Cell phone thrown out of car activates crash detection and results in arrest

Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 2:24 PM

By Johnny McCrory

A cell phone's crash detection system led to a Knox County arrest.

Just after 9 p.m. Saturday, Knox County Central Dispatch alerted deputies to an iPhone crash detection at an area on South Vieck Road. iPhone Crash Detection is designed to detect severe car crashes.

No vehicles were found in the area. Minutes later, the phone was located along the road but there were still no vehicles in the area. Central dispatch was able to trace the number to the owner and inform deputies of the identity. Central dispatch also contacted the owner and told her that her phone was at the jail.

The owner later met a deputy at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to claim her phone. Upon arrival, the deputy noticed injuries to her face and after an inquiry by the deputy, it was discovered she had been a victim of domestic violence.

During the investigation, the female told the deputy that she and her ex-boyfriend were driving along when they began arguing. Her boyfriend demanded to see her phone and when she refused, he struck her, took the phone, and threw it out the window of the moving vehicle. That is what triggered the iPhone crash detection.

The deputy then went to the boyfriend’s house, After further investigation, the Knox County Sheriff's Office states that Benjamin Michael Youngren, 27, of Vincennes, was booked for Domestic Battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 Felony; Interference in reporting a crime (for taking the iPhone) a Class A misdemeanor, and Invasion of Privacy, a Class A misdemeanor.

Youngren was held on a $10,000.00 cash-only bond.

The Knox County Sheriff's Office encourages victims of domestic violence to report it. Call 812-882-1502 or visit Domestic Violence Support | National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org).