This from the Kokomo Tribune: PERU, IN- Police say a Peru officer and a state trooper sustained minor injuries last week after tackling a man on U.S. 24 who was in possession of meth and tried to flee arrest.
State troopers initiated a traffic stop on a Pontiac Montana near the U.S. 31 intersection after the license plate revealed the owner of the vehicle was wanted on a Hamilton County warrant.
Police discovered the driver, identified as Jerry Messer, 27, Peru, was not the owner of the vehicle, but didn’t have a driver’s license, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Officers said when talking with Messer, he appeared “nervous and fidgety.” A search revealed a baggie containing a white crystal substance in his pocket.
When Trooper Steven Glass turned to hand the bag to Peru officer Sam Finnegan, Messer attempted to flee, according to the affidavit. Glass grabbed Messer’s shirt to stop him, and Messer was taken to the ground into eastbound lanes of traffic and handcuffed.
During the scuffle, Finnegan sustained abrasions to both knees and left elbow, and his uniform was torn. He was taken to Dukes Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released. Glass had bruises and marks on his right shin.
After his arrest, Messer told officers he forgot he had meth in his pocket and admitted to using it the day before. He said he didn’t have a plan after trying to flee from officers, according to the affidavit.
Messer faces two felony charges of resisting law enforcement causing bodily injury and a felony charge of possession of meth, as well as misdemeanor charges of operating while intoxicated and operated never licensed.
