HELTONVILLE — Lawrence County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Norman man after he allegedly plowed a vehicle into a Coca-Cola vending machine outside a local country store and fled the scene.
John Thomas Rogers, 34, is facing a charge of Leaving the scene of an accident, a Class B misdemeanor, following an investigation by the Lawrence County Police Department.
The incident began on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 3, 2026. At approximately 5:08 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a call from a citizen reporting a single-vehicle property damage crash at the Heltonville Store, located at 6342 State Road 58 East.
When Officer Calvin Callahan arrived at the scene, he spoke with a witness who reported that she was standing outside near her own vehicle when she heard an engine revving and saw a silver Chevrolet Equinox accelerate rapidly through the storefront property.
According to the witness, the Equinox slammed directly into a large soda vending machine, knocking it completely over. The driver paused briefly before pulling out of the parking lot and speeding away eastbound on Jefferson Street.
She was able to snap a quick photograph of the fleeing vehicle, which clearly captured its license plate number and a timestamp of 5:06 p.m. Dispatchers ran the plate and found it registered to a woman in Norman, Indiana.
Officer Callahan interviewed the owner of the Heltonville Store to assess the destruction.
The impact completely toppled a red and black Coca-Cola vending machine, leaving it resting on its side. The machine sustained heavy denting and a significant amount of gray and silver paint transfer, matching the fleeing SUV. Deep white scrape marks scarred the pavement where the heavy machine slid across the ground before falling. The crash also crushed and broke open three large bags of store salt.
While the store owner estimated the salt damage at around $30, they noted that the vending machine, which is owned by the Coca-Cola Company, is worth several thousand dollars.
Following the trail, Officer Callahan drove to the Rogers residence on McPike Branch Road in Norman. In the driveway, he located the silver Chevy Equinox bearing the exact license plate from the witness’s photo. A physical inspection revealed heavy damage to the front passenger-side bumper, which was coated in matching black paint transfer from the edges of the Coke machine.
The officer spoke with the owner of the vehicle. She stated her son was not currently there, and she confirmed that John had been borrowing her SUV earlier that afternoon. When shown the fresh front-end damage to her vehicle, she appeared visibly surprised.
At the officer’s request, she dialed her son’s cell phone to get him on the line. When she told John that a police officer was at the house and needed to speak with him about a car accident, John reportedly said, “I’ll be home later,” and immediately hung up the phone.
Officer Callahan attempted to call the phone number directly, but the call was diverted to a voicemail system that was entirely full. A subsequent follow-up call by the department on June 6 yielded the same result.
Because Rogers has refused to cooperate with law enforcement or account for the property destruction, Officer Callahan filed a formal probable cause affidavit requesting a criminal arrest warrant be issued by a Lawrence County judge. Rogers was detained on June 13th.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
