Man Leads Ind. Police Officers on 60mph Ambulance Chase

Dec. 11--An Elkhart man faces auto theft and battery charges after police say he stole an ambulance and led them on a chase through Elkhart Wednesday afternoon.

Police were called to Elkhart General Hospital at 2:28 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, for a report that an ambulance had been stolen from the bay outside the emergency room, according to a police department report.

It is common practice to leave ambulances unlocked and running while medics pick up or drop off patients, said Sgt. Chris Snyder with the Elkhart Police Department.

Police found the Tri-County Ambulance vehicle in the area of C.R. 10 and John Weaver Parkway with its emergency lights on, Snyder said.

The person driving the ambulance refused to stop for police and continued on John Weaver Parkway at about 60 mph with police in pursuit.

After a brief chase, the ambulance stopped at Aeroplex Drive and Kinro Court, where police arrested the driver, 23-year-old Otha Henri Nowlin.

Nowlin was taken to the Elkhart Police Department, where he battered two employees of the department, Snyder said.

He was booked at the Elkhart County Jail on preliminary charges of motor vehicle theft, resisting law enforcement, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and two counts of battery.

Nowlin is being held without bond, Snyder said.

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