Officers arrest North Vernon suspect after crash

JENNINGS COUNTY – Jennings County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a church around 2:40 a.m. Friday because a vehicle crashed into a ditch following a verbal altercation between a man and a woman.

Jennings County deputies said the woman told the dispatcher that during the argument, the man told the woman to get out of the vehicle. He then got into the driver’s seat and drove away before crashing into the ditch near the church parking lot.

A short time later, Deputy Blake Maynard arrived at the scene. The woman told Maynard that the man fled through an open field behind the church. Maynard observed the man running across the open area and initiated a foot pursuit. After a lengthy foot chase, Maynard took the man into custody, officials said.

The male subject was identified as Andrew Eli Saenz-Munoz, 21, of North Vernon. He was taken to the hospital for blood work and release. He was then transported to the Jennings County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $1,055 bail.

The preliminary charges against him are:

• Driving a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol – Endangerment – ​​Class A Misdemeanor
• Auto Theft – Level 6 Felony
• Criminal Recklessness – Class B Misdemeanor
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident – ​​Class B Misdemeanor
• Driving a vehicle without ever obtaining a driver’s license – Class A misdemeanor
• Resisting Law Enforcement – ​​Class A Misdemeanor

They were assisted by Reserve Deputy Cory Hulsizer, the North Vernon Police Department, Jennings County Dispatch and Lees Wrecker Service.