Stolen rental van recovered after weekend pursuit
Bartholomew County deputies recovered a stolen rental van on Sunday but not before a man jumped from the vehicle.
According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy noticed the stolen U-Haul truck at about 5:44 p.m. Sunday afternoon driving southbound on U.S. 31. The deputy tried to pull the vehicle over however the driver refused to stop. As they drove in the Harvest Meadows area, a passenger jumped from the vehicle. He was quickly taken into custody.
The deputy continued searching for the stolen vehicle and found it again on West County Road 450N heading toward U.S. 31. After the vehicle finally stopped on County Road 400N, the driver 37-year-old Joseph Mark Harshbarger, of Indianapolis, was arrested on preliminary charges of:
- Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle
- Possession of stolen property
- Possession of a controlled substance
- Driving while suspended – prior
The passenger, 37-year-old Brian Petro, of Indianapolis is being accused of criminal trespass.
Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department