BROWN COUNTY — A Johnson County man has been taken into custody following a late-night hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian with severe injuries in rural Brown County.
The collision occurred at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 31, 2026. Emergency personnel and deputies with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office rushed to the scene in the 5000 block of State Road 135 North, roughly 10 miles southeast of Nashville, Indiana.
Upon arrival, first responders located an injured pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle that fled the scene immediately following the impact.
Following a swift multi-agency investigation, detectives successfully tracked down and identified the runaway vehicle. Austin Garbarek was subsequently apprehended. He was booked into custody on a preliminary felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury.
“After identifying the suspect vehicle and conducting our investigation, Gabarek was arrested,” the Brown County Sheriff’s Office said in an official statement. “No further details will be released at this time due to the investigation still being ongoing.”
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
