MIDDLEBURY — Two men were arrested after a toll road chase on Christmas Eve that ended in a crash at a Middlebury church.
Jwan Jones and Charles Jenkins, both 32, are charged with dealing cocaine as a Level 2 felony and possession of methamphetamine as a Level 4 felony following the chase on Dec. 24. Jones is additionally charged with resisting law enforcement as a Level 6 felony and Jenkins with resisting as a misdemeanor.
Both men were booked in the Elkhart County Correctional Facility on $250,000 bond. They received a preliminary jury trial date of March 31 during their initial court hearings.
According to court documents:
An Indiana State Police trooper attempted to pull over a black Volkswagen Tiguan with Virginia license plates on Dec. 24 at around 9:10 a.m. after allegedly recording a speed of 88 mph in a 70 mph zone. The vehicle was traveling eastbound on the Indiana Toll Road near mile marker 95.4.
The Volkswagen’s speeds ranged from 100 mph to 124 mph during the chase, according to police. It exited at mile marker 107, crashing through a toll gate before heading south on Ind. 13 at speeds of around 90 mph.
The vehicle crossed the center line into oncoming traffic several times before taking a turn west onto Lawrence Street at high speed, according to police. The driver lost control and the vehicle crashed into Faith Baptist Church in Middlebury.
The driver and passenger fled on foot in opposite directions. Middlebury Police officers were able to detain the passenger, who was identified as Jenkins, while the driver, identified as Jones, was later found hiding in a shed several blocks south down Main Street.
Jones received medical attention for an injury to his leg. He claimed he didn’t know what was going on or why he was being arrested and denied ever being to Virginia, according to police.
Police say a search of the car uncovered two firearm magazines and bags of suspected marijuana, methamphetamine and psilocybin mushrooms, and that two loaded guns were found in the shed. Jones and Jenkins denied owning the guns and drugs.
The pastor of the church provided security footage of the crash which showed the two suspects fleeing from the vehicle, according to police.