Greencastle man escapes police custody, captured three hours later
A Greencastle man wanted on a Hendricks County warrant escaped from police custody on Monday and eluded authorities for three hours before again being apprehended.
Deputy Don Lewis of the Putnam County Sheriff's Department was on traffic patrol on U.S. 40 when he clocked a Chrysler westbound at 77 mph in a 55 mph zone.
When Lewis approached the car, the driver identified himself as Levi Runnells. The deputy also observed another white male in the car.
While running Runnells' license and registration, Lewis discovered he was wanted on a Hendricks County warrant for theft.
Returning to Runnells' vehicle, Lewis had him get out of the car before handcuffing him and placing him in the rear seat of the police car with the seat belt fastened.
With Runnells secure, Lewis called for backup and a wrecker before searching the car and running a background check on the other man.
Among the items, he found a bag containing marijuana and paraphernalia.
After performing the search, Lewis looked back at his car and found Runnells out of the vehicle, across U.S. 40 and running east.
The sheriff's department, Cloverdale Police Department, Indiana State Police, Roachdale K9 unit and the Putnamville Correctional Facility all took part in the search, capturing Runnells about three hours later.
Deputy Mike Downing transported Runnells to the Putnam County Jail. At 6:40 p.m., he was booked in on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and resisting law enforcement, in addition to the warrant for theft.