Police arrest and charge truck driver with death of Delaware County sheriff’s deputy
Police have arrested and charged a truck driver in the November death of a Delaware County sheriff’s deputy, who was killed on I-69 while responding to an accident. IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.
Audio Transcript
Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Hoffman says an Indiana State Police investigation has charged Teddy Johnson with four counts, including reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter.
From the court order:
- Count 1: Reckless Homicide, a Level 5 felony.
- Count 2: Involuntary Manslaughter, a Level 5 Felony.
- Count 3: Failure Change Lanes for Authorized Emergency Vehicle, a
- Level 6 Felony.
- Count 4: Reckless operation of a tractor trailer combination, a Class B
- Misdemeanor.
According to court documents, Johnson was driving a semi-truck along I-69 North around 3:30 AM on November 12. That’s where Delaware County Corporal Blake Reynolds was helping another semi-truck that was broken down and partially blocking a lane. Reynolds’ police SUV had its blue-and-red emergency lights on while parked in the highway’s right lane.
The investigation says Johnson’s semi did not move to the left lane as it should have. Johnson crashed into Reynolds’ police SUV. That caused him to lose control and hit and drag Reynolds along the road, where his truck then also crashed into the disabled semi.
The investigation also says Johnson’s truck’s dashboard cameras show he was wearing headphones and holding a “handheld electronic device” as he drove, scrolling it and controlling it with his hands. Investigators also determined he’d been awake for 21 hours.
In November as the investigation began, Indiana State Police Sergeant Scott Keegan said, “It’s a danger that always comes with our job,” he said, “being out on the interstate, so you know, it’s just one of …. We’re trained for it, but tragedies happen, and that’s the case that we have today.”
Hoffman says the Indiana State Police took Johnson into custody. He is being held without bail until a court hearing later this week.
The most serious charge, reckless homicide, is a Level 5 felony, which is “punishable by 1-6 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.”
At his funeral, Reynolds’ wife, Allie Reynolds, said she forgave the man who accidentally killed her husband.
“I do not forgive because it’s easy or because what happened can ever be undone,” she told mourners. “I forgive because I have been forgiven of so much more. Jesus took the punishment for my sin upon himself at the cross. And because of that mercy, I cannot withhold forgiveness from another soul.”
Reynolds joined the sheriff’s office in 2022 after serving in the Army National Guard. He was 31.
Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host. Contact her at slwiechmann@bsu.edu.
