GREENFIELD — The man accused of running from a Hancock County courthouse security guard before leading police on a high-speed car chase has been found and taken into custody, officials say.
Tyrus Drane, 33, of Indianapolis, was arrested Tuesday in Marion County. Records show he is locked in the Marion County Jail awaiting transport back to Hancock County, where he’s now been charged in two criminal cases that accuse him of resisting law enforcement.
Officers from at least four area police departments searched for Drane last week after he allegedly ran from the courthouse security officer who tried to arrest him when he showed up late for a hearing.
Later the same day, a man fitting Drane’s description led officers on a high-speed car chase from Hancock County into Indianapolis.
The chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph. The driver abandoned the vehicle in a wooded area near Shadeland Avenue and Interstate 70 in Indianapolis and fled the scene on foot.
Though police couldn’t find Drane right after the car chase, officers say they did find a cellphone in the SUV involved in the pursuit that contained pictures of Drane — confirming their suspicions that the same man was involved in both incidents, according to court documents.
Prosecutors last week filed a single Class A misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement against Drane, related to the allegations he ran from the courthouse, records show.
Now, they’ve filed a second criminal case against Drane, accusing him of starting the police chase, according to police.
In the new case, Drane faces: one Level 6 felony count of resisting law enforcement; one Class A misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement; one Class A misdemeanor of driving while suspended; and one Class C misdemeanor of reckless driving.
It’s the third criminal case against Drane currently pending in Hancock County, records show: the original case against him accuses him of driving while suspended, also a Class A misdemeanor.
Drane was scheduled to appear in Hancock County Superior Court 2 on the afternoon of May 15. When he didn’t arrive in time for his hearing, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, police said.
Drane did show up at the courthouse later on May 15. When a security officer tried to arrest him, he ran from the building, police said.
Greenfield Police Department officers and Hancock County Sheriff’s deputies searched for Drane in Greenfield for more than an hour. As they were calling off their hunt, a man called 911 to say he spotted someone who matched Drane’s description driving north on State Road 9 in a red SUV, according to court documents.
When officers tried to stop the SUV, it sped off, police said.
Officers pursued the car for more than 16 miles, reaching speeds as high as 115 miles per hour, according to court documents.
The car only came to a stop after its fuel line broke near the intersection of Empire Drive and Enterprise Street in Indianapolis, which is near the I-70 interchange with Interstate 465, just east of Shadeland Avenue. The driver then jumped from the car and ran on foot, police said.
Police, K-9 officers and police helicopters searched for the driver on the eastside of Indianapolis but could not locate the man. Investigators also searched the SUV. Inside, they found a cellphone that contained pictures of Drane, according to court documents.
Drane evaded police for a week before he was arrested Tuesday in Marion County. At press time, he remained in the Marion County Jail.