Four days after she was the passenger in a vehicle that led police on a pursuit through Kosciusko County, Rachel Marie Laughlin, 22, of 805 E. Seventh St., North Manchester, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 2:37 p.m. Wednesday.
Laughlin left the scene after officers chased the driver who fled the scene.
Laughlin has been charged with dealing methamphetamine and is being held in the Kosciusko County Jail on $100,000 bond.
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Chad Hill said Laughlin could not be charged with resisting or fleeing from law enforcement because she was never commanded not to run.
The driver, Rodney Logan Shepherd, 31, of 976 E. CR 600S, Claypool, was arrested Saturday evening and preliminarily charged with fleeing law enforcement, manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of precursors, reckless driving and driving while suspended.
Shepherd was reportedly viewed by a KCSD deputy going westbound on CR 100N near the intersection with CR 450E, driving erratically and without his seatbelt on.
The officer turned his squad car around to follow Shepherd, and Shepherd immediately began to accelerate and flee from the officer. The pursuit continued south, turning on to Old 30E and then traveling on various county roads that eventually led to the east side of Ridinger Lake. Shepherd drove to a “dead end” at EMS R4 H Lane where he exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot.
Shepherd was struck by Taser® deployment after he failed to drop a dark object in his hand and was subsequently taken into custody. The dark object ended up being a black-colored cell phone.
Laughlin fled from the vehicle toward a wooded area but was not located after canine units from Whitley County Sheriff’s Department searched extensively.
Items were located by KCSD officers inside the vehicle and on Shepherd that are associated with methamphetamine production.
Officers also were able to view the pursuit video and ascertain other precursor items that had been thrown out from Shepherd’s vehicle and eventually located a one-pot meth lab.
Shepherd is being held on a $100,000 bond set by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office.
