DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind.— The parents of a fallen Delaware County Sheriff's deputy are pushing for changes to Indiana and federal law following a WRTV Investigation into a semi-truck driver’s driving record.
Cpl. Blake Reynolds died on November 12 while helping a stranded motorist on I-69.
Indiana State Police are investigating exactly what happened, but ISP says semi-truck driver Teddy Johnson lost control before hitting Reynolds’ patrol car, which had its emergency lights flashing.
"It was just so senseless,” said Melissa Reynolds, Blake’s mother. “That makes it even worse. It didn’t have to happen."
Cpl. Reynolds parents, Melissa and Bruce Reynolds, contacted WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney following her stories about Johnson’s driving record.
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"I appreciate the stories you were doing that nobody else was doing, that kind of investigation,” said Melissa. “We don’t want his sacrifice to ever be forgotten, and if we can do anything to prevent this from happening to somebody else, we want to take on that fight.”
WRTV Investigates used public records from multiple states and found the following in Johnson’s driving record from 2004 to present:
- 8 speeding tickets, some for excessive speeds
- 6 license suspensions, including for Failure to Appear for a driver safety program and Failure to Appear on a speeding infraction
- 3 violations for driving without a license
- 2 violations for unsafe lane movement
In the most recent violation, Johnson was convicted in October 2024 for violating the “move over” law in North Carolina, also known as unlawfully passing an emergency or public safety vehicle.
"He had a horrible driving record,” said Bruce Reynolds. “So why is he behind that vehicle?"
Despite a history of more than a dozen driving-related violations, Johnson obtained his Michigan Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in 2022 and transferred his CDL to Indiana in December 2024.
"That man shouldn’t have been behind the wheel of a truck at all,” said Bruce Reynolds. “My son did everything he was supposed to do. He parked appropriately on the side of the road to protect the other drivers. He had his lights on. He did everything right. "
Records show Johnson’s violations did not happen in a commercial motor vehicle.
“Personal behavior in a personal vehicle translates into what you’re going to do in a commercial vehicle,” said Steve Gold, founder and CEO at 160 Driving Academy. “If you put someone in an 80,000 lb vehicle after they haven’t been safe in their passenger vehicle then bad things for sure are going to happen.”
The Reynolds say Indiana needs to do a better job at checking a driver’s history before granting them a CDL.
"I would like our state representatives to pick up this mantle because I know they know we can do better,” said Bruce Reynolds.
They’re pushing lawmakers to create legislation to improve the vetting process for semi-truck drivers.
“I think as Indiana we’ve got to be tougher,” said Bruce. “We can lead the way in doing better background checks because if you guys can find that information, they can too. They have to have the ability to look at that record and say we’re not giving you a license to drive a 20-40 pound truck."
Experts WRTV spoke with say it’s largely up to trucking companies to check a driver’s history, not the states.
"If you as a news station can find out this information, they can too," said Bruce. “We should be better than any other states. We hand out these commercial driver’s licenses like they're going out of style."
WRTV Investigates contacted the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
A BMV spokesperson said they do look at CDL applicants to make sure they’re not suspended or disqualified in another state.
“The BMV does review driver records for all CDL applicants,” said BMV spokesperson Greg Dunn in an email to WRTV. “This includes anyone transferring a CDL from another state. The status is checked at time of issuance, the BMV uses the State Pointer Exchange Service(SPEX) to verify the previous license and compare any license restrictions and endorsements from the previous state. This ensures that we do not issue CDLs to applicants who have been suspended or disqualified in another state.”
Melissa Reynolds says her greatest fear is that Blake will be forgotten.
She hopes creating a new law will help keep his memory alive and save lives.
“Years from now when we’re gone, I still want his name to be remembered,” said Melissa. “I still want people to say his name."
The Reynolds have set up a scholarship fund at Delta High School in memory of their son, Blake.
You can donate by sending a check to:
DelCom Foundation
9750 N CR 200 E
Muncie, IN 47303
WRTV Investigates contacted Teddy Johnson, but we have not heard from him.
The crash investigation is still underway.
No criminal charges have been filed at this time.
We also contacted the trucking company Johnson worked for, Parrish Dedicated Services, to see if they knew Johnson’s driving record when they hired him.
Co-owner Donny Parrish did not answer that question, but provided a statement.
"My heart continues to ache for the family, and I have prayed for them every day since the tragic accident,” read the statement. “We are continuing to cooperate with the State Police in the ongoing investigation, and I am unable to comment further at this time."
Parrish said Johnson had only been with their company since January 2025.
