Two Arrested After Officers Respond To Suspicious Vehicle
Staff Report
SYRACUSE — Two local people were arrested after officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle.
Tanisha Rena Atchison, 44, 310 W. Boston St., Syracuse, is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, and auto theft, all level 6 felonies; and resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor.
Harley David Burkhead, 24, 312 W. Crystal Flash Road, North Webster, is charged with resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor; and operating a motor vehicle while never receiving a license, a class C misdemeanor.
On July 9, Syracuse Police officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Officers saw the vehicle speeding. When the vehicle approached a house, a male driver and female passenger jumped out of the vehicle and ran behind the house.
The officers later drove to an undisclosed location and saw the man and woman go back into their vehicle. As the officer pulled into a driveway to block their path, the pair immediately exited the vehicle and proceeded to run away. Officers directed them to stop several times and eventually they walked back to officers. While officers were speaking with the man, later identified as Burkhead, they saw the woman, later identified as Atchison, remove an item from her purse and throw it on a burn pile. The item was later identified as a loaded syringe.
After Atchison was taken into custody, officers searched her purse. A plastic bag containing 0.5 grams of methamphetamine was found in the purse.
A review of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle’s database showed that Burkhead only had an Indiana identification card and never received a driver’s license.
The vehicle Atchison and Burkhead were in had an expired license plate that didn’t match the vehicle. Officers used the vehicle’s identification number to determine the vehicle was stolen. When asked where she got the vehicle, Atchison said she got it from a relative. She also told officers the vehicle belonged to her and that Burkhead had nothing to do with it.
On July 9, during a jail call to a relative, Atchison left a voicemail saying she borrowed the vehicle from a friend.
Both Atchison and Burkhead have already been arrested and released on their own recognizances.