Vehicle Pursuit Ends in Ripley County; Suspect Taken into Custody

The pursuit happened on July 4th.

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(Ripley County, Ind.) - On Saturday, July 4, at approximately 10:42 a.m., Ripley County Dispatch was notified that the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office was pursuing a vehicle that had entered Ripley County.

Deputies with the Ripley County Sheriff's Office assisted the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office by positioning along U.S. 421 near Correct to help bring the pursuit to a safe conclusion. Deputy Justin Batchelor successfully deployed a tire deflation device, disabling the suspect vehicle, a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade.

The driver, later identified as Parish Elijah Isiash Washington Collier Murphy, age 40, of Cincinnati, Ohio, turned west onto County Road 550 South after striking the tire deflation device. Murphy continued west on County Road 550 South before losing control of the vehicle near the intersection of County Road 550 South and County Road 350 West.

After the vehicle lost control and crashed, Murphy fled on foot into a nearby field and headed west toward County Road 400 West. A K-9 team from the Madison Police Department was a part of the pursuit and initiated a track after Murphy crashed the vehicle. Murphy was subsequently located and surrendered without further incident.

During the investigation, deputies confirmed that Murphy had an active outstanding warrant for his arrest in Ohio. Officers also located a suspected controlled substance during the incident. Any additional charges will be determined as the investigation progresses.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is the lead investigating agency and will release any additional information regarding the investigation and any related charges.