Indianapolis Woman Charged After Stolen Plow Truck Chase Ends in Schererville Crash
Ashley Marie Converse, a 34-year-old Indianapolis woman, is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges in Lake Superior Court after a stolen vehicle pursuit ended in a crash and foot chase in Schererville.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police observed a gold Chevrolet Silverado with a large red snow plow attached traveling on U.S. 41 near Willowbrook Drive at approximately 10:44 a.m. on December 19, 2025. The driver appeared to be a white female and was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Before spotting the truck, police had reviewed Lake County calls for service and noted that the Gary Police Department was investigating a vehicle that had just been stolen from the Pilot Gas Station at 2501 Burr Street in Gary while the registered owner was inside the store. The reporting party later told police that a white female wrapped in a blanket took the truck and said the vehicle was stolen with a firearm inside.
Police later confirmed the Indiana license plate matched the stolen truck. As the vehicle traveled southbound on U.S. 41, the driver was observed swerving over the solid white line multiple times, according to court records.
When emergency lights and sirens were activated to initiate a traffic stop, the driver instead accelerated and fled, continuing southbound on U.S. 41. The affidavit states the truck reached speeds of approximately 70 miles per hour in a posted 45-mile-per-hour zone, continued through multiple intersections, and disregarded traffic signals.
As the vehicle approached U.S. 41 and Parker Place, police observed the snow plow raise up, as if the driver was going to use it to plow through traffic. The truck continued through the red light at a high rate of speed, recklessly endangering motorists and bystanders, court records state.
Near the Walmart entrance on U.S. 41, the driver made a sudden steering movement, crossed the median into oncoming lanes of traffic, lost control, ran over a curb, and crashed into a ditch.
The driver then exited the vehicle and fled on foot, running eastbound toward Strack and Van Til, then turning northbound. Police yelled clearly and loudly for the woman to show her hands, but she did not comply with lawful commands. The woman later ran back toward U.S. 41, where bystanders alerted police that she was hiding under a box truck.
Police located the woman hiding underneath the truck in the parking lot of 1535 U.S. 41, near the Tandoor Restaurant. She was ordered to crawl out and complied before being placed into wrist restraints.
A Bureau of Motor Vehicles inquiry showed Converse possessed only a regular Indiana identification card and that her driving privileges were suspended prior. Court records state she was previously convicted of driving while suspended in Marion Superior Court in 2017.
Police later confirmed the firearm reported stolen with the truck was recovered inside the vehicle and returned to its owner at the scene. Gary police also responded and advised that charges related to the auto theft would be filed separately.
After being advised of her Miranda rights, Converse stated she did not wish to speak without a lawyer present. She was later released from the hospital, transported to the Lake County Jail, medically cleared, and booked.
Lodged in the Lake CountyJail.
Charges filed December 20,2025:
Felony Charges
• Resisting Law Enforcement – Defendant Uses a Vehicle (Level 6 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – Defendant Operates a Vehicle and Creates a Substantial Risk (Level 6 Felony)
• Driving While Suspended – Knowing Violation With Prior Conviction (Class A Misdemeanor)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – Fleeing on Foot (Class A Misdemeanor)
• Reckless Driving (Class C Misdemeanor)
Infractions:
• Disregarding an Official Traffic Control Device – Involves Bodily Injury
• Unsafe Lane Movement
• Speeding
• No Valid Driver’s License
