Indiana State Police report that State Troopers encountered another wrong-way driver on I-65, fortunately, this time there wasn’t a head-on crash. On December 26, 2019, at approximately 12:10 AM, Indiana State Trooper William Carlson was dispatched to a wrong-way vehicle on I-65 northbound near the 240 exits (Lowell exit).
The Lowell Regional Dispatch Center was receiving multiple 911 calls of the vehicle. After traveling the wrong-way for approximately 9 miles, Trp. Carlson located the vehicle and was able to make a traffic stop on it near the 232 mile-marker in Newton County. The vehicle, a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, was being driven by Marcus Cooper-Longoria (28yrs old) who resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The driver indicated that he had observed oncoming traffic but didn’t think anything of it because he was tired. During the traffic stop investigation, Trooper Carlson was able to recognize indicators of impairment. Trp. Carlson is a certified Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE). A “DRE” is a law enforcement officer trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs, other than, or in addition to alcohol. The DRE evaluation on Cooper-Longoria indicated/showed impairment.
The left lane of I-65 northbound was closed for approximately 1 hour due to the investigation and for vehicle removal by Village Motors Towing. Cooper-Longoria was incarcerated at the Newton County Jail for the following charges:
Operating While Intoxicated/Endangering- Class A Misdemeanor
Reckless Driving – C Misdemeanor
Operating While Intoxicated/Controlled Substance- C- Misdemeanor
Assisting: Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Trooper Adam, Trooper McBride, Trooper Griffin, and Village Motors Towing.
State Trooper and Lake County Sheriff involved in early morning water rescue
Gary-On November 26th, 2017 at approximately 3:50 a.m, a hit and run crash occurred on I-80 in Gary, IN. Preliminary investigation by Trooper William Carlson revealed that Denise Towner, 42, of Gary, IN, was driving a red 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier eastbound on I-80 near the 8.6-mile marker in the right lane. This is approximately .3 miles west of the Grant Street exit. The red cavalier was rear-ended by another vehicle that fled the scene. The impact caused the red cavalier to spin out, and run off the roadway into the ditch area. The red cavalier then rolled several times, before coming to a rest upside down in waist-deep water. Trooper Carlson and Lake County Deputy Ray Borchert responded to the crash scene. Upon their arrival, both officers immediately removed their duty belts and entered the water to check on the well-being of Mrs. Towner and to attempt to remove her from the vehicle. It was determined by the officers that it was unsafe to attempt to roll the vehicle back to upright or break any windows in the vehicle as it could compromise the air pocket that Mrs. Towner was using to breathe. Gary Fire department personnel then entered the water with the Jaws of Life and were able to safely remove Mrs. Towner from the vehicle. Mrs. Towner was then immediately transported to Northlake Hospital in Gary where she was treated for injuries from the crash. The collective effort between agencies led to an efficient and successful rescue of Mrs. Towner.
