Sergeant Benton Bertram,33, was killed on 12/12/18 while on duty after crashing his squad car during a pursuit. The chase began near Charlestown in Clark County around 10:20 p.m. and made its way into Scott County. Sgt. Benton Bertram of the Charlestown Police Department tried to stop a teal 1998 Toyota Corolla for a traffic violation, but the car wouldn’t pull over and headed north on State Road 3 into Scott County. As the pursuit continued, Bertram approached the intersection of State Road 3 and State Road 56 near Scottsburg; his vehicle crossed State Road 56 and went off the road, hitting a tree in the front yard of a residence. Other responding units stayed to help Bertram, but the officer succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
He faces an escape charge due to being on home incarceration at the time of his latest arrest. Scott County Prosecutor Chris Owens is also seeking a habitual offender enhancement penalty against Eads for prior felony convictions.. Prior convictions for Eads include a 2017 case in Clark County for battery against a public official and a 2007 Owen County case for resisting law enforcement. Eads was appointed a public defender Monday and ordered held on $100,000 cash bond.His next court appearance will be Feb. 8, 2019, and a jury trial was scheduled for March 2019.
last month in Scott Circuit Court to charges of resisting law enforcement leading to death, auto theft, escape and driving with a suspended license. The 30-year prison term was the maximum possible sentence for Eads.
