- The hit and run suspect who fled from a sheriff’s deputy yesterday is now in custody. Mr.Nathan Wayne Barenfanger was arrested by the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office and will soon be transferred to the custody of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest stems from a traffic stop that took place this past Wednesday afternoon in the area of W. Virginia Street near Deaconess Hospital. A Sheriff’s Office sergeant assigned to Joint Drug Task Force observed a speeding black 2005 Chevrolet Malibu and attempted to pull the vehicle over. The driver failed to stop, fleeing at speeds exceeding 84 mph in a 30 mph zone. The pursuit lasted less than a minute before the pursuing deputy lost sight of the vehicle.
The Sheriff’s Office was then notified that the suspect vehicle had stuck two cars that were parked at E. Michigan Street and N. Evans Avenue. The driver and his female passenger fled on foot and were able to elude capture. The suspects obtained transportation by approaching an unsuspecting motorist who unwittingly drove them outside the search perimeter while it was still being established by the Sheriff’s Office and the Evansville Police Department.
Evidence recovered from the wrecked vehicle along with information obtained from a witness allowed the Sheriff’s Office to identify Mr. Barenfanger as the driver and Ms. Kayla Dawn (Mangold) Reed as the passenger. Mr. Barenfanger had a suspended license and active felony warrants for forgery, counterfeiting and traffic related offenses at the time he fled. Ms. Reed had multiple felony warrants related to narcotics dealing out of Warrick County.
Acting on information provided by the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, this morning the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office located both suspects hiding in the attic of Ms. Reed’s mother’s residence located at 900 S. Yankeetown Road. Ms. Reed reportedly stated that the pair were preparing to flee to Florida.
ARRESTED:
Nathan Wayne Barenfanger (pictured above from May of 2015), 26, of Evansville. Resisting Law Enforcement with a Motor Vehicle as a Level 6 Felony, Criminal Recklessness as a Class A Misdemeanor, Reckless Driving as a Class B Misdemeanor, Hit and Run as a Class B Misdemeanor (2 counts), Driving While License Suspended as a Class A Misdemeanor, Operating While License Never Received as Class C Misdemeanor, Speeding as a Class C Infraction, Disregarding an Automatic Signal as a Class C Infraction
Kayla Dawn (Mangold) Reed (picture above), 26, of Boonville. Image courtesy of the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office.
