Remington man arrested in theft of WL hardware store

A man a police officer recognized as a suspect involved in two active theft investigations led officers on a chase before being arrested later Monday afternoon.

About 3 p.m. Monday, a West Lafayette Police officer saw the vehicle and driver traveling northbound on U.S. 231 near Cumberland Avenue, according to a news release Tuesday.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle near the intersection of U.S. 231 and Sagamore Parkway West, and the driver allegedly threw a bag of suspected methamphetamine out of the window and continued driving, disregarding the officers’ emergency lights.

The vehicle turned north on Morehouse Road. WLPD officers terminated the pursuit in the interest of public safety, according to the release.

A short time later, an Indiana state Police trooper found the vehicle and was able to successfully stop the car at a convenience store near Interstate 65 and U.S. 24. The driver was detained and transported back to Tippecanoe County.

Officers later were able to positively link the driver of the vehicle, identified as Austin D. Schultz, to two thefts in West Lafayette. A search warrant was served at Schultz’s residence in Remington, Indiana, and stolen power tools related to a theft from the West Lafayette Ace Hardware store on Saturday were recovered, police said. A license plate that had been stolen in a related incident at a nearby apartment complex was also recovered from Schultz’s vehicle.

Schultz, 29, faces preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and two counts of theft.

Schultz is in the Tippecanoe County Jail as of Tuesday morning without bond, according to jail records.

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