Spencer County Sheriff’s Department
Right angle collision
Erik Ruhe, 45, of Santa Claus, was southbound on Highway 231 near Dale when his 2016 Ram 1500 was struck in the rear driver’s side by a 2005 Toyota Camry driven by 52-year-old James Montgomery of Philpot, KY, as Montgomery was turning left onto the I-64 westbound ramp off northbound 231. Montgomery later told authorities he did not see Ruhe’s vehicle before he struck it. The impact caused Ruhe’s vehicle to skid off the roadway and into a nearby ditch. Neither driver was injured in the October 10, 5:09 p.m. crash, but damages were estimated between $10,000-25,000.
Barbecue grill causes car accident
Spencer County Dispatch received a phone call at 5:23 a.m. on Friday, October 11, advising them of an object blocking traffic on the roadway on US 231, just south of SR 62 near Santa Claus. Upon arriving at the scene and discovering the object was a barbecue grill that had fallen onto the roadway, an officer with the Spencer County Sheriff’s Department removed the grill and came into contact with 25-year-old Molly Johannemann, whose 2018 Chevrolet Equinox was parked on the shoulder of the road with its hazard lights activated. Johannemann informed the officer she was southbound on 231 when she struck the grill, as she did not notice it in her path of travel. Johannemann was not injured in the accident, but damage to her Equinox was estimated between $2,500-5,000.Â
