Two people have been arrested after leading police on an hour-long chase through several counties in Northern Indiana on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
The Indiana State Police released the following details about the pursuit:
At approximately 3 p.m. this afternoon, Troopers from the Indiana State Bremen Post became involved in what would turn into an hour-long vehicle pursuit, running across four different counties, and involving numerous assisting police agencies. The incident began after ISP Bremen troopers attempted to stop a black Toyota Camry passenger vehicle occupied be a fugitive wanted out of Fulton County on a felony warrant, and another occupant being in possession of a handgun and assault rifle as a serious violent felon.
The suspect vehicle first fled from troopers in the area of SR13 near Syracuse in Kosciusko County. Initially running north towards Elkhart County, then traversing several county roads back down to the Lake Wawasee area, and then over into Noble County. Once in Noble, the suspects led police down US33 towards Churubusco at speeds of up to 100mph, throwing bags of items out the windows along the way, and also tossing out a handgun (which was recovered by one of the troopers). Turning east onto SR205 the pursuit ran over into DeKalb County towards Auburn. A deputy with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department was able to successfully deploy stop sticks on SR205 at CR60, deflating at least one tire, damage that would eventually end the chase. While in Auburn the suspect vehicle ran off-road through a fence behind the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum property, then came back on road and headed southbound on CR427 (Tonkel Road) into Allen County. On Tonkel Road, just south of Hollopeter Road, after running off-road and into the side ditch, the suspect lost control of his vehicle and overturned onto its side.
Pursuing officers quickly took the adult male driver (Ricky Johnson, 40, of Warsaw, IN) and an adult female passenger (Angela Rogers, 37, of Rochester, IN) into custody. Officers realized there was a third occupant still trapped in the overturned wreckage. Officers gathered up and together were able to flip the car back over onto its wheels, at which time the third occupant was also taken into custody.
All three suspects were transported from the scene by ambulance to the Parkview Regional Medical Center for medical evaluation. After further investigation, the male passenger was released from custody without charges. Both Johnson and Rogers, after their release from the hospital, were transported back to Kosciusko County where they were incarcerated on numerous related charges.
*There were no other persons injured nor vehicles damaged during this incident, and the only property damage noted was the fence at Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum.
Arrested: Ricky A. Johnson, 40, Warsaw, IN
- Resisting Law Enforcement, Lev 6 Felony
- Possession of Hypodermic Syringe, Lev 6 Felony
- Possession of Handgun by Serious Violent Felon, Level 4 Felony
- Reckless Driving, Misdemeanor
Arrested: Angela C. Rogers, 37, Rochester, IN
- Possession of Hypodermic Syringe, Level 6 Felony
- Warrant hold for Fulton County, Assault Charge, Felony
Troopers from the ISP Bremen Post are handling the arrest and charging of Johnson and Rogers, while troopers from ISP Fort Wayne Post are handling the crash investigation.
