COLUMBUS, Ind. — A Kentucky man accused of stealing a bulldozer and leading Columbus police on a low-speed chase in August failed to appear and now has a warrant out for his arrest.
Adam Jackson, 26, of Gray, Ky., faces charges of theft, auto theft, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, criminal mischief, and criminal recklessness.
He was scheduled to appear in court Oct. 25 for an initial hearing but never showed up. The next day, a judge issued a warrant for failure to appear, reports The Republic.
Jackson was arrested Aug. 28 after the low-speed chase.
While behind bars, Jackson tried to convince investigators of his innocence. Court papers say Jackson insisted he “didn’t steal” the bulldozer because “the keys were still in it.”
On Aug. 28, a Columbus police officer spotted a yellow John Deer bulldozer heading west on 17th Street.
The officer pulled up behind the bulldozer and saw a shirtless man at the controls. The man began hanging out of the windows and yelling something at the officer, court papers say.
Jackson drove the bulldozer along 17th Street before rolling through a red light at the intersection of Central Avenue. He then continued south on Central Ave. with the officer behind him.
When the officer tried to get Jackson to stop, he refused, leading the officer on a chase with a top speed of about 5 mph. At one point during the chase, Jackson allegedly spun the bulldozer around, stopped in the middle of the road, and started yelling things at police before heading south again.
Jackson ended up in the Cummins parking lot on Central Ave. and was greeted by an MRAP armored vehicle belonging to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicle was dispatched to keep Jackson from driving into any “well-populated areas,” according to The Republic.
Officers negotiated with Jackson and eventually arrested him. He was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail and was released after posting bond.
