Chase Approaches 140 mph on I-65
Indiana State Police Troopers arrested an Austin man after he stole a city police cruiser early Thursday morning, March 21, and then led officers from multiple departments on a high-speed chase in southern Indiana.
According to ISP Sgt. Carey Huls, the incident began around 1:30 a.m. Thursday when officers with the Scottsburg City Police Department were investigating an unrelated call at the I-65 Studio Suites Hotel near the interstate. While out on that call, officers discovered that a man had gained entry to one of the marked Scottsburg City Police cars in the hotel parking lot and had driven away. Officers soon located the stolen car traveling southbound on I-65 a few miles south of the city. When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled southbound, sometimes traveling well over 100 mph.
As the car continued southbound, Scott County and Clark County Sheriff’s Department officers and troopers from the Sellersburg Post joined the pursuit. Officers successfully deployed Stop Stick tire deflation devices near the 12 and 9 mile markers in Clark County; however, despite damage to the tires, the driver continued southbound at speeds approaching 140 mph.
Master Trooper Rob Caudill maneuvered behind the car in an attempt to utilize the precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver) to stop the vehicle. But before that could happen, the driver lost control of the car, veering into the concrete median barrier around the 3 mile marker near Eastern Blvd. The vehicle eventually stopped as it scraped against the barrier wall.
The driver, 44-year-old Roger Wayne Stamper of the 1200 block of Clay Street in Austin, exited through the passenger side door of the car shortly after the crash. Officers utilized a taser to subdue Stamper when he refused to follow commands. Stamper was placed into custody and medically cleared before officers transported him to the Scott County Jail where he is facing charges for auto theft, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, unauthorized entry into a vehicle, reckless driving, and criminal recklessness.
Last Friday, Scott Circuit Court Magistrate Alison T. Frazier set his bond at $35,000 full cash only.