By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Jeffery Lee Owsley

SILVER LAKE — A Mishawaka man was arrested for allegedly battering a police officer after law enforcement discovered him in a stolen vehicle.

Jeffery Lee Owsley, 30, Mishawaka, is charged with battery to a public safety official, a level 5 felony; theft, a level 6 felony; two counts of resisting law enforcement, both class A misdemeanors; and false informing, a class B misdemeanor.

On June 12, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of a vehicle with jumper cables hanging out of its trunk on a road near Silver Lake. Upon going to the scene, the deputy noticed someone in the vehicle attempting to hide in the trunk.

According to court documents, the vehicle’s occupant, later identified as Owsley, yelled that his vehicle broke down and he fell asleep. He initially provided the deputy with a false name.

Once the deputy learned Owsley had two warrants for his arrest, Owsley began to flee on foot from the scene. Owsley ignored the deputy’s commands and was in a foot pursuit with the deputy for about half a mile when the deputy deployed a taser.

While being taken into custody, Owsley continued resisting arrest. At one point, Owsley grabbed the deputy’s wrist and attempted to drag him and other responding deputies to the ground.

Owsley’s aggressive behavior escalated, with Owsley kneeing one of the deputies in the groin and kicking that deputy in the head.

The vehicle Owsley was in had a screwdriver being used as the ignition mechanism rather than a key. Law enforcement contacted the vehicle’s owner, who said he discovered his vehicle was missing on June 3.

Owsley has a pending criminal charge for vehicle theft and was also on pretrial release at the time of this incident for methamphetamine possession and driving while suspended. He was also arrested on a warrant for meth and syringe possession.

Owsley was also recently arrested for stealing a vehicle from the Warsaw area in June.

Owsley was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on June 12.