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Nicholus Wayne Wollum

Age : 25

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 04/14/2021

Location : McGalliard Road and Tillotson Avenue

City : Muncie

County : Delaware

State : Indiana

Agency : Henry County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Tanner Strelecky

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR CHASE: Passenger killed during traffic-violation and suspected-DUI pursuit
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NARRATIVE:
On 04/18/2024 at approximately 6:00 a.m., Nicholus “Nick” Wayne Woolums, 25, of Muncie was a passenger in a Dodge Dart traveling north on State Road 3 in Henry County. Henry County Sheriff’s Deputy Tanner Strelecky, who had just completed his shift but remained in uniform and was driving his marked patrol vehicle, reported seeing traffic violations that led him to suspect the driver was impaired. Strelecky attempted a traffic stop near the Henry-Delaware County line and the driver continued north.
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Strelecky pursued the Dodge into Delaware County and through Muncie. Investigative records later described speeds of approximately 70 to 100 mph as the pursuit traveled through the south side of Muncie, downtown, the west and northwest sides, and eventually east on McGalliard Road.
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At approximately 6:15 a.m., the Dodge approached a red light at McGalliard Road and Tillotson Avenue. The driver moved into the left-turn lane to pass vehicles stopped for the signal and entered the intersection, where the Dodge collided with a white Jeep driven by 38-year-old Shanta Sharrel Schmiesing. Both vehicles came to rest in a grassy area northwest of the intersection.
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Woolums was pronounced dead at the scene. The Dodge driver and Schmiesing were both transported to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in critical condition; Schmiesing was subsequently transferred to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Muncie police did not participate in the pursuit but investigated the crash with Indiana State Police.
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Woolums was remembered by his family as outgoing, kind and intensely family-oriented. His obituary said he routinely put other people before himself, was an Indianapolis Colts fan and particularly cherished time with his father, whom he considered his best friend.
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Woolums’ father, James David Woolums, filed a civil-rights lawsuit against Strelecky, Sheriff John Sproles, the Henry County Sheriff’s Department and Henry County. The case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on 09/11/2024 as Woolums v. Henry County Sheriff’s Department et al., No. 1:24-cv-01554. The litigation challenged the circumstances and supervision of the pursuit that killed Woolums.
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The Delaware County Prosecutor separately reviewed whether Strelecky should face criminal charges. On 01/29/2025, the prosecutor formally announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the Henry County deputy for the pursuit ending in Woolums’ death.
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The criminal case against the driver continued. In July 2025, Zacrey Antrim pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement resulting in death, resisting law enforcement resulting in serious bodily injury, and operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in his blood. On 10/29/2025, Delaware Circuit Court Judge Judi Calhoun sentenced him to 22 years in prison.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Tanner Strelecky was a rookie deputy. He was hired by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in July 2023 and was still an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy trainee during the period surrounding the fatal pursuit. Contemporary academy reporting identifies him as a newly hired Henry County deputy undergoing law-enforcement training. Strelecky remained employed by Henry County as a merit deputy in 2025.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/man-killed-in-crash-following-police-pursuit/article_2a676a0e-3e94-11eb-b8f3-9bc730a3faad.html
https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/henry-county-pursuit-ends-in-fatal-crash-in-muncie
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fatality-reported-crash-mcgalliard-road-125207689.html
https://www.wrtv.com/news/public-safety/1-dead-2-critical-after-henry-co-pursuit-leads-to-crash-in-delaware-co
https://indianapublicradio.org/news/2024/04/muncie-traffic-snarled-after-out-of-county-police-chase-ends-in-a-fatal-crash/
https://www.aol.com/muncie-man-police-chase-fatal-192117285.html
https://www.parsonmortuary.com/obituary/Nicholus-Woolums
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/indiana/insdce/1%3A2024cv01554/216886
https://www.co.delaware.in.us/egov/apps/document/center.egov?eGov_searchDepartment=185&eGov_searchType=85
https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/muncie-man-sentenced-for-causing-fatal-crash-while-fleeing-police