Stolen Truck Rams Through Car-X Bay Door After Overnight Burglary
On Wednesday, August 31, 2022 Porter County 911 Center received a call from a citizen stating an auto theft had just occurred at the Car-X Tire & Auto located at 6693 US Highway 6. The caller advised dispatch that the red pick up truck was eastbound US 6.
A Portage Officer observed the vehicle near McCool Road & Squirrel Creek Avenue a few minutes later. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle the suspect accelerated and fled. As the suspect vehicle went over the railroad tracks just north of that location it went airborne approximately 150 feet. The truck came down on the east side of the road knocking over 4 mailboxes and hitting a telephone pole before coming to a stop on its roof, Portage Police said.
As the officer approached the vehicle the suspect fled on foot. Portage Police established a perimeter and a Portage K9 was able to track the suspect to a backyard in the 2300 block of Niagara St. The suspect who was hiding under a pool deck came out without further incident and was identified as 49-year-old Danny Lee Sloan of Portage.
Portage Officers arriving at the Car-X discovered the business had been burglarized and the pick up truck was stolen from that location. Surveillance video showed Sloan breaking into the register and stealing currency then stealing the red pick up truck parked inside a repair bay. Sloan drove the truck through the glass door of the bay as he fled the scene. Officer retraced the path of the vehicle and recovered several items for evidence including the currency.
Sloan was medically evaluated for injuries from the crash and later lodged at The Porter County Jail. Sloan has been charged with the following:
Burglary – Level 2 Felony
Motor Vehicle Theft – Level 6 Felony
Resisting Arrest – A Misdemeanor
Theft – A Misdemeanor
OWI – A Misdemeanor
Criminal Mischief – A Misdemeanor
Leaving The Scene Of An Accident –
B Misdemeanor
