Mini Cooper Goes Off Road During Police Pursuit
On Tuesday, May 7th, 2024 at 1:50 PM while on routine patrol Cedar Lake Officer Alexis Dills observed a 2006 Red Mini Cooper driven by Solomon J. Pearson, 45, of Hammond, Indiana. Officer Dills recognized Pearson as a known drug user from previous encounters and who also had an active warrant from a previous unrelated drug arrest which occurred on April 25th, 2024 by Sgt. Tim Kilgore of the Cedar Lake Police Department. Pearson was known to frequent the Cedar Lake area and the vehicle he was driving is registered to a female who resides in Cedar Lake.
Officer Dills attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Pearson, who was already fleeing northbound on Wicker Ave (US 41) at a high rate of speed when he saw Officer Dills in her marked police vehicle. Officer Dills pursued Pearson northbound to W. 109th Ave. Pearson turned westbound on W. 109th Ave and crossed Calumet Ave, where the rear hatch of his vehicle opened and items
fell onto the roadway. Pearson came to a dead end on W. 109th Ave and then drove off-road, where he became stuck in a swampy field. Officer Dills and Officer Ben King then took Pearson into custody after Pearson exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.
Pearson was taken to the Lake County Jail on the warrant for drugs. Additional charges will be filed for possession of a controlled substance, dealing in a controlled substance, resisting law enforcement, reckless driving, and several traffic-related infractions.
Cedar Lake Officers were assisted by St. John Police and the Lake County Sheriff’s Police. “We commend Officer Dills for her attention to detail and her performance while serving the citizens of Cedar Lake,” Cedar Lake Deputy Chief Carl Brittingham said.
