On Tuesday evening, Norfolk Southern railroad officials told police that a vehicle was stuck in the middle of the tracks, just east of the Detroit Street crossing. When police arrived at 8:19 p.m. CT, they observed a car sitting abandoned in the middle of the tracks. An Amtrak train was stopped on the south track, just inches from the vehicle that had bottomed out on four track rails on a center track.
The vehicle was full of personal items and a handgun case was laying open on the front passenger seat, along with .38 special ammunition. The handgun was not in the case. A double-bladed knife and a partially empty vodka bottle was reportedly located on the seat.
Officers followed a set of footprints in the snow that started at the abandoned car and traveled south on Linwood Street for a short distance. Police learned that the vehicle was registered to a LaPorte man and officers found him and questioned him about the incident. The suspect reportedly admitted that he left his home to go out to a store, but denied knowing how his vehicle ended up at its location on the railroad tracks. According to the incident report filed by police, officers noticed that he was bleeding from a hand wound. Blood was also found inside the vehicle.
LaPorte police have submitted a complete report to the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office for a review of charges including Leaving the Scene of an Accident and False Informing.
