2 arrested after burglary leads to vehicle pursuit in Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. — Two Indianapolis residents were arrested after a Tuesday afternoon burglary led to a pursuit on I-70 in Wayne County.

According to a news release from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, 21-year-old Austin King and 32-year-old Loreyna Eberhardt were arrested on preliminary charges of possession of paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine and burglary.

At around 5:26 p.m. on Tuesday, deputies with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a burglary in the 5500 block of State Road 38. The release said that a man reportedly broke into a barn and stole multiple items, including a shop vacuum, a welder and heaters.

The man attempted to leave the property in a blue Lexus SUV that was hauling a small trailer. Officials said the vehicle traveled eastbound on State Road 38, then traveled northbound on King Road. The release said that the vehicle failed to stop at traffic signs and was losing the stolen property from the trailer.

The vehicle eventually went onto I-70 westbound. The driver of the vehicle reportedly drove “recklessly as sparks were observed coming from the trailer and debris began falling onto the roadway.”

Around the 140-mile marker, the SUV ran into the median and became hung up on the cable barrier. The driver and a woman, later identified as King and Eberhardt, reportedly fled on foot but were “quickly apprehended.”

After the two were taken into custody, a K-9 conducted a sniff of the SUV and “alerted to the presence of narcotics.” The release said that a firearm was also recovered at the scene.