The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 28

B4 THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2001 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.COM Teen-age driver arrested after chase front of Thomson Consumer Electronics at 10330 N. Meridian St. Officials defended the chase, saying it never reached excessively high speeds. During the chase, officers with the Indiana State Police, Indianapolis Police Department, the Marion County Sheriffs De: partment and the Hamilton County Sheriffs Department blocked intersections in the car's path. Donohue said police cars involved in the chase dropped back as they approached intersections, then caught up to the fleeing car.

Contact Kevin O'Neal at 1-317-327-7928 or via e-mail at kevin.onealindystar.com got out of control," Donohue said. "Plus, there was a lot of luck." No injuries were reported. Donohue said the only reported damage occurred when a sheriffs car and a Homecraft police car collided, slightly damaging both vehicles. The chase began about noon, after Deputy Tiffany Murphy noticed a small four-door sedan at 96th Street and Keystone Avenue. She ran a check on the car's license plate number and learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen from the 3000 block of North Stuart Street on the Eastside.

Before Murphy could stop the car, the driver sped away. The chase eventually ended in The chase finally ended after the stolen car landed in a Hamilton County retention pond. The 16-year-old driver then tried to iiin away and swim away from officers but was arrested. Deputies didn't immediately release the driver's name. Two other people were in the car, but they jumped out and ran away during the pursuit, deputies said.

Capt. Kevin Donohue, the second deputy in line during part of the pursuit, said he thought about calling off the chase as it cut through traffic. But he said the pursuit never got too dangerous. "If it would have been needed, we would have ended it, but it never Authorities defend midday pursuit of car, saying situation never became too dangerous. By Kevin O'Neal STAFF WRITER Streets throughout the northeast corner of Marion County became an obstacle course Wednesday afternoon as police chased a stolen car during the lunch hour.

For a half hour, as many as 10 deputies with the Marion County Sheriffs Department pursued the vehicle from Nora to Broad Ripple, past Ravenswood and Castleton. Staff Photo Chris Preovolos Beached suspect: Carmel firefighters tend to the driver of a car that ended up in a small pond after a police chase Wednesday. 1 I Jn I Qn1 nr I A I VI ft 152 jiT-y I I I IL i TEMS! IMCLUDBMG SALE 2nd pair Of equal or lesser value. Excludes Super Value Items Bonus Buys UUiTSWHAI Sugarman AtAVfkX Beth Reg. 29.99 Qg fV 2998 Reg.

34.99 Jasmin Reg. 24.99 1698 U.S. 31 Continued from Page 1 has been studying alternatives to change traffic flow in an 11 -mile stretch from 1-465 north to 195th Street. For the past year, project officials working with the Indiana Department of Transportation have been trying to figure out what exactly is broken with the current setup so they can decide how best to fix it. The project is focusing on solving three problems: high congestion projections; high accident levels; and the lack of infrastructure for future economic development.

Parsons Transportation the California-based company that won the state contract for the project, notes that traffic congestion is already a regular occurrence during the morning and evening rush hours along U.S. 31. And the company says it will only get worse with continued development. They also point to accident rates along the road in Hamilton County that are above the state average including rates of fatal accidents. On display at the meeting were four possible plans.

Upgrade U.S. 31 to a freeway by adding lanes and interstate-style ramps at intersections where stoplights slow traffic. Upgrade both U.S. 31 and Ind. 431 to freeways, starting at 1-465 and continuing to where the two highways merge just south of 146th Street.

Turn portions of Towne and Ditch roads into federal would merge at Ind. 32 and connect with U.S. 31 north of West-field. Create a freeway from 1-465 on U.S. 31 to 131st Street, where a new freeway route would swing west and north to 195th Street.

A bypass around Westfield would extend from the town's southern boundary to merge with the new route. Those proposals are part of a process that could last four years, according to Cory Grayburn, the deputy project manager. "Now we are trying to gauge how the community feels about where we are so far," Grayburn said. "From here we still have many steps to go." Those steps include completing an extensive environmental impact report for those proposals. This will look into the effect such plans would have on land, bodies of water and wildlife.

A draft of the environmental report should be available for public review this fall. A final draft will not be submitted until the spring of 2003. By then, two more public meetings will have been held. Mark Rattermann was among nearly 100 people who attended the meeting. As president of the Clay West Information Council, a coalition of Carmel neighborhood associations, Rattermann says residents of Hamilton County are paying attention.

"Clearly something is needed to make the roads catch up with the population growth," he said. "Any plan they come up with will dramatically affect the future." More information about the project can be found at www.us31indi-ana.com. Contact James Pindell at 1-317-814-4420 or via e-mail at james.pindell indystar.com Oak Mfatyw Rapids vim muiiun Reg. 29.99 Vv 2498 v- 2498 2 M3949 Rea. 100.00 Vfo Jk MWMBM MW507 Reg.

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Besides reinstatement, he is seeking monetary damages for the district's refusal to renew his contract. The lawsuit alleges the district moved to dismiss Young after a March 1, 2000, Incident in which Young was accused of criminal confinement and battery against a former girlfriend. The charges were dropped, then refiled last fall. Young was found not guilty in April. School officials have insisted that their decisic to terminate Young's employment was not based solely on the court case.

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