ELKHART, Ind. — Police say a 38-year-old man is in custody Tuesday after looking into school windows at an elementary school in Elkhart, jumping into a river to hide from officers, and fleeing a hospital while in police custody.
At 8:49 a.m., the Elkhart Police Department received a call reporting a suspicious man who had jumped a perimeter fence and was looking into the windows of Beardsley Elementary School. The school was placed on lockdown during the incident.
Officers quickly arrived at the scene, and when they attempted to make contact with the man, he fled on foot. Police say he ran toward the St. Joseph River, located in the 900 block of E. Beardsley Avenue, jumped in, and hid under a boat.
Police say that after commanding him several times to exit the water, they deployed pepper ball chemical irritant to try to get him out. Officers were able to pull him from the water and took him to the hospital for medical clearance, where he remained in custody.
Once at the hospital, officers learned that due to pre-existing medical conditions, the man would require an extended period of medical treatment. Rather than maintaining him custody at the hospital for an indefinite period while receiving treatment, EPD decided to proceed with an out-of-custody charging process. EPD says they had no information indicating that he posed a threat to the public.
But at 12:23 p.m., police were notified that the man ran from the hospital while he was still attached to medical equipment. Officers located him near South Highland Avenue and West Lexington Avenue, which is a 7-minute walk from the hospital where he was hospitalized.
After failing to comply, officers say they deployed a taser and chemical irritant to make it easier to detain him. He was taken back to the hospital for continued treatment, and police say he will be taken to the Elkhart County Jail once cleared.
The man has been preliminarily charged with criminal trespass, four counts of resisting law enforcement, public indecency, and theft.
EPD says they will release the man’s name “if and when an Elkhart County judicial officer finds probable cause for this arrest.”
Officers made a secondary sweep of the school area and did not locate any weapons or anything of immediate safety concern.
