Man arrested, charged for allegedly shooting at Jacob Teshka’s moving vehicle
UPDATE: In August 2023, Hill was sentenced to six years at the Indiana Department of Corrections.
ORIGINAL STORY:
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- A man was arrested and charged Thursday for allegedly shooting at Indiana State Representative Jacob Teshka’s moving vehicle on December 8, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office announced.
Edmande Hill, 51, of South Bend faces the charges of attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness.
On December 8, 2021, officers were called to St. Joseph Valley Parkway (the bypass), between Cleveland Road and the Indiana Toll Road, for a shots fired report.
When officers arrived, they found a white 2016 GMC Acadia SUV that looked like it had been hit with gunfire, reports said.
Damage to the Acadia showed that at least one bullet entered through the front passenger side window and exited through the driver’s side window, inches away from the driver’s head, police said.
The driver of the Acadia, Jacob Teshka, had a head injury consistent with being struck by shattered glass, according to reports.
Teshka told law enforcement he was driving on the Cleveland Road exit ramp, preparing to merge into the southbound lanes of the bypass, when he saw a maroon Dodge Caravan quickly come up behind him.
On the exit ramp, the Caravan passed Teshka’s vehicle on the left and both vehicles merged.
Shortly after, Teshka noticed the driving of the Dodge seemed unsafe, so he tried to pass it.
At one point, the Acadia and Dodge were next to each other and Teshka saw the driver of the Caravan lower his driver’s side window.
Teshka thought the man was going to yell something but he then heard two loud “pops” and glass shattered, reports said.
Teshka’s young children were in the back seat of the Acadia at the time.
A bullet projectile was recovered from the Acadia and a GFL .380 caliber casing was found in the southbound lanes of the bypass.
Video surveillance from nearby businesses confirmed Teshka’s observations of the Caravan’s driving behavior.
The Georgia license plate on the Caravan showed that it was a rental car that, at the time, had been rented by Edmande Hill.
In a photo array, Teshka positively identified Hill as the shooter, reports said.
On March 29, law enforcement spoke with Hill.
Hill said he was driving the Caravan on December 8 in the area of the shooting with his two children.
He said the Caravan was dirty and had bullet holes in the dashboard.
Hill said that while he was driving in the area, he noticed the windows of a vehicle traveling beside him shattering.
He believed the shots came from two white men standing in the bushes on the side of the bypass who were possibly hunting rabbits, Hill said.
The sentencing range for Hill’s attempted battery charge is one to six years. The sentencing range for Hill’s criminal recklessness charge is six months to two and a half years.
Hill is currently at the Porter County Jail and will be transported to the St. Joseph County Jail after a review is completed, reports said.