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| George E Greenwell III |
Authorities were called to the scene of the hit and run just before 11p.m., at the intersection of Weinbach and Walnut, near the UE campus.
The officer had been investigating a suspicious person when he was struck by a fleeing vehicle.
Landon Ploughe was struck by a car around 10:45 p.m. and said he briefly lost consciousness and complained about neck and head pain.
Ploughe, 22, was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center but was expected to be released after being examined at the emergency room, according to a police report.
Police arrested the suspected driver of the car, 34-year-old George E. Greenwell III, a short time later at his Evansville home.
According to the report, Ploughe had been questioning Greenwell inside the University Center because he was reported as a suspicious person. The police report noted that security had Greenwell’s driver’s license identifying him because of that initial investigation.
While the pair were waiting for police by Greenwell’s car, Greenwell got into his vehicle and tried to leave, according to the affidavit.
Ploughe reportedly got in front of Greenwell’s 2009 Pontiac and tried stop him.
According to police, that’s when Greenwell reportedly hit Ploughe. Witnesses told investigators that Ploughe was on top of the car’s hood for about 200 yards until he was thrown off the vehicle at intersection of Walnut Street and Weinbach Avenue.
Greenwell is preliminarily charged with criminal recklessness, a felony. He is currently in the Vanderburgh County Jail without bond.
According to a police affidavit, Greenwell reportedly told investigators he fled with Ploughe atop the hood of his car because he got scared.