Drunk Harvey Man Crashes On 94 Going The Wrong Way
This morning at 1:45 a.m. the Indiana State Police Lowell Regional Dispatch Center began receiving 911 calls about a vehicle travelling the wrong-way on I-94 eastbound near the 43 mile-marker. The vehicle was described as a white van driving westbound in the eastbound lanes. Shortly after the initial 911 calls, a vehicle crash was reported between a semi-tractor/trailer and a wrong-way driving minivan on I-94 eastbound near the 41.8 mile-marker. Trp. Carlson arrived at the scene and observed a white Chrysler Town and Country facing the wrong direction with severe sideswipe damage to the passenger side. The driver had already been transported to Franciscan Hospital in Michigan City by paramedics prior to officers arriving to the scene. The driver of the 2012 Freightliner was identified as Amandeep Sandhu, 32, from Manitoba, Canada. Sandhu was uninjured and his vehicle and trailer were drivable from the crash scene. The driver of the van was later identified at the hospital as Karl L. Cooks, 39, from Harvey, Illinois.
While at the hospital, Trp. Carlson observed Mr. Cooks displaying indicators of extreme intoxication. A search warrant for Cooks blood was requested through the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s office and granted by a LaPorte County Superior Court Judge. The result of the blood draw are pending. Mr. Cooks was transported to the LaPorte County Jail without incident. He is preliminarily charged with the following:
- OWI-Endangerment ( Class A misdemeanor)
- No Valid License ( Infraction)
- Wrong way on a one way (infraction)
Assisting at the scene: Trooper J. Landowski, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department and Ace Autobody.
All persons named in this release are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. All charges mentioned are merely accusations, actual charges will be determined by the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office.
