A Leesburg man was arrested on meth charges and police are still seeking another man following a chase Tuesday. According to a release from Warsaw Police Department, on Tuesday at approximately 1:41 p.m. an off-duty Warsaw Police Officer was traveling on CR 100E, south of CR 350N, when he saw a vehicle stopped on the side of the road and stopped to check on the occupants. The two occupants said they ran out of fuel and that a third person had gone to get gas. As the off-duty officer called for assistance from an on-duty unit, the occupants took off running in separate directions – the driver southbound with a dark colored pit bull puppy and the passenger northbound. The officer requested assistance and several officers responded, including a K-9 unit. The off-duty Warsaw officer looked in the vehicle and found several items used in methamphetamine manufacturing. A short time later, the passenger, identified as Trace L. Skinner, 51, Leesburg, was found walking on CR 450N. Skinner told police the driver – later identified as Jerrod W. Turpen, 29, Warsaw – picked him up and they were on their way to purchase meth manufacturing products when the vehicle stopped running. Skinner is cooperating with investigators according to the release and was charged with level six felony unlawful possession of precursors to the manufacture of methamphetamine. He is being held at the Kosciusko County Jail on a $2,000 surety bond. Turpen was tracked by K-9 officers but never located. He was eventually identified through video surveillance and verified by the off-duty officer. Warsaw Police are still looking for Turpen, who is a white male, six feet tall, 185 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. Turpen is wanted for manufacturing and dealing methamphetamine. Turpen may be in the Goshen or Elkhart County areas, the release states. The HCL generators and precursors to the manufacture of meth were removed from the vehicle by the clandestine lab teams from Warsaw, Winona Lake and Indiana State Police. The white GMC SUV was later reported as stolen and is being investigated. Warsaw Police were assisted by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Winona Lake and state police, the Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and Plain Township Fire Department. Anyone with information on the case or the whereabouts of Turpen is asked to contact the Warsaw Police Narcotics unit at 574-372-9540.
