GREENFIELD — Prosecutors have filed a misdemeanor criminal charge against a man who police say ran from court security Tuesday afternoon. Investigators believe the same man then led them on a high-speed chase into Indianapolis a few hours later.
But the suspect — Tyrus Drane, 33, Indianapolis — has still not been located.
Police say they searched for Drane throughout Greenfield for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon after he ran from a courthouse security officer who tried to arrest him when he showed up late for a hearing. A judge had issued a warrant for Drane’s arrest.
A short time later, 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, and ended only when the car the suspect was driving blew a tire. He abandoned the vehicle in a wooded area near Shadeland Avenue and Interstate 70 in Indianapolis and fled the scene.
Officers from at least four area police departments aided in searching the area, using K-9s and helicopters in hopes of locating the man.
He was not found Tuesday night, and had not been located at press time Wednesday.
Prosecutors filed a single Class A misdemeanor against Drane on Wednesday morning accusing him of resisting law enforcement. The charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail, and it is only related to the allegations he ran from the courthouse.
Records show the original criminal case field against Drane accuses him of driving while suspended — also a Class A misdemeanor.
Drane has twice missed his scheduled initial hearing in the case, records show. A judge warned Drane last week that a warrant for his arrest would be issued if he didn’t appear at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Hancock County Superior Court 2.
When Drane didn’t arrive at the courthouse on time Tuesday, the judge followed through with his threat and immediately issued a warrant for the man’s arrest, records show.
Drane did eventually arrive at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon — about an hour after his hearing was scheduled, records show.
After recognizing Drane, a court security officer tried to take the man into custody, officials said.
But Drane ran from the courthouse and was last seen by officers heading north on Spring Street.
Officers from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and Greenfield Police Department, along with a few state troopers, searched the city, including around Riley Park and along the Pennsey Trail.
They took to social media, putting out a description of Drane — a black male, standing 5-feet 8-inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, who was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt at the time of incident — and asking anyone who spotted him to call 911.
Several residents did, dispatch records show.
One man called 911 to say he’d seen the suspect running along Main Street. A woman called to say the suspect came into her backyard on Meek Street and asked for a drink of water. He seemed out of breath, she said.
When officers were unable to locate Drane, they called off their search after about an hour of work.
A short time later — around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday — another 911 caller reported seeing the suspect driving in a red Chevy Equinox on State Road 9 near McClarnon Drive.
When officers tried to make contact with that driver, he sped off, heading north on State Road 9 until he merged onto I-70 at a high rate of speed, officials said.
Police pursued the driver of the Equinox along I-70, into Marion County. Traffic on I-70 near Interstate 465 in Indianapolis was stopped briefly as the chase passed through that area. Officers with long guns drawn could be seen patrolling the roadway on foot.
The driver eventually left the interstate near Shadeland Avenue, according to Hancock County Sheriff’s Capt. Robert Campbell.
A tire of the Equinox blew, and the driver jumped from the car and ran from police, Campbell said.
Officers from the sheriff’s department, Greenfield Police, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and state troopers searched the eastside of Indianapolis for hours, but were never able to locate the suspected.
They eventually called off their search around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Drane remains at large. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911.