An Indiana fugitive facing attempted murder charges there waived his extradition hearing earlier this week.
Thomas Carl Townsend, 52, of Elkhart, Ind., was arrested in Winchester Dec. 29 after he crashed a stolen car near the intersection of Bypass Road and Fulton Road. He was captured following a brief foot pursuit.
Wednesday afternoon, Townsend pleaded guilty to second-degree wanton endangerment, second-degree fleeing or evading police and criminal attempt for receiving stolen property in Clark District Court. He was ordered to serve 270 days, but 256 of those days were conditionally discharged. He also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, and was sentenced to 30 days plus fines, according to court records.
The incident started around 6 a.m. when Winchester Police officer Marty Jackson attempted to stop a vehicle leaving a used car lot. The vehicle refused to stop and continued down Stamper Drive and Fulton Road. It then went through a red light at Bypass Road and struck another vehicle. Townsend ran briefly from officers, but was arrested. He received minor injuries in the crash.
