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Last updated on Saturday, January 26, 2013
(LINTON) - Two men suspected of stealing multiple vehicles, on a middle-of-the-night joyride that allegedly started in Vigo County, rolled through Sullivan County and had arrived in Greene County, ran into a problem in Linton when Officer Debbie McDonald-Miller got on their tail.
Anna Rochelle of the Greene County Daily World reports that one suspect, Levi B. Tackett, 24, of Plainfield, is in custody and police are looking for the other.
The Linton Police Department received a call at 5:10 a.m. Wednesday from a resident on 6th St. NE who said his 1997 silver Honda Accord had just been stolen out of his driveway.
LPD Police Chief Troy Jerrell said Officer McDonald-Miller and Tom Jerrels were on patrol at the time and immediately started looking for the car.
"Eight minutes later, she had located the vehicle," said Jerrell explaining Officer McDonald-Miller then pulled in behind the car to make a stop when the driver made what turned out to be a wrong turn.
"The driver turned, probably thinking he was turning onto a county road, but it was a driveway, and they came to a dead end with the officer right behind them," said Jerrell.
The driver fled on foot, but Officer McDonald-Miller apprehended the passenger, Tackett, and held him. Tackett was restrained in a residential driveway, located on 5th St. NW, then transported and booked into the Greene County Jail by Officer McDonald-Miller.
Since this incident, police have been investigating.
"So far, officers have learned that two males were supposedly staying at a mission in Terre Haute but they became intoxicated," said Jerrell. "The rules are that a person cannot be intoxicated and stay there, so they were booted out."
"They are suspected of stealing a car in the Terre Haute area and driving it to Sullivan, then trading it for another car in Sullivan. We believe they drove it to Linton, where it broke down."
A car broke down that night in front of the former Pizza City building and Jerrell said a passerby stopped to offer help, but when the two men started acting "real funny," the good Samaritan got suspicious and left them alone.
The two are then suspected of traveling around Linton on foot through a couple of neighborhoods north and south of the Pizza City location, trying to find another vehicle.
"We've taken 10-12 reports of thefts from vehicles in this area during this time period," said Jerrell.
In regards to the suspect that got away, Jerrell said law enforcement officers are looking for him.
"We do have a suspect and expect a case to be filed and a warrant to be issued for his arrest," said Jerrell.
"This did cause a bit of a ruckus, but we did apprehend one and we expect the other to be located.
"We have no reason to believe the second suspect is armed and dangerous. He is just in flight and we do not believe he is currently in this area."
Information for possible charges against Tackett have been forwarded to the Greene County Prosecutor's Office -- more information will be available after a case is filed. Tackett was being held on a preliminary charge of auto theft, a class D felony, with bond set at $4,000.
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