POLICE AND RESCUE NEWS: Victim in fatal Elkhart crash identified

May 17—WOLCOTTVILLE — Officers have identified the motorcycle driver from Tuesday's fatal crash on Oakland Avenue in Elkhart, as Donald R. Pickett, 61, South Bend.

At around 5:42 p.m. officers were dispatched to a motorcycle and car accident with injuries in the 2600 block of Oakland Ave.

Officers rendered first aid to the motorcyclist, Pickett, at the scene until medics arrived. Medics transported him to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for treatment of serious injuries but he was subsequently pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.

Initial investigation indicates that a pickup truck was traveling northbound on Oakland Avenue when it attempted to turn left into Stratford Commons. The motorcycle was traveling southbound on Oakland Avenue at the time of the crash, and struck the passenger side of the truck. The driver of the truck was uninjured and remained at the scene.

CRASHES

—A crash between a buggy and a box truck sent two young Amish boys to the hospital Monday morning. At 8:58 a.m. Monday, LaGrange County deputies responded to a crash at Ind. 9 and C.R. 500 in Wolcottville. Deputies arrived on the scene to find four juveniles and Lamar Graber, who was operating the buggy, laying alongside the roadway and began triaging. According to Stephen Donaldson, 27, Delphos, Ohio, he was driving the 2014 Hino bix truck and adjusting his GPS when the buggy began to slow and he didn't notice. Donaldson said he attempted to brake but struck the rear of the buggy. A four-year-old and an 8-year-old boy were airlifted by Parkview Samaritan to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne and the other three passengers of the buggy were transported there by medics.

—A three-way crash resulted in the hospitalization of at least five people in LaGrange Monday morning. According to LaGrange County Sheriff's Department, Andrya Marshall, 18, of Wolcottville, was traveling eastbound on U.S. 20 at 10:41 a.m. in a blue 2011 Chevrolet Equinox when she acknowledged that she took her eyes off the road and, upon looking back, saw a 2006 maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Kody Faulkner, 28, Wolcottville, stopped or near stopped in the roadway. Faulkner told police he'd been waiting for traffic to clear so he could turn into Riverside RV.

The collision of the Equinox and the Trailblazer caused the Trailblazer to be pushed into another car waiting to turn ahead of it, a 2016 maroon Chevrolet Silverado driven by Mark Bontrager, 36, Hudson. Marshall was traveling with two juvenile passengers who were hospitalized at Parkview LaGrange, along with herself and Faulkner for neck or head pain.

ARRESTS

* Ray Hammond, 19, Goshen, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct by Goshen police at 9:06 a.m. Tuesday. Police received numerous calls about a man acting erratic, yelling and threatening as he walked around the city near Cottage Avenue and Purl Street. After a verbal warning, Hammond was arrested and incarcerated at Elkhart County Jail.

HIT-AND-RUN

Brittney Snipe reported to Goshen police at 3:09 p.m. Tuesday that she was involved in a sideswipe accident with a maroon minivan that left the scene before exchanging information and prior to police arrival near the 400 block of E. Lincoln Ave.

THEFT

—Eduardo Munoz reported to Goshen police at 3:47 p.m. Tuesday the theft of a package from his home at 816 Braxton Court.

—Angela Walker reported to Goshen police at 6:58 p.m. Tuesday that someone stole a wagon from her back yard at 113 S. Eighth St.

—Jerry Ann Anderson reported to Elkhart County deputies that between Aug. 2020 and 2022 items were stolen from 53080 Monterey Dr., Bristol.

—Timothy Thompson reported to Elkhart County deputies that around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday someone stole lawn equipment worth $1,58 from his trailer that was parked in the driveway at 59174 Ind. 15, Goshen.

—Keith Fishburn reported to Elkhart County deputies that between April 14 and May 15, someone entered a storage yard at 29286 C.R. 52 and stole four trailer units valued over $150,000.

—Cathie Miller reported to Elkhart County deputies at 3:07 p.m. Tuesday someone took furniture from 60943 C.R. 133.

—Emily Hoke reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 3:30 p.m. April 9 and 3:30 p.m. May 12 someone stole a license plate off her vehicle at 52077 Brookstream Circle.

FRAUD/FORGERY

—Scott Litwiller reported to Goshen police at 3:55 p.m. Tuesday that someone cashed the same check five times from the College Mennonite Church bank account, 1900 S. Main St.

—Sherri Troyer reported to Goshen police at 4:27 p.m. Tuesday that her elderly mother-in-law fell victim to a phone scam at 2029 Stratford Court.

—Heather North reported to Goshen police at 6:53 p.m. Tuesday that someone used a counterfeit bill at Menards, 1925 Lincolnway East.

—Samuel Burnett reported to Goshen police that between 11 a.m. Saturday and 5:25 a.m. Sunday fraud was committed at 15103 C.R. 4.

—Douglas Sousley reported to Elkhart County deputies at 2:41 p.m. Tuesday theft of a check from his mailbox that was modified and cashed at 51455 C.R. 15.

SHOPLIFTING

Monica Garcia reported to Goshen police at 7:12 p.m. Tuesday a shoplifting from Low Bobs Tobacco, 434 W. Pike St.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Ryan Shirek reported to Goshen police at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday damage to a business-owned vehicle at 1310 S. Tenth St.