VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — One man is dead, another arrested, and a woman injured following a pursuit in Terre Haute in late June.

Jail records indicate that 40-year-old Christopher Nelson of Terre Haute was arrested on Thursday, July 6. Court records show Nelson faces two felony charges related to the events of June 26.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Vigo County Superior Court 1, at 11:58 p.m. a Vigo County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled over a Ford pickup truck along Azalia Avenue in Terre Haute for a license plate light infraction. As the deputy attempted to talk to the driver, Nelson, he reportedly closed the driver’s side window.

The deputy noted that the window was tinted so thoroughly that even with a flashlight, he could not see through it. Fearing for his safety the officer reportedly reached for his gun, and that is when the truck sped off.

A pursuit began, with the deputy following the vehicle westbound. The deputy reported that when he turned north on Arlington Street he spotted a woman writhing in pain in the roadway. Thinking a pedestrian had been hit by the fleeing truck, the deputy stopped to check on her.

The woman reported that she had been shoved out of the vehicle while it was moving and was injured when her head struck the pavement. The deputy noted a large bump on the back of her head and that her lower back had road rash. The woman told law enforcement that Nelson had been driving the vehicle.

While looking at security footage of the intersection, the deputy noted that a third person had left the vehicle and walked away from the intersection. Police didn’t find the man during an attempted K-9 tracking at the scene.

A call later that same night would lead deputies to discover that the man who had walked away from the incident had left the vehicle due to being on parole and not wanting to go back to jail.

“It was determined that the male who had walked away from the truck was [name redacted]. Because [Nelson] had fled the traffic stop, [name redacted] ingested methamphetamine for fear of going back to prison because he was on parole. [name redacted] had been picked up at Once Upon a Child by [friend] and brought back to the residence on Lafayette Ave. [name redacted] died on scene.”

Probable Cause Affidavit filed in Vigo County Court

Jail records indicate that law enforcement would eventually catch up with Nelson and arrest him on July 6.

Nelson faces the following charges;

  • Resisting law enforcement (using a vehicle)
    • A level 6 felony
  • Driving while suspended (operation of vehicle results in bodily injury)
    • A level 6 felony
  • Battery resulting in bodily injury
    • A class A misdemeanor
  • Criminal recklessness
    • A class B misdemeanor
  • Reckless driving
    • A class C misdemeanor

Nelson is scheduled next for for a hearing in Vigo County Superior Court 1 on Tuesday, July 11 at 10 a.m.