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Joyride Ends In High-Speed Chase For Deputies
A pair of speeding motorbikes roaring through Decatur County roads and neighborhoods Wednesday afternoon had the Sheriff’s Department on their tails when they were clocked reaching speeds of 104 miles per hour.
The speeding duo was observed by Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Kramer at about 2:15 p.m. He followed them, turned on his lights and siren and attempted to bring them to a stop in his unmarked cruiser. One of them immediately pulled over, but the other pushed the engine harder and sped off. Christopher Derflinger, 34, 993 S. County Road 850 W., Greensburg, was eventually arrested on charges of resisting law enforcement by fleeing in a vehicle and with reckless driving. But before he was booked at the Decatur County Jail Wednesday afternoon, he led deputies on a high-speed pursuit through the country and towards Greensburg. According to Decatur County Sheriff Daryl Templeton, Kramer gave chase to Derflinger, who was met on County Road SW 60 by Lt. Rick Underhill. The chase continued on County Road 250 S., as Derflinger headed to Greensburg.
Sheriff Templeton and Chief Deputy Darin Lucas joined the pursuit and convened near Park Road and SW 60, where they witnessed Derflinger approaching their position. Lucas turned into the center of the road, covering about two-thirds of the roadway, he said, attempting to create a route blockage that would end the chase. As Derflinger approached, Lucas stared down the driver and pointed at the speeding bike to make sure Derflinger knew it was him the department wanted. Meanwhile, two Indiana State Police Troopers were working in sync with the Sheriff’s Department to cover all of the other available avenues that Derflinger might have taken.
“We had it pretty well covered,” Templeton said. “We had good coverage on them both.”
Derflinger managed to edge around Lucas’s vehicle, but just behind him was Templeton’s cruiser, which sidled along the road until Derflinger was forced to stop or run into one of the buildings at the intersection. He decided to give himself up.
“I wasn’t going to let him get around me,” Templeton said.
Once he was stopped, Templeton explained that Derflinger got off his bike and went into custody without resisting. He did, however, throw up his arms while inquiring of the deputies what he did.
The temporarily tense and volatile situation was defused by the quick actions of the Sheriff’s Department.
“(Derflinger) was just out of options,” Lucas explained. “You can’t outrun the radios. I don’t care how fast your motorcycle is.”
Reckless driving is a Class A Misdemeanor. Resisting law enforcement by fleeing in a vehicle is a Class D Felony, punishable by up to 1.5 years in jail and fines of up to $10,000.
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