A car break-in call in Jeffersonville's Northaven neighborhood turned into a foot chase through backyards before sunrise, ending when officers found the suspect hiding in a resident's swimming pool. Jeffersonville police responded at 3:57 a.m. to reports of suspects breaking into vehicles in the area, according to a report from WDRB.
Officers brought in K-9 Lobo to track the suspect while a police drone circled overhead, spotting a person running through residents' backyards, as reported by WDRB. The combination of aerial surveillance and ground tracking led officers directly to the suspect, who had ended up in a neighborhood swimming pool. Clark County 911 assisted with the search, and Jeffersonville police ultimately took the suspect into custody at the pool.
K-9 Lobo Closes In Without Incident
K-9 Lobo chased the suspect and assisted in the arrest, though the dog did not make physical contact with him, per the same account. Once the suspect was in custody, officers rewarded Lobo with his toy. The drone pilot who helped guide the search from the air worked alongside ground units throughout the pursuit, the report notes.
Jeffersonville police have not released the suspect's name or detailed information about potential charges. It remains unclear how many vehicles were targeted or what, if anything, was stolen during the break-ins that prompted the early-morning response.
A Growing Toolkit for a Fast-Growing City
K-9 Lobo, a Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix, joined the Jeffersonville Police Department in July 2024 alongside handler Officer Jonathan Happel, trained in tracking, suspect apprehension, and firearms detection, according to the department. The pairing followed the April 2024 retirement of longtime K-9 Flex, who served 11 years alongside Sgt. Denver Leverett in a unit that once drew national attention on A&E's Live PD, per a post shared in a local Facebook group.
The department's drone team is formally organized as a specialized unit within its patrol division, alongside K-9, SWAT, Traffic Crash Investigation and River Patrol teams, the Jeffersonville Police Department says. In July, the drone team assisted SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Teams in locating and arresting a barricaded suspect on East 8th Street following a stabbing report, a case Hoodline covered in its report on the hours-long standoff. Just weeks before the Northaven arrest, the city also deployed a new $1.3 million mobile command center equipped with thermal FPV drone systems, described by officials as a mini police department on wheels, according to WLKY. According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, FAA-certified drone operators are available to assist with hazmat and fire incidents and searches. Bloomington's UAV policy says operators may not fly directly over people who are not under safe cover, except for people involved in the UAV operation.
Break-Ins Have Been a Regional Concern
The Northaven arrest came about five weeks after Jeffersonville police issued a public warning about so-called parking lot pirates targeting vehicles in the city's Central District, which led to a separate arrest and recovery of stolen goods, WDRB reported at the time. Jeffersonville's population has grown by more than 10% since 2020, roughly twice the national growth rate, driven largely by expansion at the River Ridge Commerce Center, according to the police department, which has cited that growth as a reason for expanding its technology and staffing. According to the Indiana State Police, its statewide crime-statistics program covers larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft, among other common crimes.
In June 2024, the Jeffersonville City Council approved an updated compensation and incentive package for experienced officers, including take-home vehicles and specialized unit assignments, aimed at keeping patrol units fully staffed, per the department. Under Indiana law, unauthorized entry of a vehicle without the owner's consent is generally a Class B misdemeanor, but it can escalate to a Class A misdemeanor if there's evidence of steering column damage or ignition tampering, or to a Level 6 felony if the entry furthers another crime, according to FindLaw. Separately, theft of property valued under $750 is typically a Class A misdemeanor, while theft between $750 and $50,000, or involving a firearm, can be charged as a Level 6 felony carrying up to 2.5 years in prison, per the Vanderpool Law Firm. It is not yet known whether any of those enhancements apply in this case, since police have not disclosed the suspect's identity or the specifics of any charges.
