Two men are in jail this morning after crashing into a bicyclist and fleeing from police Tuesday evening near Nappanee.
Kosciusko County Sheriff's deputies have arrested and preliminarily charged John R. Chupp, 22, 318 U.S. 6, Nappanee, with the felony of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and operating while intoxicated and causing serious injury. The passenger, Anthony Wayne Slabaugh, 23, of New Paris, was arrested and preliminarily charged with fleeing law enforcement and public intoxication. The Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Office was holding both Chupp and Slabaugh without bond until later today.
KCSD deputies and emergency responders were dispatched on Tuesday evening at 5:29 p.m. near the intersection of CRs 800N and 900W on a report of a truck striking a bicycle.
Officers were notified by 911 dispatch that two men had fled the pickup truck involved in the crash and were running eastbound through a field. KCSD Sgt. Rick Shepherd arrived in the area and was able to apprehend the first subject and maintain visual contact with the second fleeing individual, who ran into a barn at 8324 west, CR 800 north, Nappanee. Arriving sheriff's deputies surrounded the barn and with the use of a Warsaw canine unit, took the second suspect into custody without incident at approximately 6 p.m.
Kosciusko County FACT investigators determined that Chupp was driving his 1997 Ford Ranger pickup truck northbound on CR 900W at a high rate of speed when he lost control and struck a 13-year-old male juvenile who was riding his bicycle on the side of the road.
Witnesses also stated that Chupp had disregarded a stop sign at the intersection prior to striking the bicyclist and then fled from the vehicle along with the passenger.
The 13-year-old bicyclist was airlifted to South Bend Memorial hospital with a head injury and was listed in serious but stable condition early this morning.
