NORTH VERNON – A brief vehicle and foot pursuit ended Tuesday night with the arrests of two Michigan men in a stolen vehicle.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, a North Vernon police officer pulled over a blue 1998 Jeep Cherokee after he saw the driver commit a traffic violation, according to a press release from North Vernon Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Richmond.
While the SUV did pull over into the First Financial Bank parking lot at North State and Franklin streets, the Cherokee drove away rapidly after Sgt. Todd Beam got out of his patrol car and tried to make contact with the driver, Richmond stated.
Although the suspect’s vehicle turned north in an alley between North State and North Elm streets, Beam was able to get back in his car and quickly catch up with the Cherokee, the release stated. After the suspects abandoned the SUV in the back yard of a house, the officer saw them run across a street near the intersection of Meadow Lane and North Elm St. and attempt to cut through several yards.
But Beam was able to stop both suspects within a short time. When the officer ran a check on the Jeep Cherokee, he discovered the vehicle had damage to the steering column. A computer check confirmed Beam’s suspicions that the SUV had been stolen in Michigan.
The suspects have been identified as Dustin N. Stump, 36, of Quincy, Michigan and Matthew W. Farlin, 33, of Bronson, Michigan.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.
