Capsule Reports - Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025

Lost control

A Portland man lost control of the vehicle he was driving, causing it to spin and strike the car behind on Indiana 67 near county road 200 East about 5:30 a.m. Monday.

Brayden M. Sprunger, 22, Portland, was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado east on Indiana 67 behind a 2009 Toyota Camry driven by 18-year-old Yermi Deivi Velasquez of Portland. Velasquez lost control on a patch of ice on the road, causing the vehicle he was driving to spin 180 degrees and slam into Sprunger’s truck. Sprunger admitted to police he was following Velasquez’s vehicle too closely.

Velasquez admitted to driving without a license. The owner of the vehicle, Jesse Y. Gonzalez of Union City, also admitted to not having insurance on the vehicle, according to a Jay County Sheriff’s Office report.

Velasquez was preliminarily charged with a Class C misdemeanor for operating a vehicle without a license. He was released from Jay County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

The 2009 Toyota Camry was towed. Damage is estimated between $10,000 and $25,000.

Flipped truck

A Redkey man complained of head pain after losing control of his vehicle on Indiana 1 and flipping it about 10:36 a.m. Monday.

Darren J. Fisher, 18, was driving his 2005 Mazda B-Series truck south on the highway when he began to drift off the right side of the road. He overcorrected, according to a Jay County Sheriff’s Office report, causing him to go off the east side of the road and flip his truck. 

Fisher was trapped in his vehicle, which was towed. Damage is estimated between $5,000 and $10,000.

Hit tree

A Montpelier woman lost control of her car and crashed into a tree along Indiana 18 in Jay County about 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Brittani N. Kirk, 34, was driving a 2003 Dodge Neon west on the highway near county road 750 West when she went off the north side of the road. She overcorrected, causing her to go off the south side of the road and slide into a tree.

The vehicle Kirk was driving is registered to Andrew L. Batten of Pennville, and it was towed. Damage is estimated between $2,500 and $5,000.