For the police officer, the man’s body language was the giveaway. His combative stance and his abrupt hand movement hinted at the possibility of danger.FORT WAYNE – A driver stopped for a traffic violation took off after a state trooper got out of his cruiser and was walking to the SUV's window, Indiana State Police said today.
The chase ended at the St. Joe River with a soggy suspect.
Trooper Caleb Anderson reported stopping Jeremy T. Bolenbaugh, 32, of Fort Wayne, shortly after midnight Monday in the area of Coliseum Boulevard and Vance Avenue.
As the trooper walked up to the Ford Explorer, the SUV accelerated and sped away, going north on Hobson Road, according to a statement issued by state police.
It said the SUV went into the Canterbury Green apartment complex, where the driver got out and ran away.
Trooper Jacob Quick, Senior Trooper Shane Neuenschwander and his canine partner, Smokey, tracked the suspect to the St. Joseph River wood line, where they heard him jump into the river and attempt to swim away.
Bolenbaugh was caught a short distance later under the St. Joe Center Road bridge by officers from the Fort Wayne and IPFW police departments, state police said.
He was charged with felony resisting law enforcement, being a habitual traffic violator and possession of synthetic marijuana, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
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