HANCOCK COUNTY — A McCordsville man led police on a vehicle pursuit Sunday afternoon that stopped and started several times and involved the suspect driving through the yards of homes.
At about 1:27 p.m. on March 26 Hancock County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call of a domestic disturbance in the Stansbury neighborhood in northwestern Hancock County, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Before deputies could arrive, a suspect fled in a stolen vehicle. The suspect was identified as Derrick Jordan, 19, of McCordsville.
A short time later, officers located the suspect vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The suspect fled in the vehicle and officers initiated a vehicle pursuit. When the short pursuit entered Lawrence in Marion County, officers terminated the pursuit and planned to file for an arrest warrant for the suspect.
Officers issued an alert for agencies to be on the lookout for Jordan and the Nissan Altima he was driving.
At about 3:07 p.m., a Hancock County sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle in the McCordsville area and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle fled again and entered a neighborhood. Officers pursued for about 20 minutes until the vehicle began driving through yards of houses. Due to the suspect’s dangerous driving, the pursuit was terminated, and information again relayed to other agencies.
At about 5:20 p.m. a deputy spotted the suspect vehicle and noticed the license plate had possibly been flipped backward to avoid detection by license plate reading cameras. Officers initiated another traffic pursuit when the suspect vehicle failed to stop for officers.
The pursuit traveled around northwestern Hancock County and briefly into Lawrence. Officers from the Lawrence Police Department, McCordsville Police Department, Fortville Police Department and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the pursuit. The suspect then fled into the Stansbury neighborhood and again began driving through residential yards. Considering all possible factors and the potential danger to the public, officers again terminated the pursuit. However, officers stationed at each exit to the neighborhood with tire deflation devices to disable the vehicle if the suspect tried to leave the neighborhood in the vehicle.
A short time later, a deputy located the suspect vehicle stuck in a yard in the neighborhood. A resident of the neighborhood then called 911 to report the suspect was in her house. She reported the suspect knew her family, knocked on the back door, then forced his way in the house when she unlocked the door. Officers responded to the house, observed the suspect fleeing on foot, and were able to apprehend him.
“Thankfully there were no injuries to the suspect, officers, or the public,” the news release states. “Officers from all departments used great discretion in pursuit decisions and ultimately captured the suspect.”
Jordan was booked into the Hancock County Jail under multiple preliminary charges. The Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office will ultimately determine final charges. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Jordan’s preliminary charges include two counts of criminal recklessness, a Class B misdemeanor; two counts of criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor; residential entry, a Level 6 felony; theft – value of property between $750 and $50,000, a Level 6 felony; two counts of resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; reckless driving in a motor vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle without ever obtaining a license, a Class C misdemeanor; and leaving the scene of a property damage crash, a Class B misdemeanor.
