‘Kilo’ helps arrest Corydon man after pursuit

Discussion

August 24, 2012

‘Kilo’ helps arrest Corydon man after pursuit

By GARY POPP gary.popp@newandtribune.com The News and Tribune Fri Aug 24, 2012, 07:06 PM EDT

> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Indiana State Police used a K-9 unit to track down two suspects who ran from troopers in the Laconia area Thursday afternoon.

Master Trooper Mark Strange was dispatched to Kintner Bottom Road for a call to investigate two suspicious males in a vehicle who had stopped at a residence and asked for food, ISP officials reported.

When Strange arrived to the area, he located a vehicle that matched the description given.

The vehicle, a 2002 Nissan Altima, was occupied by two males, Jason Kent Smith, 21, of Corydon and an unidentified juvenile.

ISP reported that the two suspects fled in the car after they noticed Strange.

Strange lost sight of the suspects early in the pursuit, but eventually located the car abandoned off of the roadway in a clear-cut area near Behr Circle Road, approximately one-and-a-half miles from where he first saw the vehicle on Kintner Bottom Road.

Strange continued his investigation and discovered the vehicle was stolen out of Corydon.

Strange could not locate Smith or the minor, so ISP K-9, “Kilo,” and his handler, Trooper Nathan Abbott were called to assist in the manhunt.

Several other troopers and deputies from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department also arrived to assist in the search.

“Kilo” was released in the area and after several minutes the K-9 picked up the tracks of the two males.

Approximately five minutes after picking up the suspects’ tracks, “Kilo” located both males hiding in a wooded area approximately one mile from where the stolen car was abandoned.

Both males were taken into custody.

Smith was charged with resisting law enforcement by fleeing in a vehicle, a class D felony, and possession of stolen property, a class D felony. Smith also had two outstanding warrants out of Harrison County for auto theft, of the car the two allegedly used to flee from ISP Thursday, and criminal recklessness with a firearm.

The minor was charged with juvenile delinquency.