NEW PARIS, Preble County — A man was arrested after he was found hiding on top of straw bales during a police chase in Preble County on Thursday, according to New Paris Police Department Chief Joel Protzman.
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The Preble County Sheriff’s Office sent out a BOLO, or a “be on the lookout” message, for a man with felony warrants traveling through the county.
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A New Paris Police Department police officer saw a car that matched the description of the BOLO and tried to stop it.
Protzman said the car also had an expired registration.
The passenger reportedly gave the officer a fake name.
The officer learned that the passenger was Jerry Blanken soon after.
According to Protzman, Blanken was wanted on warrants in Darke and Montgomery counties.
Blanken got out of the car after the officer asked, but he reportedly resisted arrest.
He was able to run away after wrestling the officer to the ground, Protzman said.
Other New Paris police officers, Preble County Sheriff’s deputies and Lewisburg Police Department officers were called to help.
Blanken ran through multiple yards and then hid on top of straw bales at Riegel Feed and Grain on N Washington Street, Protzman said.
Authorities found Blanken and arrested him without incident.
The officer sustained a minor abrasion, bruising and a scratch from the “hand-to-hand struggle,” according to Protzman.
Blanken suffered minor injuries after running through a creek, shrubs, and a wooded area with no shirt on.
Medics treated Blanken on scene, but he was released shortly after.
Blanken was booked into the Preble County Jail on preliminary charges of resisting arrest and obstructing official business.
He remains booked in jail at this time, according to Preble County Jail records.
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