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Officer fined for traffic violation in fatal pedestrian collision

The intersection of Calhoun and Main streets in downtown Fort Wayne
Rebecca Green
/
WBOI News
The intersection of Calhoun and Main streets in downtown Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne Police Sgt. Joshua Hartup was fined $35.50 and ordered to pay an additional $139.50 in court fees and costs for the spring traffic crash that killed a pedestrian.

Henry Najdeski died on April 22 after being struck by an unmarked police pick-up truck three days earlier. Hartup turned left onto Main Street from South Calhoun while Nadjeski was crossing in the crosswalk.

Indiana does not have a negligent homicide law. Allen County Prosecutor Micheal McAlexander says the charge they were primarily looking at was reckless homicide.

Prosecutors ultimately charged Hartup with a Class A infraction.

He pleaded guilty to that charge of failure to yield to a pedestrian causing bodily injury or death on Wednesday and was ordered to pay fines and costs for a total of $179.

Rebecca manages the news at WBOI. She joined the staff in December 2017, and brought with her nearly two decades of experience in print journalism, including 15 years as an award-winning reporter for the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne.