A Knox County Superior Court judge died in the crash of a small airplane early Saturday morning.
According to media reports, including the Associated Press, Knox County Superior Court Judge Ryan Johanningsmeier was the lone occupant of the Cirrus SR 22 single engine airplane when it crashed early Saturday morning.
The wreckage was spotted a few hours later about three miles north of the Lawrence County Airport in Illinois.
Authorities began looking for the plane after being notified by the Federal Aviation Administration that it had stopped in Sullivan County, but didn’t arrive in Lawrence County as planned. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Sunday, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush issued a statement expressing condolences to Johanningsmeier’s family and the community. Rush said, “As a problem-solving court judge, he helped defendants with a new path in life allowing those most in need of restorative justice to work for a better tomorrow.” No age for Judge Johanningsmeier was available for this initial report.
