Chase ends in multiple felony charges
A traffic stop early Monday morning, January 23, 2023, resulted in the arrest of a Huntingburg man on multiple felony charges.
During the incident, officers located 50.6 grams of methamphetamine and .4 grams of marijuana.
Leonel A. Hernandez, 31, of Huntingburg, is facing preliminary charges of dealing in methamphetamine, Level 2 felony; possession of methamphetamine, Level 3 felony; daling in methamphetamine, Level 4 felony; attempted battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, Level 5 felony; habitual traffic violator, Level 6 felony; possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement with a motor vehicle, Level 6 felony; maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony; criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, Level 6 felony; unlawful possession of a syringe, Level 6 felony; obstruction of justice, Level 6 felony; possession of paraphernalia, Class A misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, Class B misdemeanor.
According to police, during the early morning hours on Monday, Deputy Craig Schneider was traveling westbound on Old Road 64 near County Road 750 South just outside of Huntingburg when he observed a blue pickup truck traveling westbound on County Road 750 South. When Deputy Schneider got behind the vehicle just past the intersection of Old Road 64 and 750 South, he observed the pickup truck cross over the double yellow line multiple times. Based on the moving traffic violation, he initiated his emergency lights and sirens to conduct a traffic stop on the pickup truck.
As Deputy Schneider attempted to initiate the traffic stop at the intersection of Old Road 64 and Holland Road NE, the blue pickup continued to travel westbound on Old Road 64. The truck was swerving all over the roadway, traveling well under the posted speed limit and failing to stop, police said.
Deputies Case Cummings and Trevor Weisman arrived in the area to assist in the pursuit. The pickup truck continued westbound past County Road 625 West, where police said it began traveling at a high rate of speed.
The pickup truck continued west on Old Road 64, approaching the intersection of State Road 161, where Deputy Kyle Eckert’s patrol car was parked on the northbound shoulder of State Road 161, south of the intersection. Deputy Eckert had his emergency lights activated on his patrol car and was standing in the eastbound lane of Old Road 64 at the intersection of State Road 161, prepared to deploy stop sticks on the suspect vehicle.
Police reported that as the pickup truck approached the intersection of State Road 161, where Deputy Eckert was located, the vehicle made an abrupt change in direction toward Deputy Eckert. Deputy Eckert was able to get out of the way of the pickup truck as the truck continued westbound through the intersection of State Road 161 onto Old Road 64.
The truck continued west on Old Road 64 at a high rate of speed for approximately one-quarter of a mile before turning south onto County Road 750 West. The pickup truck then came to an abrupt stop and shut off its running lights near the address of 7916 South 750 West.
At that time, Deputies Craig Schneider, Case Cummings, Trevor Weisman and Kyle Eckert conducted a felony traffic stop on the pickup truck. A female passenger immediately exited the passenger side of the vehicle and was ordered to the ground, and was immediately detained. The driver of the pickup truck was immediately ordered out of the truck and identified as Leonel A. Hernandez. A search of Hernandez incident to arrest revealed in his left front pocket a small circular glass jar containing a white crystal-like substance. Both Hernandez and the female passenger were detained for questioning, and Hernandez was taken into custody.
The female passenger was later released from the scene.
Deputies completed a probable cause search of the vehicle before towing, locating a small treasure box containing a green leafy substance, two glass jar containers identical to the one located in Hernandez’s left front pocket containing crystal methamphetamine and a black digital scale containing a white crystal-like powdery residue. Hernandez later advised officers that he and the female passenger were coming from a local restaurant where he had smoked meth out of a glass pipe. After further investigation, it was also determined that Hernandez was driving at slow rates of speed in an attempt to locate a plastic baggie containing a white, crystal-like/powder substance that had been thrown out of the vehicle window before the police encounter, police reported.
A search warrant for Hernandez’s residence and the restaurant was applied for and granted. During the residence search, a syringe with and a large amount of unidentified white powder were located. During the search of the restaurant, officers located a glass smoking pipe containing burnt, white residue and a white powdery substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
The white powdery substance had a total weight of 47.1 grams. The white crystal-like substance located in the glass jar in Hernandez’s left front pocket had a weight of 1.6 grams. The white crystal-like/powder substance that was thrown from the vehicle had a total weight of 1.9 grams. The green leafy substance located in the pickup truck had a total weight of .4 grams.
ALL CHARGES FILED IN THIS CASE ARE MERELY ALLEGATIONS AND ALL SUSPECTS ARE CONSIDERED INNOCENT UNLESS AND UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.
