Christopher Michael Spaulding

WARSAW — Charges have been officially filed for the traffic stop on Friday, March 25, that turned into a hot pursuit, with two being apprehended and one still on the loose.

Christopher Michael Spaulding, 23, 610 N. Thompson St., Bourbon and Erika Jean Nichols, 31, 2507, Oriole Drive, Warsaw, are both charged with possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

Travis James Johnson, 39, 312 Sherman St., Warsaw, is charged with resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony; possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony; possession of meth, a level 6 felony; driving while suspended, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor. Johnson is still at large.

Erika Jean Nichols

Officer Ross Minear of the Warsaw Police Department observed a red Jeep Cherokee exceeding the posted speed limit. Minear activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle, but the Jeep turned into Hayden Laundry Mat and accelerated through the parking lot, narrowly avoiding colliding with other vehicles. The Jeep exited the parking lot through the alley and sped away.  Minear activated the siren and pursued the Jeep onto Porter Street.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the Jeep was going so fast it jumped the railroad tracks. After the Jeep made another turn, it crashed into a NIPSCO pole, where the driver jumped out of the vehicle and ran westbound.

Minear approached the vehicle and removed the front and backseat passengers, identifying them as Spaulding and Nichols, who told Minear the driver was Johnson.

Minear searched the vehicle and found a plastic bag and a glass jar containing a plant material, which he identified the plant material as marijuana.

In the tire tracks where Nichols was removed, officers found a metal container that held a clear, plastic bag and a cut straw with a white, powdery residue. Both field tested positive for meth, a schedule II controlled substance.

In Nichol’s purse, officers found a plastic bag containing a white, crystal-like substance, which field tested for meth. In a bag that belonged to Spaulding, officers found a straw with a substance that also field tested positive for meth.

In the center console, officers found a glass smoking device containing a residue, also meth positive, and a tin containing six oval, white pills that officers identified as acetaminophen/hydrocodone, a schedule II narcotic. In the rear hatch, officers found a cigarette pack containing a cut straw and a clear plastic bag containing a tan powder that field tested positive for heroin, a schedule II narcotic drug.

Travis James Johnson

Nichols admitted when Johnson observed the police, he began speeding in an attempt to elude police before crashing into the utility pole. Nichols admitted the plastic bag containing meth was hers.

Spaulding told Minear he saw the plastic tube containing meth in his bag of clothing. He also admitted to smoking meth with Johnson at his residence before leaving in the Jeep.

After checking with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Minear found Johnson’s driver’s license is suspended. Officers also found Johnson was convicted in 2013 for possession of marijuana, a class D felony, and had an active warrant for his arrest.

Officers used a K-9 in an attempt to locate Johnson, but with no success.

Nichols and Spaulding are both being held in the Kosciusko County Jail with $5,250 surety and cash bonds.