A Florida man was taken to jail, after allegedly leading LaPorte County Police on a pursuit Saturday morning. The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office says that around 8:00 a.m., a vehicle that had been reported stolen pulled into a gas station on U.S. 12 near the Michigan state line, where a sheriff’s deputy happened to be parked.
The deputy reportedly drove behind the vehicle and turned on his emergency lights, but the driver allegedly drove out of the gas station, heading west on U.S. 12. Police say it continued onto State Road 212 and Michigan Boulevard, into Michigan City. The vehicle reportedly ended up on Woodland Avenue, where it briefly stopped in the FedEx parking lot, before heading to the Normandy Village Apartment Complex.
There, police say the driver, David T. Whitney, 34, of Clermont, Florida, got out and fled on foot. The deputy reportedly caught up to him and took him down, but Whitney allegedly continued to resist as two deputies tried to take him into custody, until he was bitten in the lower body area by the deputy’s K-9 partner Argo. Whitney was taken to the hospital for treatment, before he was transported to the LaPorte County Jail.
He’s charged with the Level 6 felonies of resisting law enforcement, possession of stolen property, and possession of a hypodermic syringe, along with the misdemeanors of resisting law enforcement, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers say Whitney was also wanted by the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office for battery to a police officer.
Michigan City and Trail Creek Police assisted the Sheriff’s Office.
