Porter County- On Saturday, June 29th, at approximately 6:40 p.m., Trooper Justin Baumeister was patrolling I-94 east of the truck weigh station when he observed a silver vehicle approaching him from behind at a high rate of speed. The vehicle, a silver Hyundai with Illinois registration, passed the trooper in his fully marked police car as the trooper was also traveling eastbound. Trooper Baumeister caught up to the vehicle and paced the vehicle at 105 mph. The speed limit on I-94 in this area is 70 mph. The vehicle was also changing lanes without signaling and passing other vehicles on the right. Trooper Baumeister activated the emergency lighting in his police car and the vehicle eventually pulled over after initially not stopping right away.
During the subsequent investigation, the driver was handcuffed and taken into custody. The driver also showed signs of impairment and of being under the influence of alcoholic beverages. Once handcuffed, the driver, identified as Shelby E. Foster, 22, from Chicago, IL, became verbally aggressive towards the trooper. She insisted that her relative was a Chicago Police Officer and demanded that the trooper call him immediately. While locating Ms. Foster’s identification in her purse, the trooper also discovered two fake Illinois identification cards.
While transporting Foster to the Porter County Jail, she made several attempts to remove the handcuffs from her wrists and was eventually successful in removing one handcuff. Trooper Baumeister immediately stopped the police car on the shoulder of the highway and exited the police car and went to the passenger side door. He then attempted to handcuff Ms. Foster again, but she continually pulled away, resisting the arrest. Foster then leaned out of the vehicle and forcefully bit Trooper Baumeister on his right arm. Trooper Baumeister was able to quickly pull his arm away from her teeth as she began to continuously scream at him. Once the handcuffs were again in place, she was transported to the Porter County Jail.
While en route to the jail, she continued her rant which included threats of serious violence towards the trooper and his family, as well as claims that she is related to several Chicago Police Officers. Once at the jail, she refused to take a certified chemical test for intoxication. She also spit on one of the jail officers during the booking process.
Foster is preliminarily charged with the following offenses:
- Battery by Bodily Waste Fluid (2 counts)- Level 6 Felony
- Intimidation- Level 6 Felony
- Battery Against a Public Safety Official Engaged in Official Duty- Level 6 Felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement- Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving- Class A Misdemeanor
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person- Class A Misdemeanor
- Disorderly Conduct- Class B Misdemeanor
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated- Class C Misdemeanor
- Possession of False Identification- Class C Misdemeanor
All suspects are presumed innocent until/unless proven guilty in court.
