A Franklin woman was arrested after a multi-county car chase and three-hour manhunt in Shelby County.
Danielle Anne Goodwin, 35, was arrested on charges of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a Level 6 felony, driving while suspended, failure to stop after an accident, reckless driving and criminal mischief. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what, if any, charges to file.
A deputy tried to stop Goodwin about 7 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 31, near Nineveh Road, after she merged into another lane without signaling. She fled south, slowly accelerating until she reached speeds of more than 100 mph, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office report.
Goodwin turned east onto County Road 250 South. During the turn, she lost control of the vehicle, striking a Johnson County REMC utility pole. She did not stop, the report said.
She continued east, ignoring several stop signs, according to the report.
Goodwin turned east on Greensburg Road, then south on County Road 800 East, then east on County Road 600 South in Shelby County, continuing to ignore stop signs. She made several forced turns until she ended up on County Road 600 West, where she slowed down and turned sharply into a Shelby County farmer’s cornfield, causing up to $50,000 worth of damage, the report said.
The deputy stopped and waited for another deputy with a K9 to arrive. Together, they located the car several hundred yards in, but no one was in it, according to the report. Deputies found Goodwin’s driver’s license in the passenger seat, and the car appeared to have been stolen due to several loose wires in and around the steering console and a mismatched license plate.
Several deputies from Johnson and Shelby counties, five K9s, an Indiana State Police helicopter and a drone searched several corn and bean fields for about three hours Tuesday night. Deputies located Goodwin at 10:27 p.m. in a nearby field and arrested her.
Goodwin was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital to be checked for injuries, then to the Johnson County jail, where she is held on $3,200 bond.
A search showed her driver’s license had been suspended for nine years, but was up for re-eligibility in November, the report said.
