Seymour Police Department

10/13/2026

INCIDENT RELEASE UPDATE

On 10/07/2026, at approximately 9:56PM, Seymour Officers responded to the area of Broadway St and the railroad tracks in reference to a pedestrian struck by a train.

Upon officers’ arrival, they located the pedestrian still under the train. The pedestrian was removed from under the train and transported to Schneck Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased.

The pedestrian involved in this incident has been positively identified as Tomas Juan Tomas (46) of Seymour, Indiana.

Members of the Seymour Police Departments Serious and Fatal Crash Investigation Team along with the Seymour Investigations Division responded to the scene and documented the incident. Assisting at the scene were the Seymour Fire Department, Jackson County EMS and Jackson County Emergency Management.

As a reminder it is a crime to be on the right-of-way of a railroad company:
IC 8-3-15-3 Riding, driving, or walking on right-of-way or yard a misdemeanor; definitions; exceptions

Sec. 3. (a) A person who rides, drives, or walks on or along the right-of-way or yard of a railroad company at a place other than a public crossing commits a Class B misdemeanor.


Lieutenant Michael Cooper
Seymour Police Department

10/08/2026

INCIDENT RELEASE:

On October 7, 2026, at approximately 9:56PM, emergency services responded to the area of Broadway St and the railroad tracks in reference to a pedestrian who had been struck by a train.

Upon officers’ arrival, they located the pedestrian who was still underneath the train and had sustained significant injuries. The pedestrian was removed from under the train and transported to Schneck Medical Center where life saving measures were provided, but the pedestrian was ultimately pronounced deceased.

The Seymour Police Department’s Serious and Fatal Crash Investigation Team, along with the Seymour Investigations Division, responded to the scene of the incident.

Currently, the name of the pedestrian is being withheld until positive identification can be confirmed and notification of family.

Assisting at the scene were the Seymour Fire Department, Jackson County EMS, Jackson County Emergency Management, and the CSX Police Department.

URGENT PUBLIC SERVICE NOTICE:
As a reminder, it is a crime to be on the right-of-way of a railroad company. The Seymour Police Department urges folks to avoid walking on or near railroad tracks. Remember, “see tracks, think train.”

IC 8-3-15-3 Riding, driving, or walking on right-of-way or yard a misdemeanor; definitions, exceptions:

Sec. 3. (a) A person who rides, drives, or walks on or along the right-of-way or yard of a railroad company at a place other than a public crossing commits a Class B misdemeanor.

(b) "Right-of-way" means the track or roadbed owned or leased by a railroad which is located on either side of its tracks and which is readily recognizable to a reasonable person as being railroad property or is reasonably identified as such by fencing or appropriate signs.

(c) "Yard" means a system of parallel tracks, cross-overs, and switches where cars are switched and made up into trains, and where cars, locomotives, and other rolling stock are kept when not in use or awaiting repairs.

(d) This section does not apply to:

(1) passengers on trains or employees of a railroad company while engaged in the performance of their duties;

(2) picketing by railroad employees in the vicinity of entrances to railroad company property;

(3) an authorized representative of the railroad employees;

(4) a person going upon the right-of-way or into the yard to save human life or to protect property;

(5) a person being on the station grounds or in the depot of the railroad company as a passenger or for the purpose of transacting business;

(6) a person, or the person's family or employees going upon the right-of-way for the purpose of crossing from one (1) part to another part of a farm the person owns or leases, where the farm lies on both sides of the right-of-way;

(7) a person having written permission from the railroad company to go upon the right-of-way;

(8) representatives of the Indiana department of transportation;

(9) representatives of the federal Surface Transportation Board; or

(10) a professional surveyor or a professional surveyor's employees who are on the right-of-way or in the yard for the purpose of making land surveys.


Lieutenant Michael Cooper
Seymour Police Department

10/08/2026

(12:50 AM) The train has cleared the area and traffic may resume its normal course.

(12:18 AM) NOTICE: We are aware of a train currently stopped on the tracks blocking Tipton St at this time. Please seek an alternate route. We will update this post once the train has cleared the area.

09/29/2026

It’s with great sadness and heavy heart that retired Chief John (JJ) Reinhart has passed away, with his loving family by his side. Chief Reinhart started at SPD on February 1, 1970 and was appointed Police Chief in 1988. Chief Reinhart retired in 2000 after 30 years of service.

09/23/2026

Just a reminder that the Seymour Police Department and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 108 will be hosting Kids Safety Fest tomorrow Thursday September 24, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Farmer's Market Lot in Seymour. FOP Lodge 108 will be serving snow cones and Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen (Treat) in Seymour. Stop by and get a treat on us! There will be car seat safety checks, bouncy houses, and other service organizations at the event. Come out and see us.

09/15/2026

***UPDATE*** A picture of the missing corvette has been added below.

The Seymour Police Department is requesting assistance in locating a bright Red 1980 Chevy Corvette with Indiana registration 36J3861. The vehicle was last seen between September 9, 2026, and September 13, 2026. The vehicle was taken from the 1200 block of W. Tipton St. If anyone has any information regarding the theft of the vehicle, please contact Detective Sgt. Adam Surface at (812) 522-1234. A reward may be applicable for information leading to a recovery and/or arrest.

09/11/2026

The Seymour Police Department and the United States Department of Justice along with federal, state, and other local partners announce the arrest and conviction of seven individual involving an armed drug trafficking ring crossing state lines. Please see the following information below from the United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Indiana.

United States Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Indiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seven, Including El Salvadoran National, Sentenced to Federal Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking Ring Crossing State Lines

These prosecutions are part of the Crossroads Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative

NEW ALBANY- Seven individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in an armed fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that crossed state lines:

Defendant

Charge(s)

Sentence

Jose Buval, 35, Seymour

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (x2) & Possession of a fi***rm in furtherance of drug trafficking

19 years, 2 months’ imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release

Cesar Melendez-Martir, 27, El Salvador

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine & carrying a fi***rm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime

15 years’ imprisonment, 5 years supervised release

Brandon Bowman, 32, Seymour

Making a false statement during the purchase of a fi***rm & Distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine

10 years’ imprisonment, 5 years supervised release

James McMillian, 49, Columbus, IN

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

4 years’ imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release

Robert Zambrano, 50, Columbus

Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine

5 years’ imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release

Jonathan Ojeda, 32, Columbus, IN

Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine

10 years’ imprisonment, 5 years supervised release

Jorge Santana-Martinez, 30, Indianapolis

Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine

13 years’ imprisonment, 5 years supervised release

According to court documents, Jose Buval orchestrated the distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Indianapolis, southern Indiana, and Ohio. Buval directed the drug trafficking activities of his co-conspirators, supplying them with drugs and fi***rms.

On September 21, 2023, law enforcement observed Buval and several co-conspirators traveling in tandem from Indiana to the Dayton, Ohio, area. While in Dayton, Buval obtained more than 2,800 grams of methamphetamine. Co-conspirator Melendez-Martir took possession of the drugs. The Indiana State Police conducted a traffic stop on Melendez-Martir’s vehicle in Ripley County, Indiana, as he returned across state lines. Officers recovered approximately 2,854.7 grams of methamphetamine and the handgun Buval had provided to Melendez-Martir.

Over the course of the nearly three-year investigation, law enforcement seized 890 grams of co***ne, 12 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, $11,250 in drug proceeds, and 25 fi***rms.

At the time of the offenses, Melendez-Martir was unlawfully present in the United States and will be deported to El Salvador following completion of his prison sentence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, To***co, Fi****ms and Explosives, United States Postal Inspection Service, Indiana State Police, Seymour Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Hamilton/Boone County Drug Task Force, Shelbyville Police Department and Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Ripley County Prosecuting Attorney investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judges Tanya Walton Pratt, James P. Hanlon, and Jane Magnus-Stinson

“These sentences make clear that armed drug traffickers who flood our communities with methamphetamine and fentanyl will face serious federal consequences. Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to stopping violent drug networks and protecting the people of Indiana,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

“Armed drug trafficking networks that move fentanyl and methamphetamine across state lines put communities at serious risk,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino. “HSI and our federal, state, and local partners worked across jurisdictions to disrupt this organization, seize deadly drugs and fi***rms, and support a prosecution that resulted in significant federal prison sentences. This outcome underscores our shared commitment to protecting the public and holding accountable those who fuel drug-related violence.”

“Fentanyl and methamphetamine leave a trail of broken families and damaged communities, but they also leave a trail of money,” said Robert J. Kuszynski, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Our special agents are uniquely trained to trace those proceeds and turn the money behind an illegal drug enterprise into evidence against the people profiting from it. We’re proud to stand alongside our federal, state and local partners to bring accountability to those who choose to make a living peddling poison in our communities.”

“This case was a success thanks to the partnership between the Department of Justice, the DEA, and local law enforcement Task Force Officers,” said Greg O’Brien, Chief of the Seymour Police Department. “Without these TFOs, small rural towns wouldn’t have the resources to carry out operations like this. We value and appreciate our ongoing collaboration with the Department of Justice.”

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Gibson, who prosecuted this case.

These prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. Crossroads HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, To***co, Fi****ms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Services, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indiana National Guard, Indiana State Police, HIDTA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Plainfield Police Department, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

09/11/2026

Kids Safety Fest is Thursday September 24, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. FOP Lodge 108 will have snow cones and maybe some ice cream. There will be other service organizations in attendance. Please plan to come a out and have a good time. If there are other service organizations intereested in setting up a resource or infomration table, please contact Lt. Mike Cooper at (812) 522-1234.

09/08/2026

INCIDENT RELEASE

On September 5, 2026, at approximately 7:09PM Seymour Officers responded to the 1000 block of north O’Brien St in reference to a vehicle verses pedestrian collision.

Upon arrival officers found the pedestrian, Emanuel Nava-Martinez (37) of Seymour, Indiana unresponsive. Officers began life saving measures on Nava-Martinez until Seymour Fire Department and Jackson County EMS arrived on scene. Nava-Martinez was transported to Schneck Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased. The driver of the vehicle, Curtis Starr (56) of Columbus, Indiana consented to a blood draw and is cooperating with the investigation.

Members of the Seymour Police Department Serious or Fatal Crash Investigation Team along with the Seymour Investigations Division responded to the scene and documented the incident. Currently, the collision remains under investigation.

Lieutenant Michael Cooper
Seymour Police Department

09/04/2026