Driver injured after fleeing police from hit-and-run accidents

STAFF REPORT

Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, 10:30 a.m. — A Bardstown man was arrested Saturday afternoon after he crashed his truck fleeing from police after a hit-and-run accident.

Matthew B. Ballard, 28, of Bardstown, was charged with nine counts of wanton endangerment, first-degree; driving on a DUI-suspended license; reckless driving; fleeing or evading, first-degree; criminal mischief, third-degree (5 counts); and leaving the scene of an accident (2 counts).

According to a press release, Bardstown Police responded to a reported hit-and-run accident that happened 2:17 p.m. Saturday in the Liquor World parking lot, 93 N. Salem Dr. Police were given a description of the vehicle, a 2007 Dodge pickup truck. Officer Tom Blair passed the suspect vehicle while enroute to the registered owner’s home and alerted sheriff’s deputies of its location. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle on Navajo Drive, and the vehicle sped away, reaching the end of Navajo Drive and driving through a yard to reach Eagle Pass and hit a tree. The truck proceeded on Eagle Pass to Bloomfield Road where the driver allegedly tried to hit two responding officers’ cruisers. The truck hit a van as it turned onto Bloomfield Road, drove a short distance before turning onto a gravel driveway. Police chased the truck down the drive, through a pumpkin patch and an open barn. The driver lost control of the truck in his driveway at 4913 Bloomfield Rd. and the truck rolled twice before coming to rest against a tree in the yard.

Ballard was taken into custody without incident. Nelson County EMS transported Ballard to VA Hospital in Louisville for evaluation and treatment of his injuries. The vehicle was impounded.

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