Man Arrested following Short Pursuit

August 8th, 2026

A North Vernon man is in jail after fleeing from police and crashing in his Dodge Charger.

At 6:17 pm on August 7^th, 2026, a Columbus Police Department sergeant observed a black Dodge Charger driving recklessly on Central Avenue. The vehicle turned eastbound onto 8^th Street and sped off. A nearby witness told the sergeant that the vehicle went southbound on Gladstone Avenue. The sergeant relayed the information to other patrol officers. A CPD officer was on Gladstone Avenue near Illinois Avenue when the Charger passed her going southbound. According to radar, the Charger was traveling 55 mile per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.

The officer turned around and activated her emergency lights and siren. The Charger went through the red light at State Street and continued southbound on Gladstone Avenue. The driver then tried to evade the officer and went into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle then attempted to speed back onto Gladstone Avenue from the parking lot and travel south. However, the driver lost control and crashed through a street sign and into a fence.

The driver got out of the car and surrendered to officers. He was identified as Cameron Lee, 22 of North Vernon. Lee reported minor injuries from the crash and was taken to the hospital. After being released from the hospital, he was remanded to the Bartholomew County Jail for the preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a level 6 felony, and reckless driving, a class C misdemeanor.

Lee’s Charger was impounded.

All charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.