Tyler Daniel Vatter

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — Two Nappanee men ended up in jail following a pursuit with the Indiana State Police the morning of Nov. 2.

Tyler Daniel Vatter, 21, 458 E. Centennial, Nappanee, has been arrested and preliminarily charged with theft, leaving the scene of a property damage crash, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, resisting law enforcement and reckless driving. No bond is listed.

Matthew Dean Powell, 28, 704 S. Jackson St., Nappanee, has been arrested and preliminarily charged with resisting law enforcement. His bond is listed as $250.

Both were taken to the St. Joseph County Jail, South Bend.

Yesterday, around 10 a.m. Trooper Kyle Glaze attempted to stop a silver Buick LaCrosse for speeding eastbound on SR 2 near the US 20/31 bypass. As Glaze got behind the Buick and turned on the emergency lights on his marked Indiana State Police car, the Buick swerved between two semis and got on the US 20/31 bypass and headed southbound in the closed construction lane at speeds more than 100 miles per hour.

Matthew Dean Powell

After the Buick exited at Mayflower Road, Glaze terminated the pursuit due to the reckless driving of the Buick. A short time later an officer with the St. Joseph County Police Department found the Buick wrecked on Mayflower Road near the South Bend International Airport. Glaze used his K9 partner, Nala, and began a track to try to locate the two men who had been in the Buick.

The track led them through a local hotel and ultimately to the South Bend International Airport. Both men were detained and taken into custody as they were attempting to get into a cab.

As the investigation continued it was found the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Nappanee. The driver was identified as Vatter and the passenger was identified as Powell.

Indiana State Police were assisted by the St. Joseph County Police Department, St. Joseph County Airport Authority Police and the Pokagon Band Tribal Police Department.