December 2015 Catch

DOUG BUELTEL

K-9 GERO

EVANSVILLE POLICE DEPT.

On 12-17-15, Sgt. MaGary spotted a stolen vehicle (which officers were currently taking a stolen vehicle report) on Lloyd near Congress and initiated a vehicle stop at 0836 hrs. The vehicle stopped in the fast lane and the suspect, b/m wearing green long sleeve shirt, tall and thin, bailed from the passenger side door and ran south across Lloyd Expressway, jumping a 7 ft. fence near Iroquois Drive. Sgt. MaGary saw the suspect run to the east and south and then lost sight of the suspect. Several patrol cars arrived in the area quickly and set up a perimeter.

With no K-9 working at the time, K-9 Gero and I, Officer Doug Bueltel, were called in to assist as officers were confident the suspect was contained within the perimeter. We went in service at 0853 hrs. and arrived on scene at 0902 hrs. Sgt. MaGary pointed out the area he last saw the suspect and gave an updated description.

I placed K-9 Gero on a 15-foot tracking lead. I then yelled a K-9 warning and then gave K-9 Gero the command to search, approximately 30 minutes after the suspect was last seen. K-9 Gero quickly picked up the track and in the back yard of the north-eastern most house off of Iroquois Drive we located a black sock hat which the suspect had on when he fled. We then jumped two fences and tracked south through an easement towards Sycamore. Gero pulled me back to the west and we checked a couple of yards that he was hot on. We then went back to the easement after we got off of the track breifly. Gero again picked up the track and we crossed west over Iroquois, went into a back yard west of Iroquois, jumped a fence, and then Gero pulled me into the back yard at 126 S Congress. Gero then pulled me around a storage shed at which time Gero apprehended the suspect, Donald Brigham Jr, prior to me turning the corner and seeing him at 0921 hrs. Brigham kept moving his hands around and concealing them at which time I held him at gun point until I could clearly see both hands. I gave him multiple orders to get his hands up and that the K-9 wouldn’t be released until I saw both hands. After Brigham showed both hands and stopped moving around, I then had Gero release the apprehension. Assisting officers had arrived and Officer Hunt handcuffed Brigham.

Brigham was transported to Deaconess Hospital for medical treatment. After receiving medical treatment, Brigham was transported to VCCC where he was arrested on multiple charges.