A father, who wanted to see his child on the first day of school yesterday, parked at the school even though that would be a violation of a protective order. A school resource officer spotted him and the father wound up in jail.  

Jacob Edward Bell, 27, Springville, was arrested by Indiana State Police Trooper Robert Whyte on Wednesday morning, August 5.

Trooper Whyte is also a School Resource Officer at Eastern-Greene Schools. On Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m., he was working at the school, directing traffic at the middle school during the morning drop-off when a couple of vehicles caught his eye. One was a maroon truck.

The truck parked but there were no children in the truck. Whyte reported he then saw a small child hugging the occupants in the maroon truck, but the child didn’t get in the truck.

Whyte was going to make contact with the driver but before he did, the maroon truck left, pulling out of the lot and onto State Road 54. He did get the plate number and determined the truck’s owner was Jacob Bell and that Bell’s driver’s license was suspended. In addition, he learned there was a valid protective order in place against Bell, and the child was protected.

Whyte located the truck and conducted a stop on State Road 54 at Owensburg Road. During the stop, Bell was asked to get out of the truck and he was handcuffed. When asked if he knew why he was under arrest, he allegedly shook his head yes and said he wasn’t supposed to see the child. Bell said it was the child’s first day of school and he wanted to see him.

Bell was transported to the Greene County Jail and booked in at 9:51 a.m. He was initially held without bond pending court appearance.

At Bell’s initial hearing this afternoon, Thursday, August 6, he was charged with invasion of privacy in violation of a protective order, a Class A misdemeanor, and driving while suspended – a knowing violation with a prior conviction within 10 years, a Class A misdemeanor.

Bell’s bond was set at $5,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He has since posted $500 and been released.