State Trooper Injured In Hit-And-Run
VALPARAISO, Ind. (STMW) - Two northwest Indiana men have been charged, one with attempted murder, in connection with a hit-and-run incident on the Indiana Toll Road which left an Indiana State Police trooper hospitalized.
David C. King, 19, of Gary, was charged Thursday in Porter County, Ind., with one count each of attempted murder, aggravated battery, resisting law enforcement and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to a release from state police.
Michael L. Maldonado, 18, of East Chicago, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, the release said.
At about 6:30 p.m. Monday, a driver called state police to report a hit-and-run crash on the westbound Toll Road (I-80/90) near Route 39 in LaPorte. The driver was able to give a description of the vehicle.
About 10 miles away, a trooper saw the vehicle westbound near the U.S. 421 exit in Michigan City, but after the vehicle started to pull over, it took off at a high rate of speed, the release said.
Trooper George Hornsby, 30, a two-year veteran, was at the 25 mile marker (about a mile east of the Portage exit) waiting behind his police car to deploy stop sticks. As the vehicle approached, Hornsby attempted to throw the stop sticks but the vehicle swerved to the right and hit him.
The 2003 Toyota Camry then exited at Willowcreek Road in Portage, where it was found Tuesday in a wooded area just north of the Toll Road. It had been reported stolen to Gary police on Jan. 7.
Hornsby was transported to Methodist Hospital Northlake in Gary where he had surgery on his left leg.
"We were able to track down these two individuals through numerous calls from the public, and assistance from multiple agencies." ISP Detective Mike Robinson said in the release.
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