Full Notification

Vigo County Sheriff’s deputies arrest the alleged driver of a stolen vehicle who led them on a pursuit early Thursday morning.

Chief Deputy John Moats said that deputies received a call early Thursday morning advising that a red 1992 Nissan 240SX had been stolen near South 20^th Street and Davis Drive sometime between the hours of 11:00 PM and 2:30 AM.

Shortly after receiving the call, Lt. Scott Brown spotted a car near Davis Drive and Houseman Street that matched the description of the stolen vehicle. Brown followed the vehicle until he was able to confirm it stolen by its license plate. The vehicle then turned west off of Houseman onto Springhill Drive and then south onto McDaniel Street. As assisting deputies neared the area, the stolen vehicle turned east onto Ferree Drive and continued south onto Eldridge Road. At that point Brown initiated the traffic stop and the vehicles driver sped away refusing to stop. The pursuit continued on Eldridge Road then south onto Doberman Street. As the vehicle sped away the driver failed to slow for a railroad crossing causing it to hit the tracks and become air bourn only to land and crash into a tree. A white male driver exited the vehicle and fled into a wooded area.

As assisting deputies set up a perimeter for a K-9 search, Lt. Brown was able to detain a female passenger found in the vehicle. The female was taken to the Sheriff’s Office as two Terre Haute City Police K-9 teams searched the area for over an hour but was unable to locate the driver. Detectives questioned the passenger and released her a short time later.

Just before 10:45 AM, Deputy Joe Kenworthy was traveling south on US 41 South near Gilchrist Road when he observed a white male with no shoes and no shirt walking north on US 41. As Kenworthy called in the description of the man, dispatch advised him of the incident earlier that morning. The man was stopped by Kenworthy and identified as Christopher Conder. Conder advised he had been walking from his mother’s house and that someone had stolen his shoes earlier that morning. Kenworthy noted that Conder had scratches all over his body and a cut above his eye. Detective’s arrived a short time later and spoke with Conder about the vehicle pursuit. During the conversation Conder admitted to being the driver of the stolen car.

Conder was taken to the Vigo County Jail and charged with the following: Receiving Stolen Auto Parts, 2 Counts of Resisting Law Enforcement and Possession of Paraphernalia.

Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.