An Evansville man is facing multiple charges and police are asking for help identifying two other suspects after a Daviess County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was assaulted prior to a vehicle pursuit involving a stolen car, according to DCSO.
According to a release, DCSO responded to a complaint of suspicious persons in the 3700 block of Ralph Avenue during the night of October 31-November 1. Callers indicated to central dispatch that 3 people dressed in all black and wearing masks were looking into parked cars in an apartment building parking lot, according to DCO.
Earlier in the night, DCSO was informed by central dispatch that Owensboro Police Department officers had responded to an apartment complex in Owensboro where several thefts from vehicles had been reported. The subjects in that observation given to DCSO units matched the description given of the suspects on Ralph Avenue, according to DCSO.
“As DCSO Deputies arrived they located the 3 suspects. Upon seeing the deputies, the subjects threw down several bags and items — including a handgun — and fled on foot. During the foot chase, 1 suspect was caught by Deputy Trent Smith. That suspect began physically fighting with the deputy, and Deputy Smith was eventually able to place the suspect in handcuffs. During the altercation, the suspect continually reached toward his waistband and upon being searched following the arrest, a loaded handgun was located in his pocket,” according to a DCSO release.
That suspect was later identified as James Mitchell Jr., 20, of Evansville. He was lodged in the Daviess County Detention Center and faces the following charges:
- Assault, 3rd Degree on a Police Officer
- Fleeing/Evading Police, 2nd Degree
- Resisting Arrest
- Criminal Mischief, 2nd Degree
- Violation of a Kentucky EPO/DVO
Additional charges could come from OPD.
DCSO reported that while searching for the remaining suspects, a vehicle fled the parking lot toward KY 54 “almost striking several deputies who were in the lot, prompting a deputy to stop the vehicle for reckless driving, but the driver refused to stop.”
Deputies reportedly initiated a vehicle pursuit and the vehicle fled onto the bypass then the Audubon Parkway before going through Henderson. Deputies terminated the pursuit near the Twin Bridges in Henderson after communicating the situation to law enforcement in Indiana, according to DCSO.
DCSO reported that subsequent investigation at the scene revealed that a stolen vehicle was recovered by deputies in a parking lot of the apartments on Ralph Avenue.
“Several stolen items were located in that vehicle as well as in the bags that had been thrown down when the suspects initially fled on foot. Two handguns were recovered during the investigation. The vehicle that fled the scene and led to the vehicle pursuit was reported stolen from an apartment complex in Owensboro,” according to the release.
DCSO and OPD detectives were called to the scene to continue the investigation and to interview the suspect. This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information that may help detectives is asked to call DCSO at 270-685-8444 or leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 270-687-8484.
Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 in reward money to anyone providing anonymous tips that lead to an arrest and conviction.
