St. John, IN – A man from St. John has been taken into custody in Porter County, facing serious allegations after a road rage encounter in Chesterton turned perilous.
The Chesterton Police Department (CPD) reports that the incident, which unfolded on Sunday, April 7, around 3 p.m. on Indian Boundary Road, involved a display of a firearm amidst a heated dispute between motorists. In the heart of the altercation was Jay W. Harris Jr., 32, of Saint John, who is now charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and allegedly pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony. The confrontation reportedly began over a traffic misunderstanding that escalated rapidly, culminating in Harris allegedly brandishing a firearm at another vehicle’s occupants during the dispute.
Responding swiftly to the scene, CPD officers intervened in the conflict, which had reportedly escalated from a verbal exchange to physical intimidation. The investigation by the CPD was informed by witness statements, video evidence, and the observations made at the scene of a subsequent minor traffic collision involving the same parties.
Harris was booked into the Porter County Jail, with the CPD underscoring the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law. The department is also appealing for additional witnesses or anyone with video footage of the incident to come forward, as part of their ongoing investigation.
