Police are still searching for a man who fled an officer Wednesday night in a vehicle pursuit that left a police cruiser damaged and an officer injured.

Sgt. Mike Cooper with the Seymour Police Department said the pursuit started at 8:51 p.m. when Officer Crystal Schapson noticed a man acting suspicious in the parking lot of Circle K at 416 Stevens Way on the city’s east side.

Schapson reported the man started walking into the store as she drove through the parking lot and walked a few laps around without buying anything, Cooper said. He got into a maroon on silver Chevrolet Silverado and drove around the parking lot before leaving.

In the meantime, Schapson found the owner of the truck was wanted after searching the license plate, leading her to attempt a traffic stop before the driver fled.

The pursuit went south on U.S. 31 before the driver turned east onto County Road 50S. From there, it continued on several county roads before the driver drove into a field off of County Road 150S near State Road 250, Cooper said.

He said Schapson lost sight of the vehicle at one point before seeing it drive onto State Road 250. She later crashed her police sport utility vehicle into an embankment, Cooper said.

"It was raised and covered in vegetation in the dark, so she ended up pretty much hitting it squarely," he said. "The truck she was chasing had been lifted, and we think that helped it go through the fields and onto the highway."

Police believe the driver turned east onto State Road 250, but it is unknown where he drove after police lost sight of him.

Schapson hit her head on the vehicle after crashing into the embankment and was examined and released from Schneck Medical Center in Seymour. She is expected to return to duty immediately, Cooper said.

The extent of damage to the police cruiser was not known Thursday, Cooper said, and Schapson will have to use one of the department’s extra vehicles until repairs are made. Schapson was able to drive the vehicle away from the scene.

It was the second vehicle pursuit in as many days in Jackson County. Brownstown police arrested two North Vernon residents after a pursuit that started late Tuesday.

That pursuit began in Brownstown and went toward Seymour on U.S. 50, before the driver turned around and went back to Brownstown.

The pursuit then continued through Brownstown and through Vallonia, and then back to Brownstown. The chase then went north to the Cortland area, where Assistant Chief Joe Kelly performed a pursuit intervention technique maneuver, and the vehicle came to a stop in a field, police said.

Taylor Lee Wade, 23, and Damion Charles Allen Patton, 22, were arrested in that incident.

Anyone with information on Wednesday’s pursuit should call Seymour Police Department at 812-522-1234. Tips can be made anonymously.

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Seymour police are looking for information about a man who fled police Wednesday. The vehicle he was driving is a maroon on silver Chevrolet Silverado that has been slightly lifted.

Anyone with information should call the Seymour Police Department at 812-522-1234. Tips can be made anonymously.

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