LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — A northern Indiana man has been charged with four felonies after injuring a state police trooper in a hit-and-run crash.
According to a release from Indiana State Police, on March 7 around 11:30 p.m., an ISP trooper was helping direct traffic on Cline Avenue near the bridge over the Grand Calumet River in East Chicago.
The trooper reportedly was parked in the left lane with his emergency lights active. East Chicago Police officers were investigating a separate crash at the time the trooper was directing traffic.
While directing traffic, an SUV reportedly rear-ended the trooper's squad car, then revved its engine before fleeing at a high rate of speed. The trooper was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to ISP.
Later, an East Chicago police officer was on patrol when they located the SUV parked at a home in the 3200 block of Regent Street. The officer reported that the SUV had multiple flat tires, the airbags had deployed and an open container of an alcoholic beverage was found inside the vehicle.
Police then impounded the SUV.
The next day on March 8 around 6:30 p.m., a man contacted the East Chicago Police Department to report that his car had been stolen from his girlfriend's house in the 3700 block of Euclid Avenue. The man's description of the car allegedly matched the description of the SUV police had impounded the night before.
A Lake County judge granted police a search warrant for the impounded SUV. Police collected evidence and DNA samples during the search.
Following the search of the SUV, a judge then approved a warrant for a DNA sample from Joel A. Barrea, of East Chicago.
According to police, when they arrived to serve the warrant, Barrea allegedly refused to cooperate, even when told it was not optional.
Barrea was then charged with four felonies, including criminal recklessness, leaving the scene of an accident causing injury, resisting law enforcement and obstruction of justice. He was also charged with misdemeanor false informing, reckless driving, possession of marijuana and having an altered interim license plate.
According to ISP, Barrea has since been released from the Lake County Jail. A court date has not yet been determined.
