High Hartford man rams Grayson Co. SO cruiser as he tries to flee

joshua-ketron-08-31
joshua-ketron-08-31

A Hartford man is facing multiple felony charges after ramming a Grayson County Sheriff’s Office cruiser while trying to flee police on the Western Kentucky Parkway, just inside Hardin County.

Saturday evening at approximately 6:00, two New Albany, Indiana, detectives (who were traveling through the area) attempted to conduct a traffic on a Ford C-Max traveling at 100 miles per hour on the eastbound parkway, according to the arrest citation.

The driver, 26-year-old Joshua F. Ketron, stopped the vehicle but as officers approached and tried to remove Ketron from the car, the suspect fled to the 121 mile marker where he stopped the Ford in the middle of the right lane of the parkway before again attempting to flee.

As police positioned their cruisers to block the Ford from leaving the area, Grayson County Sgt. Fred Norder arrived on scene and “pulled his cruiser in front” of the suspect’s vehicle, which was attempting to cross the median.

“Sgt. Norder was getting out of his cruiser when Mr. Ketron drove forward, striking Sgt. Norder’s cruiser in the right rear passenger door,” according to the citation. Norder then ordered Ketron out of the Ford when the suspect “reached for a WexFord compressed gas duster can and proceeded to huff half the can,” the citation states.

Officers converged on the vehicle and, as Ketron resisted, removed the suspect from the car.

Ketron then vomited and briefly lost consciousness, the citation says.

He was cleared for incarceration at the scene by EMS.

Ketron was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center where he’s been charged with first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer, DUI (substance), resisting arrest, reckless driving, and first-degree criminal mischief.

In addition to the New Albany detectives and Norder, working the scene were Kentucky State Police Sgt. Jeremy Mabe and Trooper John Goldsborough, Grayson County Deputies Jason Luedke and Erik Franklin, as well as Constable Mark Stanton.

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com