(Decatur/Shelby Counties, IN) – Two people are facing an array of charges following a two-county high speed chase on westbound I-74 this week.
The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy monitoring traffic on the interstate around 7:45 Tuesday evening spotted a vehicle with one operating headlight that was going 88 mph.
After the vehicle was pulled over, the driver took off, reaching speeds over 110 miles per hour.
The vehicle continued into Shelby County, where deputies deployed stop sticks and successfully deflated the vehicle’s tires.
Investigators say a man later identified as 21 year old Joseph Lamont Butler left the vehicle and fled on foot, and a female ID’d as 22 year old Tyshiana Alize Sharee Fultz did the same while carrying an infant.
The Decatur County deputy and other officers captured Butler after a brief foot chase, while Fultz and the baby were found a short time later.
Both Butler and Fultz are from Indianapolis.
The infant is 11 months old and is the couple’s child.
The Department of Child Services assisted in securing placement of the child.
Deputies say during a search of the vehicle, a magazine was found inside while the firearm for which the magazine was intended was later discovered near the spot where Butler was cornered.
Butler is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon (Level 4 felony); Neglect of a Dependent (Level 6 felony); Resisting Law Enforcement, and Possession of Marijuana (both Class A misdemeanors).
Fultz was arrested and charged with Resisting Law Enforcement; Neglect of a Dependent; Theft (all Level 6 felonies); Possession of Marijuana (Class B misdemeanor), and Reckless Driving (Class C misdemeanor).
Agencies assisting in the investigation were Decatur County Communications, the Greensburg Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County EMS, Indiana State Police, and Department of Child Services.
