A 16-year-old unlicensed Henry County teenager, identified as Shanna L. Orr of Lewisville, was behind the wheel of a reported stolen vehicle when she led Rushville police on a harrowing chase on North Main Street Monday morning.

It all began shortly before 7:30 a.m. when local law enforcement personnel received information from Henry County that the teenager might be in Rushville and in the company of her unidentified boyfriend, who lives in the 400 block of North Main Street.

“Henry County called us and reported a runaway female and that possibly she might be in a stolen car. The report of the stolen vehicle was confirmed a short time later when it was learned that she had taken her mother’s 2000 Ford Expedition. It’s my understanding that she had a boyfriend here in town and that she might be at his residence,” Rushville Police officer Brent Campbell said.

Campbell responded to the initial call and he and other officers began looking for the vehicle.

A short time later the officer observed Orr inside the vehicle in an alley behind St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 426 North Morgan Street. As he approached the Ford and told the driver to exit the vehicle, the situation took an unexpected turn.

“I pulled around the parking lot and as I began to exit my vehicle and advise her to exit hers, she took off — that is when I began my pursuit,” Campbell said.

As the officer radioed to other police units his location and direction of travel, Orr fled north in the alley between Main Street and Morgan Street before turning east and then north on Main Street, narrowly missing striking two other vehicles.

According to Campbell, after the driver ran a red light at Seventh Street she continued traveling northbound. Then, for unknown reasons, shortly after crossing Ninth Street the young driver lost control of the SUV and left the west side of the road. Her vehicle went over a curb, narrowly missed a power pole, then struck and dislodged a fire hydrant from its base before returning to the road.

The crash caused the front tire on the Expedition to deflate, making steering the vehicle extremely difficult; however, it did not detour the teenager’s attempt to continue fleeing from pursuing officers.

“I really thought that she was going to stop right there (after striking the fire hydrant) but she didn’t, and continued northbound with a flat front tire. As she approached the red light at 11th Street she sideswiped two northbound vehicles that had pulled to the side of the road in an attempt to get out of the way. The collision with the second vehicle snapped the axle on Orr’s Ford. Once again she continued her attempt to get away before finally losing control of the vehicle for a final time, at the 1300 block entrance to Rush Memorial Hospital,” Campbell said.

The teenager then exited her vehicle and began running from the accident scene.

Following a brief foot pursuit the teen was apprehended by RPD officers Jay Griffith and RPD Detective Todd Click.

A RPD vehicle also sustained minor damage as a result of the pursuit when it entered a yard and was unable to stop on the wet grass and struck a free-standing swing.

According to the officers involved in the pursuit and apprehension of the teen, it is fortunate that no injuries were reported as a result of the multiple accidents.

Orr is facing a number of charges including multiple charges of leaving the scene of property damage accident, resisting law enforcement, battery on a police officer, and operating a motor vehicle while never obtaining a driver’s license. She also is facing numerous driving citations including speeding and reckless driving.

“It is fortunate that no one was injured as a result of today’s events. At that time of day many parents are taking their children to school and many other students are walking to school,” Campbell said.

Once she was taken into custody Orr was turned over to Henry County officials.



Frank Denzler can be contacted at (765) 932-2222 ext. 106 or via e-mail at frank.denzler@rushvillerepublican.com. To add a comment to this story visit our Web site at www.rushvillerepublican.com.