SHELBY COUNTY, Ind (IUSTV News) – A suspect accused of stealing a school bus near Cincinnati, Ohio led police on an hour-long pursuit that ended in a cornfield in central Indiana, according to Indiana State Police (ISP).
ISP says at 10:15 a.m. officers at the Versailles Post were made aware of a stolen bus from the Cincinnati area and was traveling westbound.
Officers located the school bus traveling along I-74 in Batesville in Ripley County, Indiana, and attempted to make contact with the driver.
The suspect fled from officers and went off the road into several fields and yards. Officers from surrounding departments joined the pursuit as the suspect continued into Shelby County.
After about an hour of pursuing the school bus, officers deployed a tire deflation device and boxed the bus into a field near County Road 25 East, south of Shelbyville.
The suspect, 32-year-old Chad Murdock, was arrested and transported to the Decatur County Jail. Murdock was the sole occupant of the vehicle. No children were on board at the time of the pursuit.
Murdock was charged with Resisting Law Enforcement, Criminal Recklessness with a Vehicle, Possession of Stolen Property, and Criminal Mischief, but ISP says additional charges are possible.
Police say several police cars were damaged during the pursuit, however, neither the suspect or any officers involved were injured in the pursuit.