Arrest made after five-hour manhunt in Cloverdale

Trystien Boswell

CLOVERDALE -- Local authorities from multiple agencies arrested an 18-year-old suspect after a five-hour manhunt in Cloverdale Thursday.

Trystien Lee Boswell, 18, of Cloverdale, was booked into the Putnam County Jail on charges of twice resisting and fleeing, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, possession of alcohol by a minor, unlawful possession of a syringe and maintaining a common nuisance.

The day before the Cloverdale Police Department had been notified by relatives that a minor had returned home under the influence of drugs from a Bubble Loo residence in Stardust Hills, occupied by Kim Hanks, 38, of Cloverdale.

At about 2:30 p.m. Thursday CPD and Adult Probation of Putnam County officers conducted a search of the property and found alcohol, a controlled substance, needles, paraphernalia and ammunition (no firearms were found) in the garage.

Hanks’ son, Boswell, had been present during the search, but reportedly began to walk away from the property when the items were found. When Boswell was ordered to stop, he ran from the residence.

When Boswell later returned to the residence, Hanks called for an officer. Both CPD and the Indiana State Police (ISP) responded, but Boswell was alerted by a friend via social media and fled again without a shirt or shoes.

On information from a neighbor near Hanks’ residence, the ISP trooper had begun to run between the neighbor’s house and garage when the neighbor’s dog lunged off the porch and ran growling with its teeth bared at the trooper, prompting the officer to fire his weapon.

The shot nearly missed the dog, who ran away, and the trooper continued pursuit.

The CPD reported the shot and Rick Lambert of CPD, three ISP troopers, four deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and Luke Brown of the Greencastle Police Department responded.

A large perimeter involving many homes in Stardust Hills was established and an ISP K-9 officer picked up a trail by about 5 p.m.

“I’ve got to give credit to the residents of Stardust Hills,” Cloverdale Town Marshal Steve Hibler said. “We had multiple residents reporting his location, and ultimately they told us right where he was.”

After Boswell returned a second time to Hanks’ residence to change clothes, he was apprehended by ISP just north of Lazy River Road at about 7:20 p.m.

Marshal Hibler said there may be additional charges for both Boswell and an adult who had reportedly assisted him.

In addition to the relatives’ complaint that sparked the manhunt, that same day CPD received a second complaint of drug activity in that general area.

“We’re continuing to fight the drugs in the area and to clean it up,” Marshal Hibler said. “Cloverdale is not the place to come and do drugs now.”