ISP: Marion man tries to elude police in stolen Dodge

GRANT COUNTY, Ind. — It took a car chase, spike strips and a PIT maneuver before a Marion man was at last arrested on Thursday.

Joshua Balfour, 22, of Marion was charged in Grant Superior Court with dealing in methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; and obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony.

He also faces a slew of misdemeanor charges including auto theft and unlawfully carrying a handgun.

According to Indiana State Police, a trooper tagged a 2024 Dodge Durango traveling at a high rate of speed on I-69 near State Road 22 just before noon on Thursday. The Dodge allegedly made an unsafe lane change prior to exiting onto State Road 22 and blew a stop sign in sight of the state trooper.

The trooper pursued the Dodge, which allegedly hit speeds above 100 miles per hour.

The pursuit lasted for several miles, according to state police, with stop sticks used near County Road 800 East to blow out the Dodge’s tires. Despite the stop sticks, it took a state trooper performing a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) with his squad car to bring the Dodge to a stop.

The driver, later identified as Balfour, allegedly jumped out of the Durango and fled on foot. He was caught without further incident and taken into police custody.

While searching the area where Balfour fled, state troopers reported finding roughly 25 grams of suspected meth and a handgun. Investigators also learned the Dodge Durango had been stolen out of Michigan.

Court records show Balfour was out on bond at the time of his arrest. In February, Balfour was charged with dealing in a narcotic drug, a Level 2 felony, in Grant County. At that time, he was also charged with resisting law enforcement by use of a motor vehicle.

Court records show he bonded out of jail only days after his arrest— posting a $50,000 surety bond. No bond has currently been set in his current case, as of the time of publishing.