Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, December 21, 2015
(WAVERLY) - On December 10 Indiana State Master Trooper Mark Clephane attempted to stop a motorist after they were clocked doing 83 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone on State Road 37 near Big Bend Road in Morgan County. That traffic stop ended in a manhunt.
Once M/Trooper Clephane's emergency lights and sirens were activated, the driver accelerated and went from the passing lane to the driving lane and even passed vehicles on the emergency berm.
M/Trooper Clephane gave chase attempting to stop the blue Audi convertible as it continued South on Waverly Road. Shortly thereafter the trooper saw an explosion of what turned out to be a picket board fence located in the 6700 block Waverly Road being destroyed. There was more property damage as the Audi was finally found with the driver's door wide open, and no occupants.
M/Trp Clephane began to search for the driver, and found two males waving and pointing towards the woods behind the adjacent property. The men indicated that a white male wearing blue jeans, a long sleeve blue sweat shirt, short dark hair and a goatee beard had fled from the Audi after it crashed into their chicken coop.
A manhunt ensued as ISP and the Morgan County Sheriff's Department began to set up a perimeter with the assistance of both departments K9 Units.
A nearby homeowner, who had witnessed the crash, reported seeing a white male walking in his backyard near his home. When the homeowner confronted the man, the man told him he had been down by the ponds and was just cutting through his yard. The homeowner told the man that he didn't know him and that he didn't belong there, to which the man told the homeowner, "I'm your neighbor, I'm Chad Rodgers." The homeowner then began to yell for his neighbor to call the police. At this point, the male dropped his hands and ran from the homeowner. The homeowner's description of the man d matched that of the other witnesses.
That evening, witnesses were able to positively identify 34-year-old Chadwick Allan Rodgers, of Monrovia as the driver of the Audi. An arrest warrant was issued in Morgan County for Rodgers based upon witness testimony and probable cause found by M/Trp. Clephane
The investigation led police to the Boone County Jail where just prior to December 17, where Rodgers had been arrested on separate charges.
Rodgers was then taken to the Morgan County Jail on the following charges; resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, resisting law enforcement, driving while driver's license suspended with prior convictions, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, operating a vehicle without financial responsibility with a prior offense and an arrest warrant for another offense in Marion County.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.