Indiana park named for officer killed in pursuit crash

CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (AP) - A new southern Indiana park has been named for a police officer who was killed last year in a high-speed crash while pursuing an auto theft suspect.

The Ben Bertram Memorial Park was dedicated Saturday in Charlestown not far from the house where Bertram grew up in the small Ohio River community.

The News and Tribune reports that Bertram's mother, Diane Bertram, says she's grateful that her son's name is now associated with "something so wonderful" as a park.

She recalled that he grew up nearby, riding bikes, playing tag and roller blading.

Bertram was an officer with the Charlestown Police Department. The 33-year-old died Dec. 12 when his police cruiser struck a tree during a high-speed pursuit of a car theft suspect through Clark and Scott counties.

___

Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com