LAWRENCE CO. – Jayden D. Thomas, 20, of Bedford, was arrested on May 24, 2025, after allegedly stealing a motorcycle and leading police on a pursuit that ended in a crash in Paoli, Indiana.
Thomas is facing charges of theft of a motor vehicle, resisting law enforcement with a motor vehicle, a Level 6 felony, and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, a Level 6 felony.
The investigation began on Friday, May 23, at approximately 5:30 a.m., when the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a stolen motorcycle from the 1000 block of Walnut Street in Oolitic. The caller reported that his 2007 Honda Shadow VT7 motorcycle was taken from his residence. He last saw the bike parked in front of a blue SUV on his property around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, after performing an oil change. The caller discovered the motorcycle missing when he awoke to leave for work.
Deputy Travis Atchison was assigned to the case and responded to the scene. The motorcycle owner informed Deputy Atchison that he did not have video surveillance but believed his neighbors might, and he was advised to submit any relevant footage to the department. A “Verification of Stolen Motor Vehicle” form was completed, and the motorcycle was entered into the IDACS/NCIC system as stolen.
On Friday, May 23, at approximately 2:03 p.m., Officer K. Carter with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department became aware of a stolen motorcycle traveling northbound on State Road 37 near Dixie Highway. The bike was reportedly being driven by Jayden Thomas, who was also wanted on confirmed warrants out of Lawrence County.
Officer Carter, in a fully marked police commission and duty uniform, traveled towards the area of Mitchell Road. As he neared southbound on Washington Avenue, he observed Captain Lonnie Johnson attempt to turn around on the stolen motorcycle. The motorcycle was already traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Washington Avenue. Officer Carter turned around with emergency lights and sirens activated, but Thomas continued at a high rate of speed, reaching nearly 80 miles per hour.
Thomas then made his way back to Mitchell Road and turned southbound. At this point, Officers D. Miller, T. Porter, and Captain L. Johnson were all involved in the pursuit. Jayden reached speeds on Mitchell Road of upwards of 100 MPH and, on two separate occasions, entered the northbound lane of traffic, narrowly missing oncoming traffic.
The pursuit continued south onto State Road 37, with speeds varying between 80 and 95 MPH. Thomas also traveled on the shoulder of the roadway at high and unsafe speeds, ignoring emergency lights and sirens. An attempt to box Thomas in with police vehicles to slow his speed and end the pursuit peacefully was unsuccessful as he sped through the cars.
The pursuit continued south on State Road 37 through Mitchell into Orange County. Central Dispatch had notified Orange County of the pursuit nearing the county line. Once in Orange County, just before the town of Orleans, Thomas again traveled towards oncoming northbound traffic while driving southbound on State Road 37, narrowly missing traffic.
In Orleans, Thomas swerved to miss southbound traffic, traveling down the sidewalk through a neighborhood area for approximately three blocks before re-entering the roadway to continue south on State Road 37. As the pursuit neared the town of Paoli, Thomas again entered the northbound lane while traveling southbound, narrowly missing oncoming traffic.
As the pursuit neared the town square in Paoli, Thomas reportedly tried to get through traffic, where he lost control of the motorcycle. He traveled onto the curb and into the grass, crashing head-on into a concrete memorial located next to the courthouse. Officer Carter exited his vehicle and ran towards Thomas, issuing a loud verbal command for him to stay on the ground. Thomas, who was lying on his back, was rolled to his stomach and placed in handcuffs.
During a search incident to arrest, a piece of paper with three pink oval-shaped pills and two broken pink pills was located in his pants pocket. The pills were identified through a pill identifier as amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, also known as Adderall. Thomas stated later at the Lawrence County Jail during the book-in procedure that he held no valid prescription for any pills. Other stolen items were also located with Thomas and the bike after the pursuit.
Jackson’s Heavy Haul took possession of the motorcycle, and a police hold was placed on it. The owner was notified of the recovery and advised that he would be updated as more information became available.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
