Suspect held after 51-minute chase

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Jacobi Cavaletto, Greenfield. Submitted photo

GREENFIELD — A police chase Wednesday evening lasted for nearly an hour, running occasionally through yards and farm fields from Greenfield to the western part of the county before the suspect was finally run off the road and captured.

Jacobi Cavaletto, 37, of the 200 block of North Jaycie Phelps Drive, was corralled around 9 p.m., more than an hour after he was stopped in Greenfield for a traffic violation and then fled. The chase — which did not take place at high speeds — ended when a pursuing police vehicle tapped the rear of Cavaletto’s car, causing it to run off the road.

No one was seriously injured.

Cavaletto is no stranger to local law enforcement. Wednesday’s incident comes just more than a year after an armed Cavaletto kept the county’s SWAT team at bay for more than 14 hours while he was holed up in a barn on his family’s property.

Cavaletto was out of jail on bond awaiting an August trial date on charges stemming from that incident when he was pulled over about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, in the 2200 block of North State Street, in the parking lot near Home Depot, said Brian Hartman, deputy chief of the Greenfield Police Department.

“Cavaletto got out of his vehicle and told the officer something along the lines of, ‘Nope — not today,’” Hartman said.

Cavaletto got back into his vehicle and sped away. Police gave chase throughout Greenfield and the western part of the county in what officials called a “controlled pursuit.”

Several attempts were made to use stop sticks to puncture his tires, but due to the relatively slow speed — Cavaletto was running around 30 to 40 mph — he was able to avoid them, Hartman said.

“He’d just drive off the road, through a yard and at one point, he turned into a cornfield and a bean field for at least a half mile before coming out starting to turn back toward the east,” Hartman said.

At that point, a pursuing officer initiated a “PIT maneuver,” hitting the back of Cavaletto’s vehicle with the front bumper of the police car. The tactic — used occasionally by police agencies to end chases — caused Cavaletto’s vehicle to crash around 8:20 p.m. near the intersection of County Road 150W and U.S. 40.

“Our suspicion was he was trying to get back home,” Hartman said. “We thought if he got back home and got back into that barn, we’d be out there again in another… SWAT standoff like the last time.”

Cavaletto’s vehicle rolled twice before landing back on the wheels, Hartman said. He appeared to be unhurt as police approached and asked him to surrender. Instead, Cavaletto tried to get his vehicle going again.

The vehicle, Hartman said, was packed with items, leaving room only for the driver. That made it hard for officers to see what was going on inside the car. Cavalletto, however, was able to swing a small shovel at officers as they approached the car to get him to come out.

Officers brought in a police dog, which Cavaletto proceeded to punch and choke, so they pulled the dog out.

“The dog was never able to get a hold of him,” Hartman said.

Officers tried tasing Cavaletto twice, but Cavaletto, who police said was dressed in at least six layers of clothing, was unfazed. Officers then deployed pepper balls, but Cavaletto pulled up a couch cushion and blocked the window.

Officers finally were able to get him out of the vehicle after entering through the passenger side, but Cavaletto continued to fight and swing at them, Hartman said. The dog was brought back, and officers were finally able to get Cavaletto in handcuffs.

Medics were on the scene, and because of past experiences, police believed he might be high on drugs. Medics administered Haldol, an antipsychotic medication, to help calm Cavaletto down. He was then transported to IU Methodist Hospital, where he was still listed as a patient at the Daily Reporter’s deadline Thursday afternoon.

Cavaletto sustained only minor injuries, officers said, and will be taken to the Hancock County Jail upon his release from the hospital.

He’s facing multiple charges, which could include resisting law enforcement; fleeing the scene; battery on a law enforcement K9; and possible drug charges.

Hartman noted while the 51-minute pursuit was intense at time, officers remained calm and gave Cavaletto space while bringing the incident to a peaceful resolution.

“We were in pursuit, but it wasn’t a high-speed pursuit,” Hartman said.