Greencastle man charged with leading officers on 100+ mph pursuit
Elkhart County Jail ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. -- A Greencastle man faces three federal charges after allegedly leading officers on a wild high-speed chase.
44-year-old Jose Monarrez is charged with Resisting Law Enforcement by drawing or using a weapon, Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun with a prior felony conviction and Resisting Law Enforcement by using a vehicle.
The incident happened Saturday, June 20 in and around Goshen. Arrest documents say a Goshen police officer attempted to Monarrez over near 603 West Pike Street for crossing the center line and having a leaky/loud exhaust. Monarrez allegedly failed to yield and continued gaining speed as he drove away.
Officers tried and failed to disable the vehicle with STOP sticks. Monarrez allegedly left Goshen city limits westbound at speeds exceeding 70 mph; investigators say the chase eventually looped back to city limits with Monarrez exceeding speeds of roughly 100 mph.
The chase eventually led to the Brookside Manor mobile home park. Monarrez allegedly looped out of the park, exited onto Elkhart Road, and drove recklessly through downtown Goshen. The chase returned to Brookside, where police say Monarrez parked in a lot and ran toward a trailer. He allegedly tried to ram the back door down to get in. Officers saw a handgun fall from Monarrez's hands and onto the steps. The gun was later found to be loaded with 10 rounds.
Court documents say Monarrez violently resisted arrest; he also allegedly spit blood at an officer. Investigators later found he had four valid warrants for his arrest.
Monarrez has a pre-trial hearing set for July 23; his preliminary trial date is November 16.