UPDATE: Suspect Arrested After Burglary, Pursuit
Multiple police agencies were called Monday night to a report of a breaking and entering complaint where shots were fired. That led to a police pursuit with the suspect.
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputies and officers from the North Webster Police Department were called at 9:49 p.m. to the area of 8947 E. CR 500 N. A 9-1-1 call from the homeowners said they returned to their residence to find an unknown truck in their driveway. They said a male subject exited their home, pointed a long gun in their direction, advised them to leave, then fired into their vehicle.
The victims’ son was just arriving home and saw the pickup truck leaving his parents home. He followed it eastbound on CR 500 North. Police dispatchers were on the phone with the victims’ son who advised police of the suspect’s location.
A North Webster Police Officer was the first to locate the suspect vehicle and began a pursuit in the area of SR 13 and CR 300 North. KCSD officers also converged on the area and further attempted a traffic stop but the suspect fled.
Stop Sticks were deployed at SR 13 and CR 200 North and today police say the driver of the truck, now identified as Aubert Clevenger, 30, of Pierceton, did strike the spikes. The pursuit continued westbound on CR 150 North where Clevenger drove into a field near CR 650 East, abandoned the truck and fled on foot into a nearby wooded area.
Officers quickly established a perimeter around the area. Winona Lake Police Officer Joe Bumbaugh and his canine partner, Bron, apprehended Clevenger in the woods. Multi-Township EMS was called to the scene to treat the suspect, who was bitten during the arrest. Clevenger was further treated at Kosciusko Community Hospital.
Police say Clevenger was the only occupant of the vehicle but it is believed an additional suspect was involved in the initial breaking and entering event.
KCSD detectives and crime scene technicians, along with Indiana State Police technicians, processed the original CR 500 North scene last night locating evidence that the victims’ vehicle had been struck by a 12-gauge shotgun.
Detectives are investigating the correlation of an earlier home burglary that may involve Clevenger.
Clevenger is currently in custody on a prosecutorial hold with no bond pending further review of potential charges.