driven by Mohammad Rahim Azami, Lakewood, Ohio, while Rahim Azami was stopped due to construction traffic on the Indiana Toll Road at the 120 mile marker near Howe around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Rahim Azami's truck was then pushed into the rear of a dump truck driven by Jason Nine, Lakeville, the Indiana State Police said in a news release.

Emergency responders had to free Klimek from the cab of his vehicle. He was flown to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne to receive treatment for his injuries, police said.

Rahim Azami was taken to Parkview LaGrange Hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries. Nine was uninjured, police said.

The Toll Road's westbound lanes were shut down for nearly four and a half hours as a result of the crash, the release shows.

ARRESTS

—Blaide Dorian, 18, Cromwell, was arrested by Goshen police and jailed on a charge of resisting law enforcement following a short pursuit. Police alleged Dorian fled after officers found a vehicle parked at Goshen Little League, 1902 Pringle Park Drive, around midnight Wednesday.

—Joshua Beckley, 25, 66393 Ind. 15, Goshen, was arrested by Goshen police and jailed on a charge of resisting law enforcement after police said he fled from a traffic stop near Rieth Boulevard and C.R. 17 around 9:35 p.m. Tuesday. Beckley, driving a motorcycle, allegedly led officers on a pursuit that wound down toward New Paris, according to a report. He was stopped near a barbed wire fence at 22154 C.R. 142 and arrested, police said.

—Timothy Schneider, 29, 407 Kansas Drive, Goshen, was arrested by Goshen police and jailed on charges of battery with a deadly weapon and intimidation with a deadly weapon after police responded to a fight at his address around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

—Phil Sample, 49, 603 N. Seventh St., Goshen, was arrested by Goshen police on a charge of possession of marijuana following a traffic stop at Middlebury and Arehart streets around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday. Sample was released at the scene with a citation to appear in court.

THEFTS

—A 16-year-old boy reported to Goshen police his bicycle was stolen while he was at Walmart, 4024 Elkhart Road, around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The boy was in the store filling out a job application at the time, police said in a report.

—Tammy Barden, Goshen, reported to Elkhart County police Monday a suspect stole $397 through the fraudulent sale of a welder via Facebook Marketplace on June 11. The case is under investigation.

HIT-AND-RUNS

—Staff at Goshen Community Schools reported to Goshen police a vehicle struck the fence surrounding Goshen High School's football field, 401 Lincolnway East, around 6 a.m. Tuesday.

—Elkhart County police responded to a three-vehicle crash at U.S. 20 and Ind. 15 around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday. According to a report, the driver of a white pickup truck involved in the crash left the scene without stopping or exchanging information with the other two drivers.

FIREARM FOUND

Goshen police responded to a call where a firearm was found at the Comfort Inn, 2309 Lincolnway East, around 12:25 p.m. Tuesday. Police arrived and recovered the gun.

FRAUD

Michael Wagle, Terre Haute, reported to Goshen police Tuesday there was an attempt to use his bank account to make an online purchase with the item set to be picked up at Walmart, 2304 Lincolnway East.

ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE

Justin Esterline, 23, Elkhart, was deemed absent without leave after staff at the Elkhart County Work Release Center in Goshen reported to Elkhart County police he failed to return to custody around noon last Friday.