Gary, IN - Suspect admits to Theft of Griffith Indiana Police Squad Car - Crashed Squad Car
Gary Man, 32, Admits to Theft of Squad Car
April 29, 2007
Post-Tribune Staff Report
A Gary man admitted he stole a pickup in Kankakee, Ill. and a Griffith police
squad car, which he wrecked in Cady Marsh Ditch.
Troy Michael O'Brian, 32, of the 4800 block of West 26th Avenue, pleaded guilty
to a single count of auto theft and faces from two to eight years in prison.
Though he admitted he stole the Griffith Police Car and damaged it, he did not
plead guilty to a charge specifically related to the police car's destruction.
O'Brian has a prior auto theft conviction in Lake County from May 2003, which
elevated the auto theft count to a Class C felony. O'Brian also was habitual
offender eligible, which would have enhanced his sentence by several years if he
were to have been convicted at his trial scheduled to begin Monday.
Griffith police Sgt. Jeffery Gang saw O'Brian driving a Chevrolet pickup
belonging to Joseph Rademacher on Nov. 11 and knew the truck had been reported
stolen. O'Brian fled from Gang, who left his marked 2006 Chevrolet Impala squad
car running as he searched for O'Brian.
O'Brian circled back around, jumped in Gang's police cruiser and fled,
driving into Cady Marsh Ditch. The event was caught on police videotape.
O'Brian then knocked on the door of off-duty police Cpl. Ryan Bottiger, who had
been monitoring the pursuit on his police radio. Bottiger ordered O'Brian to the
ground, but the man took off running again and was later captured in the 1300
block of North Woodlawn Street.
The plea agreement calls for defense attorney Paul Stracci and Deputy Prosecutor
Richard Haas to argue their positions on an appropriate sentence.
In exchange for pleading guilty to the auto theft charge, remaining
felony charges of resisting law enforcement and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor
charge of driving with a suspended license and an infraction of failure to
signal a turn will be dropped.
O'Brian's sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 22