RICHMOND – Troopers from the Pendleton District arrested a Richmond man for possession of crack cocaine this past weekend after a short pursuit.
On Saturday, September 9, 2023, around 9:45 p.m., Trooper Clayton Fox was patrolling Richmond near D Street and 5th Street when he noticed a vehicle with an equipment violation. When Trooper Fox initiated a traffic stop, the driver attempted to flee from law enforcement by driving through residential yards.
During the pursuit, the vehicle became blocked by a chain link fence and the driver exited the vehicle and continued to flee on foot. Trooper Fox chased the driver and gave him verbal commands. The driver disobeyed the commands and Trooper Fox de-escalated the situation by deploying his department-issued taser. The driver was taken into custody without further incident.
During the custodial search of the driver, troopers discovered 16.1 grams of crack cocaine, U.S. currency, and digital scales.
Trooper Fox requested the assistance of Trooper Tom Ratliff and his K-9 partner, Tora, to do an exterior sniff of the vehicle. K-9 Tora gave a positive indication of the presence of narcotics within the vehicle. During the subsequent search of the car, troopers located other drug paraphernalia and prescription drugs.
The driver, identified as Brent D. Diamond, 53, of Richmond, Indiana, was arrested and preliminarily charged with:
- Dealing Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug- Level 2 Felony
- Possession of Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug- Level 4 Felony
- Operating while Habitual Traffic Violator (Life)- Level 5 Felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle- Level 6 Felony
- Possession of a Legend Drug- Level 6 Felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement- Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving- Class A Misdemeanor
- Possession of Paraphernalia- Class C Misdemeanor
Trooper Fox was assisted in this investigation by other members of the Indiana State Police and the Richmond Police Department.
