Deputy fired after 5 crashes in 3 years

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana sheriff's officer has lost his job because of five on-the-job crashes in three years, the final one happening in September when he flipped a car on Interstate 65 while heading to a remedial driving program.

The Porter County Merit Board reached a unanimous decision Thursday that Officer Paul Arnold violated department rules and had unsatisfactory performance related to the crashes.

The Times of Munster reports ( http://bit.ly/K6Vsl8 ) the board found that in the I-65 crash Arnold was following a supervising officer's car too close when traffic slowed as he reached for a drink.

Sheriff Dave Lain says the county's auto insurance carrier will no longer cover Arnold.

Arnold's attorney, John Kopack, says two of the crashes weren't Arnold's fault and that Arnold has good grounds for an appeal.