A Winona Lake man is behind bars after intentionally driving his truck into a building running from Warsaw City police.
On January 10, a Warsaw City Police officer observed a purple Ford Ranger spinning its tires northbound and accelerate. The officer followed the truck and activated his emergency lights after the truck was exceeding the speed limit and changing lanes without signaling, according to court records.
The truck swerved like it was going to turn right, then turned left eastbound into a parking lot and ran into and through the overhead garage door at Union Tool in Warsaw.
The officer approached the truck and the subjects were trying to exit, as if attempting to run, but could not due to debris blocking their path.
The officer removed the subjects from the truck and identified the driver as Dustin Alsman, 28, of Winona Lake, and a male passenger.
Alsman was given three field sobriety tests and failed them all and refused to submit to a chemical test, he also had a suspended driver’s license.
Another Warsaw officer was called in and his drug K9 conducted a search of the truck. The K9 was alerted to the presence of illegal drugs. Officers searched the Ford Ranger and found two oval blue pills, identified as alprazolam, a schedule IV controlled substance. A hypodermic needle was also located in the vehicle.
A search warrant was obtained for Alsman’s blood and he was transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital to collect the sample.
While at the hospital, police noticed Alsman had fresh needle tracks on his right arm. Alsman admitted he injects half a gram of methamphetamine every other day, and he had last injected himself the day before.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, Alsman admitted to running his truck into the building as an attempt to commit suicide, intentionally placing his passenger in danger.
Officers searched Alsman and located a plastic bag that contained a white powder substance that field tested positive for meth.
He was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on Jan. 11.
Alsman is charged with possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; possession of a syringe, a level 6 felony; criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony; driving while suspended, a class A misdemeanor; and criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor.
His bond was set at $5,250.
