SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — One person was airlifted to an Evansville Hospital after police say he stole a pickup truck in Sullivan County and then crashed it into a bridge.
According to a Facebook post by Sullivan County Sheriff, Jason Bobbitt, Sullivan County Dispatch received a call around 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning of a suspicious vehicle in the area of County Road 700 S. and County Road 600 E.
Deputy Justin Copeland responded to the call. He was then flagged down by two hunters running out of a field near the area. The hunters informed Deputy Copeland that their truck had just been stolen from the field. As he was speaking with the hunters, the truck was spotted traveling south at a high rate of speed on the next road east. That’s when Deputy Copeland went to try and locate the truck. He found the vehicle crashed into a bridge a half mile from where it was spotted.
The Facebook post goes on to state that the driver of the stolen truck, Steven McIntyre, was airlifted to an Evansville hospital in critical condition.
While Officers were on the scene awaiting the helicopter, they received another call of a male walking down the road where the truck had originally been stolen. State Trooper Polly Blackburn and Sullivan City Officer Michael Foglesong responded and located a male, who identified himself as Kile Jones walking down the road towards the wreckage. After running Jones’s name through dispatch, officers confirmed the male had an active warrant out of Indianapolis for possession of methamphetamine.
When officers tried to place Jones in cuffs, he resisted, and a struggle ensued. As officers were wrestling with Jones, the driver of a tow truck who was coming to impound the truck witnessed the struggle and helped the officers restrain Jones.
After speaking with multiple witnesses, officers learned of two more individuals involved, that left the scene before police arrived. While speaking with an acquaintance of McIntyre, Deputy Copeland learned that there was a possible plan to break into a house located near the crash scene. The suspects were said to have pulled into the driveway of the residence multiple times, including once with the stolen truck, but left after being confronted by a homeowner outside the home.
Jones and McIntyre are both charged with numerous felonies. All persons accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
