Diane Raver
Editor's note: More details to the story will be added as they become available for the Friday, May 22, print edition.
A pursuit that began in Hamilton County, Ohio, ended in Batesville with the arrest of a Cincinnati man, according to Batesville Police Chief Stan Holt.
On May 18, about 4:10 p.m., Batesville police received a dispatch from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office advising them that officers were in pursuit of a silver Acura with Ohio license plates, driven by Rodney Beamon, 23, Cincinnati, that was westbound on Interstate 74 at the 167-mile marker.
Officers responded to I-74 and received additional information that Hamilton County officers had lost sight of the vehicle when it exited at the Milan/ Sunman exit.
At 4:21 p.m., Lt. Gandy Browning observed the car westbound on State Road 46 near the intersection of S.R. 129. Sgt. Doug Wolfer and Patrolman Jamie Straber deployed stop sticks east of the intersection of S.R. 46 and 229. Beamon ran over the stop sticks, causing the tires to deflate, but continued westbound on 46.
He drove off the north side of the road into a field just west of Mitchell Avenue and fled on foot towards the interstate. Patrolman Danny Hamilton chased him across the I-74 eastbound lanes and tackled him in the median, and he was taken into custody, Holt says.
Beamon had two active felony arrest warrants, one in Hamilton County for aggravated burglary and the other in Dearborn County for theft.
In connection with the pursuit, the suspect was arrested for resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a Class D felony. He is incarcerated at the Ripley County Jail, and the investigation is being forwarded to the Ripley County prosecutor to review for formal charges.
His passenger, Tiffany Smith, 23, Cincinnati, was questioned and released.
Both Batesville and Indiana State Police vehicles were damaged during the pursuit when they chased the suspect’s vehicle off the roadway.
ISP and Franklin County Sheriff’s officers also assisted in the pursuit.
