An Indiana man is behind bars this morning after a foot chase in Jacksonville.
According to a report by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, 29-year-old Erick Lopez of Indianapolis, Indiana, and two other individuals were checked by Sheriff’s Deputies, and Illinois State Police Monday afternoon for reportedly laying in the roadway on an undisclosed area of Old State Road just east of town.
According to the report, when the deputies and troopers stopped to check on the men, Lopez took off running into a nearby cornfield. Not long after Lopez ran, authorities discovered he was wanted on an active warrant out of Indiana.
Sheriff’s Department officials believe that the Illinois State Police had checked on the men earlier in the day, but could get no record to come back on any of them, due to either no ID being issued or possibly having false information provided.
At approximately 7:00 p.m. Monday, Lopez walked into town from the east on the Old State Road and was again stopped by a Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy. According to the report, Lopez again ran on East College Avenue zigzagging through back and side yards before he was caught by the deputy about a block from where the initial stop occurred.
Lopez was wanted on an Indiana warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of battery with great bodily harm. He was also booked into the jail for resisting a peace officer.