Indiana State Police were assisted by a K9 to arrest a fleeing driver.

Late Wednesday evening a suspected impaired driver fled from a trooper, crashed into a parked car, fled on foot, broke into a garage, and was apprehended by a K9 and arrested on numerous charges.

Just after 8:00 p.m. Trooper Ryan McNamara was travelling west on CR 900 North behind a red 2007 Pontiac. McNamara observed possible signs of impairment as he followed behind the Pontiac. After turning north onto Old State Road 15 McNamara observed the Pontiac cross the center line and go into the southbound lanes several times. McNamara decided to stop the Pontiac and turned the red and blue emergency lights on his marked Indiana State Police car near the intersection of Old State Road 15 and Mock Road. McNamara reports that when he turned on his emergency lights the driver of the Pontiac refused to stop and fled north on Old State Road 15 at a high rate of speed.

The driver continued to flee and entered Milford despite McNamara behind with lights and siren on. At the intersection of Main Street and Section Street the Pontiac failed to make the turn and crashed into a parked Ford Explorer. The driver of the Pontiac then got out of his car and fled on foot, running west through residential yards.

Officers from several surrounding police departments responded to help locate the driver. After a methodical search and K9 tracks using an Indiana State Police K9 and Warsaw Police Department K9, the driver was eventually found hiding in a garage he is alleged to have broken into in the 200 block of South Higbee Street. The driver was ultimately apprehended by the K9 with the Warsaw Police Department and found to be wearing different clothing that he found in the garage and put on over his own clothing.

The driver, James Barr, 36 of Columbia City, is alleged to have spit in the face of the transporting officer before being transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital to be medically cleared for the K9 bite.  Once medically cleared, Barr was transported to the Kosciusko County Jail.

Troopers located approximately 9 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 111 grams of suspected synthetic marijuana, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia in the Pontiac.

Barr was found to have two active warrants out of Kosciusko County for a total of 12 charges and an active warrant out of Dekalb County for two charges and faces numerous new preliminary charges that include Possession of Methamphetamine, Residential Entry, Resisting Law Enforcement, Battery, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Operating With a Controlled Substance in the Body, and Theft.

The Indiana State Police was assisted by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, Warsaw Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Milford Police Department, and Winona Lake Police Department.