A wanted man in La Porte County, Indiana, is now facing multiple new charges after he allegedly fled from deputies and led them on a chase. The pursuit got a watery end, during which the suspect was accused of smoking from a pipe before swimming away.
The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LPCSO) detailed in a statement that the incident occurred on Thursday, August 6. At around 4:49 p.m., two deputies exiting Terrace Acres Mobile Home Park saw a GMC SUV traveling west on U.S. Route 20.
One of the deputies immediately recognized the vehicle. It belonged to 30-year-old Jacob A. Gilmore, a wanted man for invasion of privacy and domestic battery.
A deputy positioned his cruiser right behind the GMC and, as per the LPCSO, he witnessed a traffic violation. A traffic stop was initiated near the area of U.S. Route 20 and County Line Road.
Pursuit Begins
Initially, the SUV stopped shortly after the traffic stop was initiated. However, as a deputy prepared to exit his patrol car, the GMC took off south on County Line Road, triggering a pursuit.
It was during this pursuit that one of the deputies positively identified the driver as Gilmore. He did so by looking back into the driver’s side mirror.
Eventually, after a multi-township pursuit, Gilmore turned onto Horseshoe Bend Road. The GMC found itself off the road and into a waterway, submerged.
A Submerged Suspect
Deputies, now observing the submerged Gilmore, gave him instructions to follow. The man is accused of ignoring them and refusing to comply.
The LPCSO also said that the 30-year-old man proceeded to light a glass pipe and smoke it while ignoring the deputies. Then, he is accused of exiting his SUV and swimming away in murky water.
Three deputies entered the water after they observed the suspect enter the water and not resurface. One of them, Deputy Austin Wells, located him and brought him to the surface and to the shoreline.
Arrested and Charged
Gilmore received immediate medical attention while on land. After he regained consciousness, he was taken into custody, not before he attempted to flee again on foot, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital for treatment and remains in the custody of the LPCSO. He is charged with two counts of resisting law enforcement, possession of cocaine/narcotic drug, public administration-escape, criminal recklessness, aggressive driving, possession of paraphernalia, OWI, and invasion of privacy and domestic abuse from his previous warrant.