James Childress III, of Rolling Prairie, was arrested by Knox City Police Wednesday after an accident and a brief foot pursuit from police.
According to the police report, Childress was reportedly driving his vehicle in the Giles Court area and went off the road a hit a tree. Childress fled on foot. The vehicle caught fire in the engine area after the incident and the fire was extinguished by the Knox-Center Township Fire Department. The vehicle displayed false and fictitious plates.
About an hour later, officers saw Childress and his wife walking by the Post Office. Police conducted a warrant search and found Childress was wanted on an active arrest warrant out of LaPorte County. Childress had a cut on his head and was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital to be checked. While at the hospital, he was given a breathalyzer test which showed a BAC of .14%. All of a sudden, Childress ran out of the hospital and the Knox City officer gave chase. The officer yelled at him to stop and he did not comply. The officer activated his tazer to make him stop. He was taken back into the hospital for treatment and then taken to the Starke County Jail.
It was learned that he allegedly assaulted a woman at a Giles Court home. Reportedly, the injuries Childress received were from the woman who hit him over the head with a staple gun at the residence. James Childress III was arrested on the warrant and he has preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement, Battery with Serious Bodily Injury and Public Intoxication.
