Sheriff’s Office Arrests Two Motorists Who Fled From Deputies

Two unrelated traffic stops performed by Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office deputies resulted in arrests after the drivers fled.

On Tuesday, December 29, 2020, at 1:06 AM, a sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a blue 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV for an equipment violation. The vehicle was traveling in the area of US HWY 41 and Maxwell Avenue at the time of the stop. The vehicle slowed for a brief moment before fleeing towards the inner-city.

The driver fled through inner-city streets and alleyways, before striking a utility pole in the 800 block of East Iowa Street. The driver then fled on foot. A concerned citizen reported the suspect’s location. With assistance from the Evansville Police Department, a Sheriff’s Office K-9 team located the suspect, later identified as Mr. Zachary Scott Pribble, hiding on the deck of a nearby residence.

Mr. Pribble was taken into custody and found to be in possession of a plastic bag containing a white crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

On Tuesday, December 29, 2020, at 11:46 PM, a sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a red 2003 Honda Accord after observing the driver failing to signal a turn. The vehicle was traveling in the area of Moline Drive and Westbrook Boulevard at the time of the stop. The vehicle accelerated and fled south of N. St. Joseph Avenue.

Deputies pursued the vehicle along county roads and city streets. At the time of the pursuit, very little traffic was present, and the suspect’s vehicle’s speed was not excessive.

Deputies continued pursuing as Evansville Police Department officers assisted with blocking intersections. As the vehicle neared the intersection of Covert Avenue and South Weinbach Avenue, the driver failed to negotiate a slight curve in the roadway. The vehicle then struck a light pole and came to a stop at the intersection.

Sheriff’s deputies and EPD officers placed the driver, Mr. Joshua Dale Irwin, into custody. Irwin was transported to a local hospital as a precaution and later booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on multiple felony charges. A passenger in the vehicle, a pregnant female, was treated by AMR paramedics and transported to St. Vincent Hospital for abdominal pain.

ARRESTED:

Zachary Scott Pribble, 28, of Evansville, IN. Dealing Methamphetamine with Enhancements as a Level 3 Felony, Possession of Methamphetamine with Enhancements as a Level 5 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement as a Class A Misdemeanor, Hit and Run as a Class B Misdemeanor, Operating Without Ever Receiving a License With a Prior Conviction as a Class A Misdemeanor, Operating without Insurance with a Prior Conviction as a Class C Misdemeanor, Reckless Driving as a Class A Misdemeanor.

Joshua Dale Irwin, 29, of Evansville, IN. Criminal Recklessness as a Level 6 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony, Operating Without Ever Receiving a License as a Class C Misdemeanor, Reckless Driving as a Class A Misdemeanor.

FOOTNOTE: Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.