Two people were arrested after an accident in Starke County.
On Friday morning, the Starke County 911 Center received a call that there appeared to be drunk driver on Toto Road. Deputies were notified and attempted to catch the impaired driver.
The caller kept dispatchers informed of the car’s location until officers could catch up to the scene. When the officer got to within three miles of the vehicle, the driver crashed the vehicle on 700 E. just north of State Road 10.
The deputy arrived on scene and found the car on its side with two occupants still inside the vehicle. The driver, James Tobin, was attempting to crawl out of the vehicle against the deputy’s orders. As Tobin was attempting to get out, the vehicle rolled over and his legs were pinned underneath the car. The deputy was able to free Tobin from under the car, but he became combative with the officer. The officer was able to calm him down and assist the passenger, Wendy Miller, out of the car.
Tobin refused medical treatment and was transported to the Starke County Jail. Miller was transported to IU Health Starke Hospital for treatment. Hospital staff later called police to report that she was unruly while at the hospital. Her blood alcohol level was .370, nearly five times the legal limit. She was taken to the Starke County Jail and booked on a preliminary charge of Public Intoxication.
Officers later learned that the car involved in the accident was stolen. Tobin had reportedly stolen the vehicle from his grandmother. Tobin was booked on preliminary charges of Auto Theft, Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person, and Resisting Law Enforcement. He is being held with no bond.
