Local man faces multiple charges
FRANK DENZLER
Republican Staff Writer
Shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of South SR 3 and U.S. 52 lead to the eventual arrest of one driver, identified as David F. Lewis, 43, of Rushville.
According to officer Mark Ford, of the Rushville Police Department who assisted in the investigation, a 2007 Chevrolet Impala, driven by William K. Berg, 35, of Fort Wayne, was northbound on SR 3 and came to a stop at a automatic traffic signal, at the intersection highways when his vehicle was struck in the rear by a 1986 GMC Sonoma driven by Lewis.
“A witness indicated that they were behind the vehicles involved and after coming to a stop, Lewis’ vehicle re-accelerated and struck the Chevrolet,” Ford said.
The officer continued by saying that a witness to the fender-bender indicated following the accident, Berg exited his vehicle and made arrangements with Lewis to pull into a nearby parking lot when the light changed.
“As the Impala pulled into a pre-arranged parking lot, the other driver (Lewis) continued on northbound on Main Street. The Lewis vehicle then entered the shopping center parking lot in the 100 block of South Main Street before exiting and exited on Water Street without stopping,” Ford said.
As Berg followed the fleeing vehicle, he called 911 and passed along information to the dispatcher of their location.
Following a pursuit, officers were able to stop the fleeing vehicle in the 700 block of North Fort Wayne Road.
Both vehicles sustained extensive damage although neither was rendered inoperable.
Shortly after coming to a stop, Lewis was taken into custody and is facing a variety of charges stemming from the incident: Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated second offense ( class “D” felony), OWI (class “C” misdemeanor), OWI with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more (class “C” misdemeanor), OWI with a blood alcohol content of .15 percent or more (class “A” misdemeanor), OWI with a controlled substance (class “C” misdemeanor), driving while suspended (class “A” misdemeanor), leaving the scene of an accident (class “B” misdemeanor) and OWI endangerment (class “A” misdemeanor). Lewis was additionally cited for providing false or fictitious vehicle registration and no vehicle insurance.
After taken into custody, the driver indicated that he was injured in the accident. Following treatment at Rush Memorial Hospital, Lewis was transported to the Rush County Jail. No bond was indicated.
Berg was uninjured as a result of the accident and required no medical attention.
Frank Denzler can be contacted at (765) 932-2222 ext. 106 or via e-mail at frank.denzler@rushvillerepublican.com. To add a comment to this story visit our Web site at www.rushvillerepublican.com.
