A Frankfort man was arrested on Friday following a 50-minute negotiation by officers for his involvement in a crash that resulted in serious injury in April.
On Aug. 15, Frankfort Police Department officers reportedly attempted to arrest Jonathan Worth, 34, of Frankfort for a warrant in the 1600 block of East McClurg Street in Frankfort as he was wanted for a prior police pursuit that resulted in a serious injury crash on April 23 this year.
Once officers surrounded the house, an attempt was made for Worth to exit the residence, which resulted in a fifty-minute negotiation that resulted in Worth exiting the residence where he was arrested without further incident, officers say.
Multiple charges were filed by the Clinton County Prosecutor, including resisting law enforcement with a vehicle that caused catastrophic injury, Level 3 Felony, causing catastrophic injury when operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Level 4 Felony, and resisting law enforcement with a vehicle that causes serious injury, Level 5 felony.
The public has been reminded that all parties involved with the case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Initial Report of Incident from April 23, 2024 by Carl Gingerich:
A stakeout of a reportedly known “drug house” in Frankfort on Tuesday afternoon resulted in a pursuit, an arrest and an unsubstantiated bomb threat that officers believed are connected.
On Tuesday, April 23, members of the Frankfort Police Department Special Operations Division and Patrol Division were reportedly observing a house on Ohio Street known to law enforcement to contain illicit substances when a patrol unit observed a vehicle exit the residence and commit a traffic infraction that led to an attempted traffic stop in the area of Jefferson Street and John Street.
Police report that the driver, who was later identified as Jonathan Worth, 33, of Frankfort fled from the pursuing officer to Kyger Street where he turned westbound. After a brief pursuit, Worth attempted to flee onto a one-way street at the corner of Rossville Avenue and Kyger Street where he proceeded to drive in the wrong direction, striking a southbound vehicle at the curve, which was driven by Michael Sparks, 57, of Zionsville, authorities report. The crash reportedly resulted in both drivers being transported to IU Health Arnett Hospital in Lafayette.
Police report that Worth’s injuries from the collision prevented his arrest and booking at the jail currently, but due to the serious bodily injury caused by the crash, authorities ordered a toxicology report on Worth, which is currently pending. Police stated that both drivers were being treated for their injuries as of Tuesday evening.
Following the collision and first responder aid, units reportedly returned to the 450 Block of W. Ohio St. where police observed a wanted female entering the house, which led to a search warrant being requested.
Authorities report that while the warrant request was being processed, a bomb threat was called into the Frankfort Walmart, but the warrant was eventually granted and units arrested Breanna Wessell, 28, of Frankfort on three warrants, with two of the warrants out of Clinton County for Failure to Appear and one Boone County warrant.
Officers began responding to the bomb threat that was called in during the warrant request, and the threat caused law enforcement to close the Walmart located in the 2400 Block of E. Wabash St. in Frankfort for nearly two hours as bomb-sniffing K-9s from the Tippecanoe County Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit were dispatched to the area.
Officers reported that no evidence of a bomb was located in the area, and detectives and officers began reviewing the evidence from the case, which led to a statement from authorities that evidence pointed to the call being placed to Clinton County Central Dispatch in an attempt to compel officers to leave the residence on West Ohio Street.
Reports showed that multiple officers responded to the call while off-duty to work the scene at West Ohio Street and the Walmart while also covering other calls in the city. Chief Scott Shoemaker shared his thoughts as the day drew to a close and the investigations begin to unravel new evidence.
“Today’s events were caused by two individuals who have a lengthy criminal history,” Shoemaker said. “Our detectives will relentlessly investigate the bomb threat evidence to present a case to the Clinton County Prosecutor for charges. Our thoughts are with the uninvolved driver who was struck by Mr. Worth.”
Assisting agencies included the Frankfort Fire Department, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Clinton County Central Dispatch and Clinton County EMS.
