Orleans man arrested for drunken driving, resisting arrest, striking police vehicle

Roy Rutherford, 49, Orleans, was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 20, on multiple charges.

Salem Police Officer Chris Cauble said he saw Rutherford speeding down Mulberry Street, heading west, while Cauble was parked at Cooley’s Heating and Air that evening. Cauble pulled in behind him and chased Rutherford at about 85 mph down Mulberry and State Road 56 to about Drive-In Theater Road before turning on his emergency lights.

Rutherford refused to pull over and sped on for about nine more miles with Cauble following, through Livonia, before abruptly pulling into a driveway at 2426 State Road 337. When Cauble pulled in behind him, Rutherford accelerated and drove into the yard, spun in a circle and came back toward Cauble. Rutherford struck the front-passenger side of Cauble’s police vehicle and drove off again without stopping.

Cauble said Rutherford pulled onto State Road 337, turned his headlights off and continued to drive very slowly, then accelerated rapidly with his lights still off. He said Rutherford eventually turned his lights back on as he sped onto County Road 200 North.

Cauble followed and watched as Rutherford drove into an unharvested cornfield.

“The car was traveling wildly, spinning around in circles, throwing mud and corn,” he said in his report.

Cauble continued through the cornfield after Rutherford and said Rutherford kept spinning in circles and eventually became stuck in a drainage way.

Rutherford then left his vehicle and ran into the standing corn. Cauble caught up with him about 75 to 100 yards from the vehicle. He told Rutherford if he wouldn’t stop, he would be tazed. Rutherford stopped and was placed in restraints. Cauble said he appeared to have trouble walking and he could smell alcohol on Rutherford.

Multiple other officers arrived at the scene, including Tory Hildreth, Brad Naugle, Paul Ginkins, Joe Keltner and Kacey Reschar, along with State Trooper Eric Powers. Cauble discovered his vehicle was stuck in the mud of the field and had to be towed out by a wrecker, which also removed and impounded Rutherford’s vehicle.

Cauble said he read the Indiana Implied Consent statute to Rutherford, who told him he didn’t think it was best to take it. Keltner took Rutherford to St. Vincent-Salem hospital where, after a search warrant was obtained for samples, it was revealed Rutherford’s ACE was .163 and his urine tested positive for cannabinoids.

Rutherford was booked into the Washington County Detention Center and preliminarily charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of at least .15, reckless driving, resisting law enforcement and leaving the scene of an accident.

The vehicle Rutherford was driving was registered to a William Burger. Rutherford claimed he had just gotten the car and hadn’t done any paperwork yet, but he did have the title.