Man faces charges for high-speed crash in downtown Chesterton

The man was sweating profusely, pacing and talking incoherently moments after crashing his Cadillac DeVille at a high rate of speed head-on into a Ford Bronco on Calumet Road Broadway in Chesterton the morning of Aug. 4, court documents show.

A 2-year-old child, related to the man, had to be taken out of a car seat that was improperly secured. No one was seriously injured.

Almost two months later, Shawn A. Griffin, 51, of East Chicago, surrendered Tuesday to Chesterton Police after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Griffin is facing two Level 6 felony charges of neglect of a dependent and cocaine possession. He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement, reckless driving, a child restraint system violation and passing in a no-passing zone.

A witness stated that moments before the crash, Griffin was traveling at an estimated speed of 60 to 80 mph in the 20 mph zone in downtown Chesterton.

After the crash, Sgt. Kevin Rospierski of the Porter Police Department drew his taser on Griffin and talked him out of the driver’s seat. Griffin was making paranoid statements about a “shootout” and repeatedly saying “let’s go,” a probable cause statement said. Griffin then paced on Calumet Road before finally calming down.

Griffin’s wife was contacted, and she told officers that her husband has mental health issues, had past cocaine use and has a pattern of getting arrested during episodes because “he feels safe around police,” court records state. She also advised officers that her husband hides drugs in his socks.

When Griffin was at the hospital, he was searched and found with a baggie with white powder and a rock, later identified as cocaine, court records show.

Griffin’s initial hearing was set for Wednesday in Porter Superior Court 6. He is being held in the Porter County Jail.

Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.