The Winamac man accused of leading police from multiple departments on a Wednesday afternoon high-speed chase and manhunt is facing several felony and misdemeanor charges in Starke County.
Prosecutor Nick Bourff tells WKVI News 27-year-old a probable cause affidavit has been filed against David Allen. Formal charges are pending, but Bourff says they will include the Level 6 felony offenses of auto theft and resisting law enforcement along with the B Misdemeanors of Reckless Driving and Criminal Mischief and a Habitual Offender Enhancement. Allen’s initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court will take place after the formal charges are filed.
During the pursuit east of Knox, Allen reportedly threw items believed to be drugs from the windows. Police later determined one was a bottle of contact lens solution and one was a bottle of non-prescription pain reliever.
The incident started Wednesday afternoon when a Knox Police officer tried to pull Allen over on Water Street. Instead of stopping, police say he fled out of town on County Road 50 East. Deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office chased him down several back roads to game preserve at the intersection of State Roads 10 and 39. That’s where he abandoned the car, jumped in a ditch in an attempt to avoid capture and tried to hide, according to the police report.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office, Knox, North Judson, Hamlet and Indiana State Police and the DNR formed a perimeter, and Starke County Sheriff’s K-9 Zardos tracked him down. Allen was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital before being released into the sheriff’s custody. He was booked into the Starke County Jail early Thursday morning.
**Editor’s Note: This corrects our original story, which stated Allen had already been formally charged. The process is under way, but as of Friday afternoon charges had not yet been filed. We apologize for the confusion and regret the error.
