(Decatur County, IN) – A 16-year-old boy is accused of throwing a rock through the windshield of a Fed Ex semi near St. Paul last month, which left the driver semiconscious.
Travis Hampton was westbound on I-74 near the 127-mile marker shortly before 3 am on Sunday, April 23 when a rock came through his windshield and struck him in the head.
Decatur County Sheriff Bill Meyerrose said at a Thursday afternoon press conference that investigators were able to quickly determine that it was an intentional criminal act and that they fielded a number of tips from the public.
“With that information, we were able to eventually identify two minors who were involved, which led to the detention of a 16-year-old male,” Meyerrose said.
Hampton’s 9-year-old daughter Sha’lon Sharp was riding with him and was awakened by the crash and called 9-1-1 after the semi went into the median.
“I’m thankful my daughter was with me, able to save Daddy. I’m just blessed to be here. Glad to be able to talk to my family another day,” Hampton said.
“I want to thank everybody who helped out,” he added. “And I appreciate you guys (first responders) and thanks for everything you did to make sure I was okay, my daughter was okay.”
Hampton was flown to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis because of the seriousness of his injuries and says he’s recovering and taking things day-to-day right now.
Also at Thursday’s conference, Decatur County Communications Director Erika Free awarded Sha’lon a plaque honoring her as a 911 Hero.
“Sha’lon reached Decatur County Communications and stayed on the line with dispatcher Allison Wilson and dispatcher Kyla Dell for almost eight minutes while dispatchers utilized in-house systems, mapping, and one other 9-1-1 call to locate Sha’lon and stay connected until emergency responders were able to make it on scene,” Free said. “Sha’lon was able to verify for dispatchers that her father was breathing, was able to describe the semi, and was able to confirm that a rock hit the window of the semi.”
Meyerrose called the investigation a true team effort and thanked several agencies for assisting the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, including Decatur County Communications, the Greensburg Police Department, Decatur County EMS, the Greensburg Fire Department, the St. Paul Volunteer Fire Department, and Stat Flight 7.
He also thanked the School Resource Officers from the Greensburg and Decatur County Community school corporations and Indiana State Police for their help in the investigation.
“As for the investigation, every member of this department offered assistance in some manner. With that being said, I want to thank Detective Jean Burkert and Chief Deputy Eric Blodgett who worked tirelessly to bring this investigation to a conclusion,” Meyerrose said.
“I want to stress we believe that the public traveling on I-74 has no reason to fear that another event as this will reoccur,” Meyerrose added.
He also recognized Sha’lon Sharp.
“Although extremely frightened, she was brave and able to call 9-1-1 for help,” Meyerrose said.
