A Dodge Challenger fleeing police slammed head-on into a pickup truck in the 4800 block of Southeastern Avenue on Indianapolis's east side on September 26, ejecting driver Sonny Lawrence and trapping his wife, Lori Lawrence, inside the wreckage. Lori Lawrence, 58, died shortly after the crash, and Sonny Lawrence died of his injuries two days later. Now newly obtained training records show that the 22-year-old Southport police officer who drove the lead pursuit vehicle had completed just six cumulative hours of driving instruction over about 22 months, delivered as classroom PowerPoint refreshers rather than hands-on, track-based training.
A Warrant Check Sparked a Deadly Chase
According to WIBC 93.1 FM, automated license plate readers alerted officers to an active warrant for Keith Graham, who had failed to return to a Hamilton County community corrections work release program and carried a criminal history that included resisting law enforcement, domestic battery, and drug possession. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department initiated a traffic stop near Southport Road and Emerson Avenue, but Graham fled, prompting IMPD supervisors to order officers to disengage with the directive “terminate, terminate, terminate,” per the station's reporting. Southport police officers continued the pursuit for miles outside their own municipal jurisdiction and into Indianapolis's east side, with Beech Grove officers joining under mandatory officer-assist protocols as speeds approached 100 mph in heavy traffic.
An unnamed source told the outlet that IMPD called off its pursuit because it had become dangerous, while another unnamed source said Southport should have done the same, calling the continued chase senseless. Graham's Challenger caught fire immediately after striking the Lawrences' truck, and responding officers pulled him from the burning wreckage before he was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to WTRE Radio. Separately, recorded police radio dispatches examined by Fox 59 show that dispatchers had explicitly cautioned officers they could terminate the chase if the driving grew too dangerous for public safety.
Six Hours of Classroom Slides, No Track Time
WIBC identified the officer driving the primary pursuit vehicle as Nathan M. Miller, a 22-year-old sworn full-time officer appointed in August 2024 to a department that has 34 members. Per the station's reporting, Miller graduated from a 40-hour pre-basic course and Tier 2 training program rather than attending a Tier 1 basic law-enforcement academy. The 40-hour pre-basic course permits law-enforcement activities pending Tier I or Tier II training.
WIBC's records show Miller's actual driving instruction amounted to six cumulative hours spread across three two-hour sessions from October 2024 to August 2026, a span of about 22 months, all delivered as classroom refreshers rather than behind-the-wheel instruction. The outlet reports that Southport Police Deputy Chief Nathanael Williams supervised Miller, and that whistleblowers alleged Williams worked to shield Miller's identity from public and media scrutiny after the crash. Leaked internal communications cited by the station indicate department leadership intended to clear Miller through an internal use-of-force review board and potentially promote him, which could have come with a take-home vehicle.
Training File Updated Days After the Crash
Miller's training file was updated on September 30 — four days after the fatal collision — with completions for six hours of CPR recertification and four hours of Taser recertification, per WIBC's review of records. An insider familiar with department operations described Southport's leadership style to the station as a “cowboy mentality,” and whistleblowers alleged that Chief Tom Vaughn encouraged officers to “chase anything that moves.” By contrast, the nearby Homecroft Police Department bans high-speed vehicle pursuits outright, the outlet notes. Whistleblowers further alleged that department leadership suppressed details of the crash to avoid fallout for Vaughn's election campaign.
Policy on Paper Versus Practice on the Road
Indiana State Police have assigned crash reconstructionists and detectives to conduct an independent investigation into whether the involved officers complied with state statutes and inter-agency protocols, as confirmed by WTRE Radio, with Southport directing all pursuit-related inquiries to state investigators.
A Chief's Campaign Collides With a Crash Investigation
The scrutiny lands squarely in the middle of a countywide election. Vaughn entered the race for Marion County Sheriff in July as the Republican candidate after county party leadership selected him to challenge Democratic nominee Kelvis Williams, according to WTHR, with current Sheriff Kerry Forestal term-limited from seeking reelection. Williams brings more than 40 years of law enforcement experience to the race, including 25 years with the Indiana State Police before joining the Marion County Sheriff's Office in 2009, per WFYI. Early voting opened October 6 at the City-County Building in Indianapolis. Hoodline previously reported on Vaughn's campaign.
This is not Vaughn's first brush with controversy at Southport. WIBC reports he faced nepotism scrutiny in 2017 for appointing his son, Kyle Vaughn, to the department's only other paid full-time role, and that Mayor Jim Cooney fired and demoted him in August 2024 after Vaughn refused to turn over background and disciplinary files for Southport reserve officers — a decision reversed days later following community pushback. The department has also faced scrutiny over its reserve corps, including a 2020 case in which a Southport reserve officer was arrested for locking his teenage son in a department holding cell, per the outlet's reporting.
Department Declines to Comment on Investigation
WIBC says it asked the Southport Police Department directly about Miller's training, pursuit policies, employment status, and post-crash record updates. Public Information Officer Douglas Hunter declined to answer the individual questions, citing the ongoing review, and the department directed all inquiries about the pursuit and investigation to the Indiana State Police public information office, saying it would not comment further while the matter remains under review. The department did extend condolences to the families and loved ones of those involved. Indiana State Police had not responded to WIBC's follow-up request for comment before its publication deadline, and the station says it will update its report if a response arrives.
