Two Charged in Injuring Trooper

Posted on Author WKVI

TWO CHARGED IN INJURING TROOPER

King
Maldonado

Porter County-Two men were charged today, by Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matthew Frost, in the hit and run of Trooper George Hornsby on the Indiana Toll Road on Monday, January 10, 2011. One of the men was charged with Attempted Murder.

At approximately 6:27 p.m. (Central Standard Time), January 10th, a driver called the State Police Toll Road and told them of a hit and run crash that had just occurred west bound on I-90 at the 51 mile marker (this is near the LaPorte State Road 39 exit).  The driver was able to give a description of the vehicle that fled the scene.  A trooper saw the vehicle west bound at the 42 mile marker (this is just east of the Michigan City U.S. 421 exit).  The vehicle started to pull over, and then took off.

Trooper George Hornsby, 30, a two year veteran of the department, was at the 25 mile marker (this is approximately a mile before the Portage exit) was waiting behind his police car to deploy his stop sticks.  As the vehicle approached, Hornsby was attempting to throw the stop sticks when the vehicle swerved to the right and hit Hornsby.  The vehicle (a 2003 Toyota Camry) then exited off onto Willowcreek Road in Portage and went north.  It was later located on Tuesday, January 12th, in a wooded area just north of the Toll Road in Portage.  It has also been reported stolen to Gary Police on January 7th.

Hornsby was transported to North lake Hospital in Gary where he had surgery on his left leg.

Indiana State Police Toll Road Detective Mike Robinson stated, “We were able to track down these two individuals through numerous calls from the public, assistance from multiple agencies including Valparaiso, Portage and Porter County Police, U.S. Marshall Service Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force, FBI Gang Response Investigative Team, Indiana State Police Drug Enforcement Section, as well as other investigative tools”.

Charged were:

  • David C. King, 19 of Gary, Indiana

Attempted Murder                            Class A Felony

Aggravated Battery                          Class B Felony

Resisting Law Enforcement             Class C Felony

Possession of Stolen Automobile      Class D Felony

  • Michael L. Maldonado, 18 of East Chicago, Indiana

Possession of Stolen Automobile                  Class D Felony