A Salem man was arrested Tuesday afternoon, March 16, for leaving the scene of a personal injury wreck and drug-related charges after a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department located a vehicle that had been struck in the rear.
The accident occurred on US 31 at 400 S (Retreat Road) at 3:12 p.m. The other vehicle had fled the scene at U.S. 31 and County Road 400S in Vernon Township, according Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Carothers who located the vehicle abandoned at the edge of a field on a dead-end road.
After an hour and fifteen minute search, Cale G. Kearschner, 39, of Salem, was found near a wooded area approximately a mile from the scene of the wreck.
Kearschner rear-ended a 2004 Suzuki auto driven by Rachel Nott, 40, of Crothersville, police reported. Nott was treated and released from Schneck Medical Center.
Both Nott’s 2004 Suzuki and Kearschner’s 1995 Mazda were considered a total loss, Carothers reported.
Kearschner was arrested for leaving the scene of a personal injury wreck, possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a hypodermic syringe. He was incarcerated in Jackson County Jail.
