SCOTT COUNTY – Indiana State Police Troopers in Sellersburg arrested an Austin, Indiana, man after he allegedly stole a city police cruiser and then led officers from multiple agencies on a high-speed pursuit in southern Indiana.
The incident unfolded at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning when officers with the Scottsburg City Police Department were investigating an unrelated call at the I-65 Studio Suites Hotel near Exit 29 in Scottsburg.
While out on that call, officers learned that a male subject had gained entry to one of the marked Scottsburg City Police cars in the hotel parking lot and had driven away, investigators said. Officers soon located the stolen car traveling southbound on I-65 a few miles south of the city. When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled southbound, sometimes traveling well over 100 mph.
As the car continued southbound, Scott County and Clark County Sheriff’s Department officers and troopers from the Sellersburg Post soon joined the pursuit. Officers successfully deployed Stop Stick tire deflation devices near the 12 and 9 mile markers in Clark County; however, despite damage to the tires, the driver continued southbound at speeds approaching 140 mph.
Master Trooper Rob Caudill maneuvered behind the car in an attempt to utilize the precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver) to stop the vehicle. Before that could happen, the driver lost control of the car, veering into the concrete median barrier around the 3 mile marker near Eastern Boulevard, state police said. The vehicle eventually stopped as it scraped against the barrier wall.
The driver, later identified as 44-year-old Roger W. Stamper of Austin, exited through the passenger side door of the car shortly after the crash. Officers utilized a taser to subdue Stamper when he refused to follow commands. Stamper was placed into custody and medically cleared before officers transported him to the Scott County Jail in Scottsburg.
ISP Sergeant Tracy Spencer is investigating the vehicle theft. Stamper was cited for numerous traffic offenses and also charged with the following:
- Theft, Motor Vehicle – Level 6 Felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle – Level 6 Felony.
- Unauthorized Entry of a Motor Vehicle – B Misdemeanor.
- Resisting Law Enforcement – A Misdemeanor.
- Aggressive Driving, Unsafe Operation – A Misdemeanor.
- Reckless Driving – B Misdemeanor.
- Driving while suspended with a prior conviction.
