Indiana State Police say two people were arrested after a pursuit on the Toll Road in Elkhart County early Thursday morning. Police say the Merecedes involved was stolen out of St. Joseph County. During the pursuit, police say suspected drugs were being thrown out of the vehicle. A bag of suspected meth was found inside a baby seat according to police.
A South Bend woman and a Michigan City man were taken into custody.
Read more below in the release from Indiana State Police.
Elkhart County-An early morning pursuit lands two people in jail after Indiana State Troopers discovered the car that they were fleeing in was stolen and the couple possessed drugs.
Trooper Nikolos Anderson reports that this morning, around 3:00 a.m., he was traveling westbound behind a silver 2001 Mercedes near the 90 mile marker of the Indiana Toll Road when Anderson says he witnessed the Mercedes commit a moving violation as it entered the service plaza.
Anderson turned on the emergency lights on his marked police car to make a traffic stop and that is when the Mercedes purportedly sped out of the service plaza parking lot, refusing to stop for him. As the Mercedes sped away with Anderson chasing with lights and siren on, the occupants of the Mercedes allegedly began throwing suspected drugs out of the car. Anderson describes the items as turning into white dust as they hit the road.
The Mercedes continued westbound and eventually exited the Indiana Toll Road at the Mishawaka Exit, exit 83, and came to a safe stop. Both occupants of the Mercedes were safely taken into custody. The passenger was ultimately identified as Margaret Sells, 44 of South Bend, IN. Sells is alleged to have given a false name when first asked by troopers. The driver was identified as Robert Binder, 44 of Michigan City, IN.
The Mercedes was found to have a false license plate on it and then determined to have been reported stolen out of St. Joseph County, IN. During a subsequent search of the Mercedes troopers located a bag of suspected methamphetamine inside a baby seat, 16 pills of suspected Ecstasy, 87 other pills identified as legend drugs, and a counterfeit $20 bill.
Assisting troopers were able to find and collect more suspected methamphetamine where Anderson reports Binder and Sells were throwing items out of the Mercedes. A total of approximately 31.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine were located on the road and in the Mercedes.
Binder was preliminarily arrested for Dealing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Legend Drug, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Resisting Law Enforcement, Forgery-Counterfeiting, Reckless Driving, and several traffic violations.
Sells was preliminarily arrested for Dealing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Legend Drug, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, False Informing as well as an active warrant out of Elkhart County.
Binder and Sells were both taken to the Elkhart County Jail. The Indiana State Police was assisted by the St. Joseph County Police Department.