Indiana State Police is investigating a pursuit that ended in a single-vehicle fatal crash early Sunday morning, at the request of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office and Mentone Police Department.
According to a news release from the ISP, a preliminary investigation by Master Trooper Todd Trottier revealed that Sunday, just after midnight, Mentone Town Marshal Keaton Schopf was patrolling Ind. 25 near Princeton Street in Mentone. Schopf attempted to stop a 2010 Chevrolet Impala for speeding; however, the Impala failed to stop and fled southbound on Ind. 25.
The pursuit continued southbound on Ind. 25 from Kosciusko County into Fulton County. Shortly after crossing Ind. 110, the Impala veered off the east side of the road for an unknown reason and hit a tree.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the juvenile driver - later identified as Adam Charles McDaniels, 17, Rochester - was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by emergency medical personnel. Notification to the family of the deceased has been made, the release states.
The juvenile passenger was transported to an area hospital via a medical helicopter for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The passenger’s name has not been released.
Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team members responded to assist with the investigation.
Trottier was assisted by troopers from the Peru Post, other members of the ISP Crash Reconstruction Team, Indiana Conservation Officers, Akron Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Mentone Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff's Office, KCSO, Fulton County Coroner's Office, Parkview EMS, Samaritan Air, Mentone Fire Department, Rochester Fire Department and Tony's Citywide Towing.
The information above is preliminary; the investigation is ongoing, and there is no further information to release at this time.