KNOX COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — 7/24/23 Update: An Oaktown man has died after his vehicle was struck by a stolen vehicle carrying three missing juveniles being pursued by police along U.S. 41 in Sullivan and Knox counties.
Indiana State Police released updated information Monday morning after they were asked to investigate the Friday crash that occurred at 3:21 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. 41 and Old U.S. 41 near Oaktown.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s office reportedly initiated the pursuit after learning that a stolen 1997 Dodge Dakota from Vigo County was headed south on U.S. 41. The driver of the stolen vehicle, a 16-year-old boy from Terre Haute, reportedly refused to stop when law enforcement attempted to pull him over. The pursuit travelled through the county and into Knox County where the crash happened.
ISP said preliminary investigation revealed that stolen vehicle was also carrying two other juveniles, a 16-year-old Poland girl and a 15-year-old Terre Haute boy. Police noted that all three juveniles had been reported missing from Vigo and Owen counties.
As the driver was approaching the intersection, he entered the right turn lane and attempted to turn right onto Old US 41. The vehicle was traveling too fast to negotiate the right turn and collided into the driver’s side of a 2006 Chevrolet Impala that was stopped at the stop sign on Old US 41 at US 41
Indiana State Police news release
The driver of the Impala was identified as 88-year-old Jimmy Mayall of Oaktown. Mayall was flown to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and would later die from his injuries sustained in the crash.
The driver of the stolen vehicle and the 16-year-old female passenger were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment of what police described as minor injuries and later taken to the Southwest Indiana Regional Youth Village in Vincennes. The 15-year-old male passenger was flown to an Evansville hospital and police listed his current condition as unknown.
ISP Sgt. Todd Ringle noted that this investigation remains ongoing, and that criminal charges are pending.
1st update (Friday): A Police pursuit that began in Sullivan County ended with a crash in Knox County.
According to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, just after 3 p.m. Friday they received a report of a stolen vehicle heading south into Sullivan County on U.S. 41 and say they confirmed a missing person was in the vehicle.
Sullivan County officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, but the driver did not stop and a pursuit began. It ended just inside Knox County. The suspect’s vehicle crashed into a another vehicle near Oaktown.
According to Indiana State Police Detective Nick Hatfield, the driver ran into stop sticks that had been set up by law enforcement.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s office says there were no life threatening injuries reported from the crash. All suspects are in custody. No names have been released.
