A Mitchell man is facing several charges after leading police on a high-speed chase last week.
Police received information that 35-year-old Harold Leatherman was involved in dealing methamphetamine and believed that he had several grams of methamphetamine in his possession last week.
Officers tried to pull Leatherman over for driving with a suspended license on 3rd Street, near Warren Street in Mitchell last Tuesday.
Leatherman continued speeding onto Meridian Street, then east on Mill Creek, and eventually onto Pumphouse Road.
He continued driving high rates of speed on rural county roads. There was no traffic in the area at the time, but as speeds continued to get faster, Leatherman started driving off the roadway near Camp Rivervale.
At this time, police terminated the pursuit to prevent it from escalating further into a dangerous situation for the public.
The vehicle was later found abandoned in a cornfield on Rivervale Road.
A canine track was unsuccessful. The ISP Aviation Section responded, but also could not locate Leatherman. However, inside the vehicle, troopers located marijuana and approximately 10 grams of methamphetamine.
ISP requested and obtained arrest warrants on Leatherman for the following charges,
- Dealing Methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony)
- Attempted Dealing Methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony)
- Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony)
- Possession of Marijuana (Class B Misdemeanor)
- Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle (Level 6 Felony)
Police then discovered that Leatherman was at the 6000 block of State Road 60 West and found him hiding in a nearby wood line.
As he attempted to jump up and run, troopers had him surrounded and took him into custody without further incident.
Troopers located a baggie of approximately 20 grams of marijuana and another baggie of approximately 1 gram of methamphetamine in the weeds where Leatherman had been hiding.
Leatherman was arrested and incarcerated at the Lawrence County Jail on the warrant stemming from the May 18th incident, as well as additional new charges of,
- Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
- Possession of Marijuana (Class B Misdemeanor)
ISP was assisted by both the Bedford Police Department and the Lawrence County Police Department during and after the vehicle pursuit.
Anyone with illegal drug activity information is requested to call the Indiana State Police Bloomington Post at 812-332-4411, the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office tip line at 812-545-4700, or send an email to drugactivity@lawrencecounty.in.gov. All calls are confidential.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
