Late Night Pursuit Into St John Ends With Suspect Hitting Squad Car
On Thursday, December 12, 2024 at about 11:49 PM, Cedar Lake Police Sgt. Ryan Miller and Cpl. Doug Machalk were alerted by another driver of a possible intoxicated driver who almost struck them.
That vehicle was located and observed at N. Lake Shore Drive and Cline Ave and had struck the curb and stopped. Sgt. Ryan Miller activated his emergency lights and began to exit his vehicle when the 2015 Buick Encore driven by David Piceno a white male, age 45, from St. John drove off north on Cline Ave.
Sgt. Miller, Cpl. Machalk and K9 Officer Ben Tomko ultimately gave chase of Piceno who refused to stop and traveled into St. John. St. John Police, Crown Point, and Lake County Sheriff’s Police also assisted in the attempt to stop Piceno. David Piceno struck the front of Sgt. Miller’s patrol vehicle when he turned around and continued to flee. Lake County Sheriffs Police then performed a PIT maneuver which disabled Piceno’s vehicle on W. 101 Ave near Cline Ave.
Once stopped Piceno continued to refuse orders to exit his vehicle. Officer Ben Tomko’s K9 partner K9 Johnny was then deployed to apprehend Piceno, who was then taken into custody by Officers. Piceno was verbally combative and uncooperative with Officers and refused chemical testing, as he was suspected of being intoxicated.
Piceno was lodged in the Lake County Jail and charged with;
Count I: Resisting law enforcement 6 Felony,
Count Il: Operating while intoxicated endangering a person A Misdemeanor,
Count III: Failure of duty B Misdemeanor,
Count IV: Operating while intoxicated C Misdemeanor,
Count V: Reckless driving C Misdemeanor.
