Fugitive arrested after 2-county car chase in Indiana

A Harrison County, Ind., man wanted by law enforcement since February was arrested Monday following a nearly hourlong car chase across two counties, with speeds exceeding 100 mph.

Ian Goebel, in his early 30s, was arrested Monday afternoon, said Harrison County Sherriff’s Department Chief Deputy Wayne Kessinger.

As of 6:30 p.m., he was at Harrison County Jail but had not yet been booked, and his charges had not been determined.

Goebel had been pursued for several months by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Harrison County Sherriff’s Department over alleged production and dealing of methamphetamine and other drug-related charges, Kessinger said.

Goebel was first pursued by police — and evaded arrest — on Feb. 10, after a car chase spanning multiple counties, in which the car he was riding in collided with a police officer traveling on foot. The officer suffered a concussion and a leg injury as a result of the collision, Kessinger said.

Goebel also sustained an injury and was transferred to University of Louisville Hospital, where he received treatment.

Two weeks after the incident, Kessinger said he called the hospital to check on the status of Goebel and discovered the suspect had been released.

Kessinger said law enforcement had typically been informed when a suspect was to be released from the hospital but said hospital personnel told him the information could not be released due to patient privacy rules.

University of Louisville Hospital spokesman David McArthur said if an individual is to be taken into custody after treatment, it is generally the law enforcement agency’s responsibility to keep track of the status of the patient.

Goebel was spotted at 11 a.m. Monday in New Salisbury, Ind. Police saw Goebel get into a gold vehicle with the driver of the car. Police pursued the car about 15 minutes until the car went airborne, Kessinger said, at which point Goebel boarded a black Nissan. The pursuit resumed and spanned about 45 miles across Harrison and Washington counties.

About noon, Washington County law enforcement chased the black Nissan into a wheat field off Orchard Road in Salem, Ind.

Kessinger said the drivers of the cars, Steven Mattlock and Kayla Sizemore, were both arrested and charged with assisting a criminal and resisting law enforcement. They attempted to run three other cars off the road during the pursuit, but there were no injuries, Kessinger said . Sizemore was also charged with criminal recklessness and operating a vehicle while unlicensed.

Mattlock and Sizemore are being held at the Harrison County Jail.

Reporter Kirsten Clark can be reached at (502) 582-4144 or on Twitter by following @kirstenlmclark.