Clinton County dispatcher seriously hurt in two-car collision

Frankfort, Indiana – The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office revealed on Facebook on Wednesday that a dispatcher for the county was seriously hurt in a serious crash late on Tuesday.

The operator was identified as Kaydence Villars, a 20-year-old from Frankfort, Indiana. She reportedly has a critical condition.

At about 9:46 p.m. Deputies from Clinton County responded to a complaint of a personal injury crash on Tuesday near County Road 150 South and U.S. 421.

Frankfort is 10 minutes to the east of that intersection, and Indianapolis is an hour to the northwest.

When deputies arrived, they discovered two vehicles—one in the ditch and the other on its side—with both of their drivers trapped.

Nicholas Whittenburg, 32, of Indianapolis was operating a 2023 Dodge Ram van when it was discovered by investigators to be traveling north on US 421. When Whittenburg crashed head-on with Villars’ 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, Villars was passing other cars on the road.

After the impact, the van rolled several times before coming to rest on its passenger side. The Volkswagen driven by Villar stopped in a ditch after leaving the road.

Whittenburg and Villars were both extricated from the site by firefighters. Villars was transported by helicopter, while Whittenburg was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Indianapolis.

Unknown is Whittenburg’s state of health.

Wednesday, the sheriff of Clinton County, Rich Kelly, posted information about Villars’ status on social media.

“Clinton County, we ask you to join us in prayers for a member of our public service family! Kaydence Villars, a dispatcher with Clinton County Central Dispatch, was involved in a serious crash (Tuesday). Please keep Kaydence, her family, friends, Central Dispatch, and fellow public servants in your thoughts and prayers today and the difficult days ahead,” Kelly said.