LAKE CO. – On March 7, 2024, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Trooper Kevin Council assisted with traffic direction on Cline Avenue near the bridge over the Grand Calumet River.
Trooper Council was parked in the left lane with his police emergency lights activated due to an earlier crash that other officers were investigating. An SUV rear-ended Trp. Council’s police car then revved its engine and fled the scene quickly.
Trooper Council had to be transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
An East Chicago officer later located the vehicle, a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, parked at 3206 Regent St. in East Chicago, IN. The car had significant damage, including multiple flat tires, the airbags deployed, and open alcoholic beverage containers that could be seen inside the vehicle. Officers impounded the car at that time.
On March 8, 2024, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Joel A. Barrera contacted the East Chicago Police Department and attempted to report that his vehicle had been stolen from his girlfriend’s residence in the 3700 block of Euclid Ave. in East Chicago. He described the vehicle as a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, the exact vehicle recovered in front of his residence.
A Lake County judge requested and granted a Search Warrant. As a result of that search, evidence was collected and analyzed. A search warrant was subsequently approved to collect a DNA standard from Joel Antonio Barrera. When officers attempted to serve the DNA search warrant, Mr. Barrera refused to cooperate. When he was told it wasn’t voluntary, he repeatedly stated that he would not participate in the DNA warrant.
The Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division at the Lowell Post has filed the following charges against Joel A. Barrera concerning this investigation:
- Criminal Recklessness- Level 6 Felony
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident Causing Injury- Level 6 Felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement- Level 6 Felony
- Obstruction of Justice- Level 6 Felony
- False Informing- Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving- Class A Misdemeanor
- Possession of Marijuana- Class B Misdemeanor
- Altered Interim License Plate- Class C Misdemeanor
Barrera has since been released from the Lake County Jail.
