With the help of a tip that came into Crime Stoppers, local police have identified the man they believe is responsible for stealing multiple vehicles and leading police on a chase in Brown County about two weeks ago.
Police are working on getting a warrant for David Warner, 62, of the Indianapolis area, Nashville Chief of Police Ben Seastrom said Tuesday.
Warner also has warrants out of Shelby, Rush and Marion counties, Seastrom said.
Warner was identified after Nashville Police saw him on surveillance footage at the Circle K gas station on State Road 46 East. Nashville Police submitted the footage to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, which generated a photo page that was distributed to Crime Stoppers.
Warner was in possession of two stolen vehicles when he came to Brown County July 22, Seastrom said. A stolen trailer was discovered in the parking lot of Brown County IGA, near Bear Hardware, and a stolen RV was recovered at Willow Manor.
Warner is a suspect in the theft of a truck and trailer from Bear Hardware that resulted in a high-speed pursuit in the early hours of July 22.
He is suspected of entering a vacant home on State Road 135 South while fleeing police, after crashing the truck and trailer in the first curve of State Road 135 South. Seastrom also will seek a charge of residential entry against him.
Warner is also suspected of stealing a vehicle from Jerry Fleetwood’s excavating shop on State Road 46 East. That vehicle was recovered in the Indianapolis area, Seastrom said.
“This guy is not an active threat today. We don’t have to worry about him breaking into people’s houses today, so we don’t need to worry about getting a warrant immediately,” Seastrom said. “He’s not in our area. I don’t believe him to be in our area.”
The Brown County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana Conservation Officers and the IMPD assisted Nashville Police in their investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW:
Local police are searching for a man who officers say stole a truck from a local hardware store, crashed it while fleeing police and fled on foot.
The pursuit started at about 3:15 a.m. Friday, July 22 when Nashville Police Officer Matt Hatchett responded to a report of suspicious activity at Bear Hardware on Chestnut Street.
On his way to the store, Hatchett saw a wood chipper attached to a flatbed truck with the Bear Hardware logo on it heading east on State Road 46, said Nashville Chief of Police Ben Seastrom.
Hatchett attempted to stop the truck, but the driver fled and then crashed in the first curve on State Road 135 South, Seastrom said.
The wood chipper was totaled, but the truck appeared to be OK, he said.
The unidentified man fled into nearby wooded areas, and police have not found him. Police have video surveillance of the suspect they will release later this week, Seastrom said.
“We don’t know who he is yet, but the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
“I have a feeling the guy is not from here, but we don’t know that 100 percent.”
The Brown County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana Conservation Officers assisted the NPD with their investigation over the weekend. The NPD also is working with Indiana State Police to identify the suspect.
“This investigation went to a lot of different places. It ended up being a lot of different areas where we searched,” Seastrom said.
