Man arrested after chase in Jeffersonville, Clarksville

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Richard R. Franklin

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August 17, 2012

Man arrested after chase in Jeffersonville, Clarksville

Richard R. Franklin, 41, also faces charges for a previous standoff with JPD

By GARY POPP gary.popp@newandtribune.com The News and Tribune Fri Aug 17, 2012, 06:00 PM EDT

CLARKSVILLE — A Jeffersonville man was arrested by Clarksville police after he led police on a vehicle pursuits through Jeffersonville and Clarksville in a stolen vehicle Wednesday.

Richard Rollin Franklin, 41, of 20 Center St., faces two class D felonies and several misdemeanors stemming from the arrest.

Prior to his most recent arrest, Franklin was charged with three class D felonies following a standoff with Jeffersonville police at his home in late May.

Clarksville Police Department officer Tony Bryant was advised about 7 p.m. Wednesday of an attempt to locate a 2006 Dodge Magnum that the Jeffersonville Police Department had been pursuing.

Jeffersonville police officers had been made aware that Franklin was wanted on warrants and was in the area and began pursuing the vehicle.

Because of Franklin’s high rate of speed and the amount of traffic in the area, it was safer for the community to end the pursuit, which had lasted about one-half mile, Jeffersonville police said. After Franklin’s disappeared, a Clark County Sheriff’s Department deputy alerted that he had located the vehicle on Veterans Parkway and thought the vehicle was heading into Carolyn Apartments on Greentree Boulevard.

Bryant responded to the apartment community and found a Dodge sport utility vehicle, which fit the description of the vehicle driven by Franklin, pulling out of a parking spot. Bryant reported that he then activated his patrol car’s overhead lights.

“The vehicle sped off through the parking lot, cutting through trees in front of the parking lot, jumping into the grass area and sidewalk in front of oncoming traffic,” Bryant reporting in the incident report.

Bryant then followed the vehicle southbound on Greentree Boulevard toward Lewis and Clark Parkway. Both vehicles approached a red light at the intersection near Green Tree Pet Center.

“The subject went through the red light at a very high rate of speed, nearly causing several accidents,” Bryant reported.

The pursuit continued onto Lewis and Clark Parkway toward New Albany, where the driver again nearly caused another accident, according to police. The vehicle then turned into Cash America pawn shop and went toward a side of the building, according to the report. The area was fenced, and Franklin had no where to drive the stolen SUV.

Police say Franklin fled the car on foot, but gave up when he saw a K-9 unit.

After the arrest the SUV’s VIN number was checked and the vehicle was identified as stolen.

Franklin was preliminarily charged with motor vehicle theft, a class D felony, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a class D felony, and two misdemeanors, resisting law enforcement and criminal recklessness with a vehicle.

PAST INCIDENT

Franklin was recently held in the Michael L. Becher Adult Correctional Complex for a standoff with JPD on May 26.

On May 27, according to court documents, Franklin was arrested by Jeffersonville Police and subsequently charged with resisting law enforcement, a class D felony, intimidation to a law enforcement officer, a class D felony, and two counts of false informing or reporting, which were filed as a class D felony and a class B misdemeanor.

According to the probable cause affidavit, written by former Jeffersonville police Detective Eric Godbout, Jeffersonville police responded to a home on Center Street to conduct a preliminary theft/burglary investigation. The officer was informed by a man that his neighbor Franklin was a possible suspect.

Franklin arrived at his nearby home while the officer was present, and the officer discovered Franklin was wanted on a warrant by Clark County for a probation violation stemming from a previous burglary conviction. The officer requested that additional officers responded and a perimeter was set up around Franklin’s home. Franklin was observed, Godbout reported, closing window shades and attempting to conceal himself in a refrigerator.

The Jeffersonville Police SWAT Team was called to the home.

After the SWAT Team entered the home, Franklin contacted emergency dispatch and threatened to activate an explosive device if the officers did not leave his residence, according to court records.

The SWAT Team left the home and negotiators made contact with Franklin by telephone. Franklin told negotiators that he had cut the gas line to the home with the intention of causing an explosion.

The Jeffersonville Fire Department and Yellow Ambulance also responded to the home after Franklin told emergency officials that he was bleeding severely from a laceration on his neck. Vectren Energy officials also responded to cut off gas service to the house.

After nearly 3 1/2 half hours, Franklin surrendered and exited the home.

“It was later determined that no explosive device was present inside the residence,” according to Godbout’s remarks in the report.

A Vectren Energy employee inspected the home and determined all of the home’s gas lines to be intact.

There was also no laceration found on Franklin’s neck.

The incident resulted in Franklin being jailed in Clark County from May 27 to June 28, at which time he was released on his own recognizance, according to Clark County Circuit Court No. 3 documents. Franklin appeared in court Aug. 1 for a pretrial conference hearing where a second pretrial conference was set for Sept. 24.

During Wednesday’s arrest, Franklin was served a two warrants for his failure to appear in Clarksville Town Court on charges resulting from a drunken driving arrest that occurred May 8.