Daviess County: A pursuit along Interstate 69 spanned multiple counties and ended with an arrest.
At 12:15 this afternoon, Indiana State Police Regional Dispatch in Bloomington released a broadcast for any troopers in the area of Interstate 69 to observe for a gray 2000 Buick sedan, being driven by 24 year old Bradley F. Barger of Bedford, IN. Barger was wanted on two active warrants through Lawrence County, IN for domestic violence charges. According to Lawrence County, Barger was southbound on I-69, passing State Road 58.
Master Trooper Gary Wier located Barger at 12:17 southbound on I-69 at the 65.5 mile marker (3.5 miles north of Washington) and began following him, requesting that additional officers follow before attempting to pull Barger over. At the 59 mile marker, after having additional troopers with him, Wier attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Barger. Barger failed to stop, accelerating from speeds near 80 miles an hour to speeds in excess of 100 MPH.
The pursuit continued southbound through Pike County and into Gibson County. Troopers were positioned north of the 33 mile marker (State Road 64 / Huntingburg, Princeton exit) to attempt to deploy tire deflation devices. As Barger approached the “stop sticks”, Barger swerved and crashed into a bridge. Barger exited his vehicle and attempted to jump off of the bridge and into the Patoka River. Troopers John Davis and Mitchell Wier grabbed Barger to keep him from jumping. The physical restraint ended in a fight in which Barger struck Trooper Davis in an effort to continue trying to jump. Barger was taken into custody at 12:36 P.M.
Barger was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville for treatment of lacerations incurred during the crash. He was released from hospital care and transported to the Gibson County Jail.
Arrested and Charges:
Bradley F. Barger, 24
Bedford, IN
- Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle, Level 6 Felony
- Battery on a Police Officer, Class A Misdemeanor
- Warrants through Lawrence County, Indiana
-30-
HENSLEY
* At the time of this release, Barger was being transported to Gibson County. No photo is currently available.
Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
