BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A Bloomington man faces a slew of charges after he sped away from a traffic stop, nearly collided with innocent civilians as he raced through oncoming traffic at speeds that reached over 80 miles per hour, and ultimately flipped his SUV.
Anthony Helms, 37, was arrested on Wednesday and faces felony charges of operating a motor vehicle while privileges are suspended, resisting law enforcement with use of a vehicle and possession of methamphetamine. He also faces misdemeanor counts of false informing and reckless driving.
Court documents reveal that Helms was pulled over on Wednesday night at around 5:45 p.m. due to his license plate being illegally illuminated with a blue LED light instead of a white light. Helms was driving a blue Ford Explorer and was pulled over by a Bloomington police officer in the area of W. 2nd Street and S. Patterson Drive.
According to the officer’s account, Helms originally lied about his identity and when the officer went back to his patrol vehicle to run the false name Helms floored it and bolted in his Explorer at a high rate of speed.
Helms is accused of driving recklessly and erratically, hitting speeds of more than 80 miles per hour as he weaved in and out of traffic lanes including crossing into oncoming traffic. The officer reported several vehicles having to narrowly swerve out of the way in order to avoid colliding with Helms’ SUV.
Helms reportedly continued traveling at a dangerous speed on W. 2nd Street until he reached W. Bloomfield Road. According to police, Helms then lost control of his SUV and ended up rolling at least once, the SUV coming to a stop on its passenger side.
Police said that Helms was able to pull himself from his vehicle where he was handcuffed and his true identity revealed. A bag found inside the crashed SUV reportedly contained a crystalline substance the officer determined to be .86 grams of meth.
Helms reportedly told the officer that he had fled because he was a habitual traffic offender without a license and wanted to avoid returning to jail.
After being medically cleared from a hospital, Helms was transported to Monroe County Jail.
