Woman jailed after fleeing police with two flat tires

While Karen Ponder of Indianapolis was not seriously injured, her car was heavily damaged when she rolled it while fleeing police Saturday evening.

Courtesy Indiana State Police

STILESVILLE — For a time on Saturday evening it seemed that nothing, not even two flat tires, was going to keep and Indianapolis woman from fleeing local police.

Eventually, Karen Ponder, 53, crashed her vehicle in western Hendricks County and now faces two felony counts in a Putnam County court.

At approximately 6:15 p.m., the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department received multiple 911 calls about a silver Mazda passenger car, traveling eastbound on U.S. 40 near County Road 625 West, that was weaving between lanes.

Karen Ponder

Deputy Anthony Brown attempted to stop the Mazda just east of the U.S. 231 junction, but the driver refused to stop and accelerated away from the deputy.

Indiana State Trooper Colton Maynor was near U.S. 40 at County Road 850 East and was able to successfully deploy stop sticks. The Mazda ran over the stop sticks, which were successful in deflating two tires.

However, the car continued traveling eastbound in Hendricks County on US 40, slowing to 20-30 mph for a few miles. After traveling through Stilesville, the vehicle began to accelerate again, traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph with two flat tires.

The vehicle then drifted off the roadway of the south side of U.S. 40, then swerved back to the north and into the median.

Upon entering the median, Ponder overcorrected and drove back across both eastbound lanes of US 40, running off the south side of the roadway. This caused the vehicle to roll two to three times, eventually striking a power pole and coming to a rest.

Trooper Maynor and Trooper Kyle Hall then retrieved the driver out of the vehicle and placed her into custody. She was then identified as Ponder.

Also assisting at the scene was the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department.

Hendricks County Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene and Ponder refused any medical attention. Ponder was then transported to the Putnam County Hospital for medical clearance.

Ponder did submit to a certified chemical test. Those results, from the Indiana Department of Toxicology, are pending.

Upon receiving medical clearance, Ponder was transported to the Putnam County Jail and was jailed without incident. She was initially charged with Level 6 felony resisting law enforcement, Level 6 felony driving while intoxicated with a prior conviction, Level 6 felony criminal recklessness with a vehicle and Class A misdemeanor reckless driving.

On Monday, the Putnam County Prosecutor’s Office formally filed charges against Ponder of Level 6 felony resisting law enforcement with a vhicle, Level 6 felony driving while intoxicated endangering a person and Class a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated endangering a person.