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Stolen truck suspect who fled police facing two felonies, more
A 30-year-old Vigo County man who fled Putnam County authorities in a stolen truck, crashed it and set a cornfield ablaze and then tried to hide in near-freezing creek waters, is facing two felony counts and more in Putnam Superior Court.
A not-guilty plea was entered in court Monday afternoon by Judge Pro Tem Scott Bieniek on behalf of defendant Daniel A. Bruce, Terre Haute.
Bruce is charged with two counts of auto theft, a Level 6 felony punishable by from six months to 2-1/2 years in jail, and possession of methamphetamine, a Class A misdemeanor.
The Putnam County Prosecutor's Office also filed an intent to seek habitual offender status against Bruce. That carries a sentencing enhancement of 6-20 years if the defendant has been convicted of two or more related felonies within the last 10 years.
Bruce, in fact, has a history of stolen vehicles and property, having some 18 charges brought against him in at least four counties since 2002, when he was just 18 years old.
Prior to the March 19 incident in Putnam County, his most recent charge was one count of felony auto theft involving a Nov. 27, 2014 incident in Vigo County. Bruce is awaiting a May 19 jury trial in that case.
With cash-only bond set at $15,000 in the Putnam County case, Trudy Selvia was named as Bruce's court-appointed lawyer. A pretrial conference in the case was set for 10 a.m. May 27.
After being apprehended last Thursday, Bruce has spent time at St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, recovering from injuries sustaining during his flight from police, and then in the Putnam County Jail.
The search for Bruce was part of a larger investigation into stolen vehicles that intensified after Putnam County Sheriff's Department deputies assisted Bainbridge Police in serving a warrant last Wednesday. That's when they learned Bruce had been seen in the area driving a Ford F-150 reportedly stolen from Morgan County several weeks prior.
Area law enforcement had been on the lookout for the truck and on Thursday, Bruce drove past Sheriff's Department Capt. Tom Helmer as the two went in opposite directions along County Road 900 North.
Not wanting to spook Bruce into a pursuit, Helmer continued driving before turning around to follow the stolen vehicle, remaining a half-mile back while activating nether his lights nor siren.
The suspect apparently lost control of the stolen truck, abandoning it in a cornfield that subsequently caught fire from a spark from the vehicle's catalytic converter.
Bruce was apprehended when Roachdale Marshal Mike Mahoy and his K9 partner Toby located the suspect half-submerged and trying to hide from police in Big Walnut Creek.
Bruce was found "unresponsive, partially unconscious and in the water," authorities reported.
The Ford F-150 was not the only stolen item in Bruce's possession Thursday. A stolen motorcycle was in the bed of the truck and numerous personal items, including athletic equipment, a wallet and textbooks believed to be from a series of vehicular break-ins in Hendricks County were also recovered for the cab of the truck.