GREENFIELD — Prosecutors used a defendant’s “white pride” tattoo to tie him to two car thefts, one of which ended with a high-speed chase in Hancock County.
Brandon Shockley, 31, of Martinsville, was convicted after a two-day jury trial this week in Hancock County Superior Court 2, where he faced felony counts of auto theft and resisting law enforcement.
In September, Shockley stole a car from a home in Hendricks County and dumped it in Columbus, where he stole a second car; he then drove that stolen sport-utility vehicle at a high speed down U.S. 52, through rush-hour traffic, as he attempted to flee from police, according to testimony at trial.
Two police cars collided during the pursuit, injuring a civilian who was participating in a ride-along, according to court documents.
The car was ditched on the east side of Indianapolis. Investigators who tracked it down found Shockley’s cellphone inside. Police used that phone — as well as circumstantial evidence from a car theft that occurred the day before in another county — to tie Shockley to the crime.
A jury of six Hancock County residents convicted Shockley after hearing the evidence against him, despite the attempts by his defense attorney, Scott Wooldridge of Greenfield, to cast doubt in the prosecutors’ story.
During the trial, prosecutors called two homeowners from Hendricks County who testified that they saw Shockley in their neighborhood the day before the car chase in Hancock County occurred, said Chief Deputy Prosecutor Marie Castetter during her closing argument.
One homeowner told the jury his security cameras caught Shockley trying to break into his home; another said, on the same day, she saw Shockley in her garage minutes before her car was stolen.
Both witnesses told the jury they recognized Shockley because of his many tattoos, including a distinctive “white pride” and skull tattoo on his back, according Castetter. He was shirtless during both incidents.
Judge Dan Marshall, who oversaw the trial proceedings this week, ordered that Shockley display the tattoo to the jury.
Police in Bartholomew County found the Hendricks County woman’s car in a cornfield in Columbus the day after it was reported stolen. It was parked yards away from the home where a gray Chevrolet Avalanche was taken. That’s the car investigators say Shockley was seen driving in Hancock County the next day.
On Sept. 6, Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Dillen Sexton attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the gray Chevrolet Avalanche, which he spotted driving 70 mph along westbound U.S. 40, according to court documents.
The SUV turned south onto County Road 700W and then east onto County Road 200S. Sexton followed; and as he did so, he ran the vehicle’s plate number through a state database and found that it had been reported stolen. He flipped on his lights, and the SUV took off, court documents state.
Sexton chased the SUV south on County Road 700W, then west on U.S. 52 until they crossed into Marion County. The fleeing vehicle reached speeds of 100 mph, Castetter said. It was rush hour, so the road was full of cars. Patrol car dash cameras caught Shockley’s car swerving in and out of traffic, and on-coming cars swerving to avoid him.
Sexton said he saw Shockley throw a plastic bag out the car window as he drove down U.S. 52. Another deputy recovered that bag following the chase. It was filled with hypodermic needles, which are typically used to inject illegal drugs.
At one point during the pursuit, Sexton’s patrol car collided with an Indiana State Police trooper’s patrol car. Airbags deployed in both vehicles. The civilian riding with Sexton during the incident suffered a minor facial injury, according to court documents.
The crash stopped the pursuit, but police later located the car and the cellphone.
The car theft in Hendricks County, coupled with Shockley’s phone being located in the Bartholomew County couple’s stolen car after the chase, was enough evidence to prove Shockley was guilty of the crimes as charged.
Wooldridge, however, called the state’s story “a hypothesis.” It needed more investigating because, as it was presented at trial, there wasn’t enough to warrant a conviction, he argued.
The jury deliberated for several hours Wednesday afternoon before delivering its verdict. It convicted Shockley of two Level 6 felony counts. Each charged carried a penalty of six months to 2 ½ years in jails. He’ll appear in court for sentencing at a later date.
He was found not guilty of unlawful possession of a syringe.
Shockley faces similar allegations in cases in Morgan and Hendricks counties, records show. Those case are pending.