Two Jennings County men were arrested after a pursuit in North Vernon.
North Vernon Police Department Sgt. Andrew Richmond attempted to stop a green Saturn at 11:43 a.m. Wednesday after it failed to stop at a red light before turning right from Walnut Street on to Norris Avenue, police said.
Richmond attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver, later identified as Clarence Howard III, 27, Butlerville, accelerated and fled toward South Gum Street, police said.
Howard recklessly passed a city garbage truck traveling at more than 50 miles per hour and eventually reached 78 miles per hour before his front tire blew out and he ran off the road near a pond in Muscatatuck County Park, police said.
He then fled on foot along with passenger Elbert Howard Jr. 25, North Vernon, but were found a short distance away by Jennings County Sheriff’s Department Col. Jeff Day.
Police said both men had active arrest warrants. Clarence Howard III had a syringe and a small amount of what was suspected to be heroin, police said.
Clarence Howard III was arrested on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance, possession of a syringe, resisting law enforcement in a vehicle, criminal recklessness in a vehicle, criminal mischief and warrants for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, and two counts of resisting law enforcement.
Elbert Howard Jr. was arrested on charges of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement and a warrant for failure to appear on the original charge of felony possession of methamphetamine, police said.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
