WATERLOO, IN (WTVB) – A pursuit which started near Quincy when police say a driver went through a stop sign ended about an hour later near Waterloo, Indiana Sunday afternoon thanks to the use of stop sticks.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department says the driver was 34-year-old Craig A. DeLong of Ashley, Indiana. He along with a juvenile passenger were apprehended following a nearly 50 mile chase which involved nine police agencies in Michigan and Indiana.
Police say DeLong was driving a white Ford minivan when he allegedly refused to stop for Quincy Police Chief Scott Olney at about 1:35 p.m. The minivan was then pursued by Olney and Branch County Sheriff’s Deputies as it went south on Fremont Road into Indiana.
The pursuit then went through Fremont before ending up on State Road 120 where it then headed west.
It turned south onto 900 West near Orland before reaching U.S. 20 where it went west to State Road 327.
From there, the pursuit went south into DeKalb County with speeds reaching as high as 85 miles an hour.
Police used stop sticks near Auburn and that led to reduced speeds as the tires on the suspect vehicle deflated. One wheel was down to its rim when the pursuit finally ended on County Road 23 near U.S. 6, east of Waterloo.
Indiana on line court records indicate DeLong had his license suspended for life in June 2015 after being convicted in Steuben County for operating a vehicle as a habitual offender.
He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on charges of driving with a lifetime license suspension, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, criminal recklessness with a vehicle, and reckless driving. Warrants will also be requested on Branch County charges.
The juvenile was turned over to a guardian. No injuries or damage to police vehicles were reported.