An alleged drunken driver was arrested in New Albany on Tuesday night after hitting two vehicles and leading police on a short chase.

Witnesses told police that Kenneth A. Payne, 42, of Louisville exited a parking lot on the 300 block of Graybrook Lane at about 9:21 p.m. when he struck an unoccupied vehicle while he was driving at a high rate of speed, according to a crash report.

The report stated that Payne continued down Graybrook Lane while being pursued by officers and rear-ended another vehicle at the Morgan Avenue intersection. The victim told police she heard sirens, but could not pull over in time. She complained of pain to the neck and was taken to Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services with non-life threatening injuries.

Sgt. Todd Bailey of the New Albany Police Department said Payne drove up on the curb and nearly hit a building. He then stopped and was placed in custody by police. The report stated that Payne was too intoxicated to give the arresting officer a report.

“After the initial hit-and-run, apparently a third party attempted to intervene, and it’s alleged that threats were made to that individual,” Bailey said.

Payne was arrested for criminal recklessness, disorderly conduct, leaving the scene of an accident with damage and injury, operating while intoxicated with endangerment and a prior conviction, public intoxication, reckless driving, intimidation and two counts of resisting law enforcement.

Payne was listed as having an abrasion to the head. A probable-cause affidavit has not yet been filed.

“We’re very alert to respond to any and all intoxicated drivers, and this case particularly posed some extraordinary risk to the community, and it’s fortunate we were able to apprehend this individual before there was any serious injury or fatality,” Bailey said.



Two men accused of stealing copper from church

Two New Albany men were arrested at about 9:05 a.m. Monday after allegedly trying to sell copper down-spouts they had reportedly stolen from St. Marks United Church of Christ on Spring Street in New Albany.

Church officials first noticed two down-spouts missing June 15. Last Sunday night, they noticed five more missing.

A church trustee said he took a foot-long piece of copper to two local recycling places and told them to be on the lookout. He said that about an hour after he went to Riverside Recycling in New Albany, two men came in with shopping carts filled with crushed pieces of copper matching the description of the down-spouts stolen from St. Marks.

Donald W. Bruce, 45, of New Albany was arrested for receiving stolen property, a class D felony. Thomas M. Eaton, 30, of New Albany was arrested for theft, also a class D felony. They could face six months to three years in prison with up to a $10,000 fine if convicted. They are being held in the Floyd County Jail, and bond is fixed at $10,000. Each must pay $1,000 cash to be released.

The trustee said damage was done to the bricks holding the spouts as well. He said that if the thieves would have used screw drivers, there would have been no damage to the building.

The trustee said replacements will cost $4,500, not including installation costs and the cost to repair the bricks. He was told the thieves would have made about $290 recycling the copper.

The church plans to replace the pipes with a new metal. Copper theft has become a problem nationally with the price of copper soaring in recent years.