Two people were arrested after Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputies chased a vehicle involved in a shoplifting incident at the westside Walmart, officials said.
Police were called to the store on Merchants Mile at 3:31 p.m. Wednesday after employees said someone was observed taking televisions and fleeing into the parking lot to a blue minivan, according to a news release from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputy Adam DeBoth saw the vehicle near State Road 11 and State Road 46 as it was turning south onto State Road 11.
As the deputy attempted to stop the van, the driver accelerated and proceeded south on Jonesville Road, DeBoth said.
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Deputies south of the pursuit put out stop sticks waiting for the vehicle to pass. The van weaved through traffic as it drove through Garden City and Walesboro, deputies said.
The driver lost control of the vehicle and drifted across the northbound lane and off the roadway, deputies said. The van struck a wire fence and spun around before stopping.
Three people were in the van. One, identified as Christopher Yarber, 30, of Jackson Township, was taken into custody after a deputy used a stun gun, as the occupant would not submit to arrest, according to the sheriff’s department.
Yarber was arrested on charges of possession of stolen property and resisting and on warrants for failure to appear, probation violation and body attachment.
The person police say was the driver, Meghann King, 30, of Columbus, was arrested on charges of resisting, theft and driving while suspended.
A third person in the van was not charged. A small dog in the vehicle was not injured and was taken to County Animal Control for shelter.
Yarber is being held in the Bartholomew County Jail in lieu of $55,000 bail. King is being held in the Bartholomew County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bond.
