TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A man traveling at speeds of up to 115 miles per hour led Indiana State Police and other local law enforcement on a high-speed chase through the Wabash Valley that ended with many drug-related charges.
According to a press release from Indiana State Police, on Dec. 27, around 4:05 p.m. a Putnamville State Trooper noticed a vehicle that was speeding at 75 mph in a 65 mph zone on SR 63 and proceeded to make a traffic stop. The driver initially complied and was “verbally identified” as Azjuan K. Meriwether, age 23, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When the Trooper checked Meriwether’s records, it showed a lack of a valid driver’s license and an active warrant in Vanderburgh County for resisting law enforcement.
The Trooper asked Meriwether to get out of the vehicle and he refused, speeding off, initially into the North Vermillion High School Parking lot before then driving southbound in the northbound lanes. Law enforcement stopped the pursuit for the safety of the other drivers on the road and relied on radio traffic for the location of the vehicle.
The vehicle was spotted at Vermillion Mega Rise Park before again driving the wrong way on the road again, and was later reported in the Blanford and Clinton areas. Putnamville Troopers shut down traffic on SR 63 and were able to place stop sticks at the entrance of the Wabash River Bridge where Meriwether’s vehicle was impaired and eventually stopped at US 41 and Linden Street.
From there the chase proceeded on foot but was ended shortly after Meriwether was tased and searched. Meriwether was in possession of marijuana, one pound of heroin, half a pound of methamphetamine, and a quarter pound of cocaine. Meriwether refused a certified chemical test, was arrested, and is currently being held at the Vermillion County Jail.
Meriwether is being charged with the following:
- Dealing methamphetamine, Class 2 Felony
- Dealing cocaine, Class 2 Felony
- Dealing heroin, Class 2 Felony
- Dealing marijuana, Class 6 Felony
- Possession of cocaine, Class 3 Felony
- Possession of methamphetamine, Class 3 Felony
- Possession of heroin, Class 3 Felony
- Possession of marijuana, Class A Misdemeanor
- Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (refusal), Class A Misdemeanor
- Operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in his body, Class C Misdemeanor
- Reckless driving, Class A Misdemeanor
- Maintaining a common nuisance, Class 6 Felony
- Resisting law-enforcement with a vehicle, Class 6 Felony
Several local law enforcement agencies were involved in the pursuit and arrest of Meriwether, including law enforcement from Putnamville, Clinton City, Vermillion County, Terre Haute, and the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department.
