DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind.—A “lengthy and very thorough investigation” is underway into the November 12 crash that killed Delaware County Corporal Blake Reynolds.
The deputy was struck and killed while helping a stranded motorist on I-69 near the 247-mile marker.
Cpl. Reynolds was laid to rest in a funeral held on November 22.
Indiana State Police are investigating what happened. They say a semi-truck driver driving northbound lost control before hitting the disabled truck and Reynolds’ cruiser, which had its emergency lights flashing.
“This will be a lengthy and very thorough investigation,” Delaware County prosecutor Eric Hoffman told WRTV Investigates in an email. “The ISP have been working diligently since that tragic morning and have been keeping me up to date on the investigation.”
It’s unclear how long the investigation will take.
“I do not have an approximate date when the investigation will be completed which will trigger my responsibility to see if there were violations of the criminal code and if so what and who to charge,” said Hoffman.
The State Police investigation includes examining the vehicles involved, analyzing the semi-truck’s data, talking to witnesses, and the semi-truck driver Teddy Malcolm Johnson.
Records show history of speeding, license suspensions before obtaining CDL
WRTV Investigates spent weeks looking at Johnson’s driving record in multiple states and what we found raises questions about how the system checks drivers before they can get behind the wheel of a big rig.
Using public records from multiple states, WRTV Investigates looked at Johnson’s driving record from 2004 to the present.
We found:
- 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.
Here’s a timeline by disposition date:
- 2003- Johnson obtained a regular Indiana driver’s license
- March 2004- Speeding infraction for driving 68 in a 30 mph (Indiana)
- January 2006- Speeding infraction for driving 72 in a 55 mph (Indiana)
- February 2007- License suspension for failure to appear on speeding infraction (Indiana)
- April 2007- License suspension for failure to appear on speeding infraction (Indiana)
- November 2007- Speeding infraction for driving 71 in a 60 mph (Indiana)
- November 2007- Speeding infraction for driving 75 in a 60 mph (Indiana)
- February 17, 2008- License suspension for failure to appear for driver’s safety program
- February 28, 2008- Completed driver safety program
- October 2008- Unsafe lane movement violation (New Jersey)
- January 2009- Speeding infraction for driving 40 in a 25 mph (Indiana)
- April 2009- License suspension for failure to appear for driver’s safety program
- July 2009- Completed driver’s safety program
- April 2010- License suspension for failure to appear on speeding infraction (Indiana)
- September 2010- License suspension for failure to appear on speeding infraction (Indiana)
- January 2013- Speeding infraction for driving 74 in a 55 mph (Indiana)
- January 2013- Speeding infraction for driving 81 in a 55 mph (Indiana)
- February 2019- No valid license for type of vehicle operated (Pennsylvania)
- April 2019- Obtained regular driver’s license in Michigan
- March 2021- Exceeded max speed limit by 25 mph (Pennsylvania)
- August 2021- No valid license for type of vehicle operated (Michigan; violation from October 2019)
- August 2021- No valid license for type of vehicle operated (Michigan; violation from January 2020)
- April 2022- Obtained Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in Michigan
- December 2024- Obtained Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in Indiana
- October 2024- Convicted of unlawfully passing an emergency or public safety vehicle (North Carolina; violation from 2021)
“History of inattentive driving”: Trucking experts weigh in
At 160 Driving Academy in Lafayette, drivers learn just how challenging driving a semi-truck can be.
Steve Gold is the founder and CEO at 160 Driving Academy, which Gold says is the largest driving school in the country.
“Nationwide, we will train over 20,000 people this year,” said Gold. “In Indiana, we have about 1,500 commercial drivers."
We asked Gold to weigh in on the driving history of Teddy Malcolm Johnson, who was not a student at 160 Driving Academy.
“All those things are bad. If you asked me to rank them, they’re all at the top of the list,” said Gold. “Maneuvering in traffic and speeding are really red flags. You just wouldn’t hire that individual, especially if he had his license suspended one or multiple times.”
Records show Johnson’s violations did not happen in a commercial motor vehicle.
- WRTV: Why does it matter what someone does in their personal vehicle?
- Gold: Personal behavior in a personal vehicle translates into what you’re going to do in a commercial vehicle. 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.
Despite a history of more than a dozen driving-related violations, Johnson obtained his Michigan CDL in 2022.
He then transferred his CDL to Indiana in December 2024.
A month later, he was hired at Parrish Dedicated Services, a Fort Wayne trucking company.
Johnson was driving for Parrish Dedicated Services when the crash happened that killed Corporal Reynolds. The trailer that crashed says “Prairie Farms” on the side with pictures of dairy products.
- WRTV: How did he get a CDL?
- Gold: Right. It’s unclear. The states have been really lax.
- WRTV: How is that possible?
- Gold: The states aren’t doing due diligence on everyone who wants a commercial driver’s license. They’re not looking at their driving record.
Gold says it’s up to trucking companies to check a driver’s history.
“If the employer wants to take a risk and the employer wants to hire someone with a bad driving record then they’re gonna do it,” said Gold.
We also asked James Lewis, a commercial truck driver and national transportation safety expert.
“That shows a history of inattentive driving as well as not having any regard for speeding laws,” Lewis said of Johson’s record. “Most reasonable and prudent companies would never touch anyone with any history of license suspensions at all. Doesn’t matter what.”
Lewis agrees it’s the company’s responsibility to check a driver’s record.
“That concerns me that either they didn’t do these checks, or they did do the checks and they ignored what they say,” said Lewis.
- WRTV: Do violations in a truck driver’s personal vehicle, do those matter?
- Lewis: They do. It doesn’t matter what the vehicle was. The fact is the violation was committed, whether you’re in your personal car or a Ferris wheel doesn’t matter. People try to make that distinction. As an employer reviewing a driver’s record to hire them, I want to look back at the entirety of their record all the way back to the beginning, whenever their license was issued and look at their history of violations.
Gold also said once a semi-truck driver has a CDL, certain serious violations committed in a personal vehicle can disqualify that driver’s CDL.
Indiana BMV says they do review driver records for CDL applicants
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.”
WRTV Investigates confirmed Teddy Johnson’s license was valid when he left Michigan and relocated to Indiana.
“When transferring a CDL from another state to Indiana, the driver must pass the written CDL general knowledge exam,” said Dunn in an email to WRTV. “For the BMV to issue a CDL, the driver will have to show a social security card, their current out of state license, a birth certificate, and proof of address.”
Among the requirements to obtain an initial Indiana CDL:
- Have a valid regular driver’s license
- Complete entry-level driver training outlined by the federal government
- Pass a written exam
- Pass a physical exam and drug test
- Pass a CDL skills exam at a BMV site
- Complete human trafficking awareness training
“We are continuing to cooperate”: Trucking company responds
WRTV Investigates contacted Teddy Johnson, but we have not heard from him.
We also contacted 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.
"I can say he’s a really, really good driver,” said Parrish. “We’ve had no issues with him."
Johnson has not been criminally charged in connection with the crash that killed Cpl. Reynolds.
Parrish declined to provide his condition.
