On December 26, at 5:05 PM, Deputy Alex Pishkur joined in on a motor vehicle pursuit at the intersection of SR 39 and Pine Lake Avenue. The pursuit of the vehicle had been initiated by officers from the La Porte Police Department after it failed to yield for a traffic stop. In the 4900 north block of US 35, Deputy Pishkur took over the pursuit of the vehicle. The fleeing vehicle avoided a set of tire deflation devices (TDD’s) at the intersection of US 35 and US 20.
The vehicle traveled westbound on US 20 and merged onto westbound I-94. The vehicle avoided another set of TDD’s at the 21-mile marker of I-94. The fleeing vehicle exited I-94 onto SR 249 and struck a set of TDD’s that had been deployed by officers from the Portage Police Department. The vehicle continued northbound on SR 249, turned east onto US 12 and later onto SR 149. After traveling a short distance on SR 149, the driver stopped the vehicle.
The driver was taken into custody and identified as Thomas L. BASKIN (37 YOA) of Chicago, Illinois. He was transported to the La Porte County Jail (LCJ).
BASKIN was arrested for the following offenses:
- Resisting Law Enforcement, L6 Felony
- Warrant, IN DOC Parole Violation
- Warrant, Failure to Return, L6 Felony
- Warrant, Failure to Appear, C-Misdemeanor
- Aggressive Driving, A-Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving, C-Misdemeanor
- Possession of Marijuana, B-Misdemeanor
- Possession of Paraphernalia, C-Misdemeanor
BASKIN remains housed in the LCJ and is being held without bond.
Assisting: Sergeant Jeff Wright, Deputy Wade Wallace, Indiana State Police, Porter County Sheriff’s Office, Trail Creek Police Department
Arrests and criminal charges are mere accusations. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
