LAGRANGE CO. – A man led troopers in pursuit of a stolen semi across three counties before surrendering and safely being taken into custody.
On Saturday, May 6, Indiana State Police dispatch received a call that a semi-tractor that was allegedly stolen from a trucking company by a terminated employee was suspected to be traveling eastbound on Indiana Toll Road.
At approximately 12:42 p.m. Trooper Matthew Henson located the semi, a blue 2019 Freightliner as it exited the Indiana Toll Road at the Notre Dame Exit, mile marker 77. Henson followed the Freightliner down the exit ramp in his fully marked Indiana State Police car and then activated his red and blue emergency lights. Henson says that as he turned on his emergency lights, the driver of the Freightliner drove through the orange traffic cones prior to the toll booth and reentered the Toll Road fleeing eastbound.
The driver of the Freightliner continued to flee eastbound into Elkhart County, avoiding several sets of stop sticks that had been deployed. Eventually, the driver of the Freightliner struck stop sticks as the chase approached LaGrange County. During the chase, the driver called 911 and began speaking to a dispatcher. The dispatcher spoke to him and encouraged him to pull over and end the chase. The driver, identified as Durrell Kelley, 31 of Bear, Delaware, eventually pulled over near mile marker 114 in LaGrange County.
Kelley was safely taken into custody and transported to the LaGrange County Jail for resisting law enforcement, theft, and reckless driving. The LaGrange County Humane Society took possession of a dog that was in the Freightliner until it could be reunited with family members.
Troopers on the Indiana Toll Road were assisted by Troopers from the Bremen Post as well as officers with the Elkhart Police Department and Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office.
