NORTH VERNON — A police pursuit involving a stolen vehicle led to the arrest of two Jennings County brothers.
Dustin J. Gifford, 27, of Butlerville, was arrested by the North Vernon Police Department and booked into the Jennings County Jail at 6:33 a.m. Saturday on preliminary charges of auto theft, intimidation, resisting law enforcement, criminal confinement, theft and a warrant for failure to comply, and is being held without bond, according to jail records.
Denver A. Gifford, 35, of Butlerville, was arrested by North Vernon police and was booked into the Jennings County Jail at 8 a.m. Saturday on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine, warrant for unlawful possession of syringe and possession of methamphetamine, and is being held on $6,310 bond, according to jail records.
North Vernon Police Department officers responded to the Casey’s General Store at U.S. 50 and State Road 7 at about 4:20 a.m. Saturday in regards to a stolen vehicle report.
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The officers learned that the victim’s boyfriend allegedly stole her car while she was in the store. She also told officers that the suspect, Dustin Gifford, had threatened to kill her as she drove him from Freetown back to North Vernon, said Sgt. Andrew Richmond, spokesman for the North Vernon Police Department.
Officers began trying to locate the vehicle in the area. Sgt. Kyle Hall located the stolen vehicle on U.S. 50, just west of the east roundabout. Hall attempted to stop the vehicle, but it didn’t yield to his lights and siren and continued to drive east on U.S. 50, Richmond said.
While in pursuit of the vehicle, Hall learned that Dustin Gifford had an active arrest warrant issued from Jennings County for failing to comply with conditions of his release from incarceration and was driving with a suspended license, Richmond said.
Hall lost sight of the vehicle momentarily after leaving U.S. 50 during the pursuit. The vehicle was found several minutes later at an address in the 3000 block of County Road 550E, Richmond said. Hall learned that Dustin Gifford’s brother, Denver Gifford, also lived at the address, and also had an active arrest warrant issued from Jennings County for possession of a syringe and possession of a syringe, both Level 6 felonies.
Officers located tracks leading out of the back of the home, and a resident of the home said Dustin Gifford had just arrived and run through the home, stating he would have to be killed to be caught, Richmond said.
Hall requested a K-9 unit to the scene and Sgt. Allen Ritchie of the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department responded along with his partner, police dog Vampyr.
Ritchie and Vampyr followed the tracks from the rear of the house and located a subject, identified as Denver Gifford, in a nearby field. The subject failed to comply with officers and was apprehended by Vampyr, Richmond said.
Officers also located a small cooler near Denver Gifford that contained almost 2 grams of methamphetamine, Richmond said.
While securing Denver Gifford and walking him out of the field, officers located another subject laying in the field. He was identified as Dustin Gifford, the stolen vehicle suspect, and arrested, Richmond said.
The stolen vehicle was recovered and released to the victim, Richmond said.
