A Hobart man was arrested Saturday afternoon, when he drove on the shoulder and caused a three vehicle crash on I-80/94.
Preliminary investigation by Trooper John Landowski showed at approximately 3:10 p.m. a 2003 Ford Focus, driven by 42 year old Charlton Johnson of Hobart, was west bound on I-80/94 at the 6.4 mile marker (this is the Burr Street exit) in the right lane when for unknown reasons he began to drive on the outer/right shoulder. A 2009 Chrysler Sebring, driven by Shanequa Cauley, 23 of Merrillville, was in the right lane when the Focus hit her car on its right rear side. This caused the Sebring to lose control and go southwest across west bound lanes and hit the concrete barrier wall on the inner shoulder. The Sebring then went back northwest across west bound lanes where it hit a 2014 Kenworth semi pulling a box trailer, owned by Midwest Direct Transport out of Coopersville, Michigan, and driven by Tyrone Jones, 43 of Knoxville, Tennessee, in its left rear trailer tandem/wheels that was traveling in the right middle lane. This caused the Kenworth’s rear tandem/wheels to separate from the trailer.
The Focus came to rest in the right/outer ditch on its side facing north. The Sebring came to rest in the right lane. The Kenworth’s trailers tandem/wheels came to rest in the right middle-right lane; and the Kenworth semi came to rest on the outer shoulder.
Johnson and Jones were not injured. Cauley was taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital in Gary with non-life threatening injuries.
Johnson tested over twice the legal limit of .08% BAC (blood alcohol concentration). He was taken to the Lake County Jail in Crown Point and was charged with Operating While Intoxicated.