Wild chase ends at jail

The La Porte County Jail is not a selfserve operation but a man was trying to get inside when grabbed following a long highspeed chase.

La Porte County Sheriff Ron Heeg said the man probably didn’t know it was at the jail that he was possibly trying to use as a hideout after crashing his vehicle.

Christopher Rodriquez, 31, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with multiple counts including resisting law enforcement and possession of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, the early morning pursuit Feb. 24 began when he refused to pull over when caught speeding on U.S. 20 near Fail Road.

At one point, police said he nearly caused several head-on

BY STAN MADDUX

collisions while traveling in the opposite lanes of U.S. 20 at more than 100 miles per hour near Michigan City.

Eventually, police said the fleeing driver headed toward La Porte on U.S. 35.

He was near the city limits when at least one of his tires was flattened by stop sticks beside Pine Lake.

Nevertheless, the suspect continued at more than 80 miles per hour toward downtown where he crashed into the Norfolk Southern tracks, where a city street he veered onto comes to a dead end.

According to court documents, Rodriquez fled on foot beside the tracks until crossing Washington Street to the La Porte County Complex.

He was trying to open a door on the building when he was grabbed by a police officer, with help from a canine dog. The complex houses the county jail, sheriff’s office and county government offices. Police said more than 20 grams of methamphetamine, along with a loaded firearm, were recovered from his vehicle.

Heeg said the man likely didn’t know he was at the jail since he’s from outside the area and his judgment was clouded, perhaps, by drugs. Rodriquez lives about 70 miles away in Rensselaer, Indiana.

“I think it’s just a case of, I’m not going to say mistaken identity but he just obviously didn’t know where he was at,” Heeg said.

CITY OF NEW BUFFALO BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN ORDINANCE NO. 259

AN ORDINANCE TO REPEAL SECTION 12-22, “DANGEROUS AND UNINHABITABLE STRUCTURES,” OF ARTICLE III, “NUISANCES,” CHAPTER 12, “NOISE, NUISANCE, PROHIBITED ACTS AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS,” OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, CITY OF NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN, AND TO ADD ARTICLE V, “DANGEROUS BUILDINGS,” TO CHAPTER 12, “NOISE, NUISANCE, PROHIBITED ACTS AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS,” IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FOR AND CLARIFY PROCEDURES FOR ABATING DANGEROUS BUILDINGS

THE CITY OF NEW BUFFALO ORDAINS:

Section 1. Repeal of Section 12-22 of the Code of Ordinances. Section 12-22, “Dangerous and uninhabitable structures,” of Article III, “Nuisances,” Chapter 12, “Noise, Nuisance, Prohibited Acts and Other Miscellaneous Provisions,” of the Code of Ordinances of the City of New Buffalo is hereby repealed in its entirety and reserved for future use.

Section 2. Addition of Article 5 to Chapter 12 of Code of Ordinances. Article V, “Dangerous Buildings,” is hereby added to Chapter 12, “Noise, Nuisance, Prohibited Acts and Other Miscellaneous Provisions,” of the Code of Ordinances, City of New Buffalo, Michigan and shall read as follows:

Article V. Dangerous Buildings

Sec. 12-50. Dangerous building prohibited.

It is unlawful for any owner or agent to keep or maintain any building or structure or part of the building or structure which is a dangerous building as defined in section 12-51.