A 30-year-old man wanted on domestic battery and invasion of privacy warrants led La Porte County sheriff's deputies on a chase spanning six townships on August 6, 2026, a pursuit that ended only after his SUV went into a waterway and deputies pulled him from the water unconscious. Jacob A. Gilmore was arrested on more than a dozen charges, including two felony counts of resisting law enforcement, once he was revived and taken into custody.
According to the La Porte County Sheriff's Office, the encounter began when Deputy Xavier Biggerstaff spotted a GMC sport utility vehicle traveling west on U.S. 20 near the Terrace Acres Mobile Home Park, located at 1204 West U.S. Highway 20 in Michigan City, according to a mobile home park directory. Biggerstaff recognized the vehicle as one associated with Gilmore, who was wanted on a Class A misdemeanor domestic battery warrant and a Level 6 felony invasion of privacy warrant, the sheriff's office said. After observing a traffic violation, the deputy attempted a stop near U.S. 20 and County Line Road, but the SUV briefly halted before accelerating south on County Line Road as Biggerstaff was preparing to exit his patrol car, triggering the pursuit.
Chase Stretched the Length of the County
The pursuit wound through Coolspring, New Durham, Scipio, Clinton, Cass, and Dewey townships, according to the sheriff's office. As reported by Region News Source, that route carried the chase across the entire north-to-south span of La Porte County before it ended near the Starke County border. At one point Gilmore turned onto Horseshoe Bend Road, also known as Millers Lane, according to the sheriff's office account.
The chase came to a violent stop when the GMC left the roadway and became partially submerged in a waterway. Deputies ordered Gilmore to comply, but he refused and instead swam farther away from them into murky water, per the sheriff's office. Deputies Xavier Biggerstaff, Jet Balenia, and Austin Wells entered the water after Gilmore went under.
Water Rescue and a Foot-Chase Attempt
Deputy Austin Wells located Gilmore in the water, brought him to the surface, and swam with him toward the shoreline, the sheriff's office said. Once ashore, deputies provided immediate medical attention. After regaining consciousness, Gilmore attempted to flee on foot before he was finally taken into custody, according to the department's account. He was then transported for medical treatment.
Gilmore now faces a lengthy list of charges stemming from the incident, including Level 5 felony resisting law enforcement, Level 6 felony resisting law enforcement, and Level 6 felony escape, along with misdemeanor counts of aggressive driving, criminal recklessness, and two counts of operating while intoxicated. He was also booked on Level 6 felony possession of cocaine or a narcotic drug and Class C misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia after allegedly being found smoking from a glass pipe, per the sheriff's office.
Under Indiana law, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle in a manner creating a substantial risk of bodily injury is a Level 5 felony carrying one to six years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to FindLaw. Separately, fleeing from lawful custody constitutes Level 6 felony escape under state law, punishable by six months to two and a half years in prison and fines up to $10,000, per statutory provisions published by the ATF. The invasion of privacy warrant Gilmore was wanted on had also been elevated to a Level 6 felony; violating a no-contact order is typically a Class A misdemeanor but rises to a felony when the offender has a prior unrelated conviction for invasion of privacy or stalking, according to the Gibson Law Office.
A Pattern of Prior Charges
This is not Gilmore's first serious brush with the law in La Porte County. In June 2026, ABC57 reported that he had been charged with Level 5 felony unlawful carrying of a handgun with a prior felony conviction and Level 6 felony possession of a narcotic drug, along with multiple OWI misdemeanors, following an alleged drunken hit-and-run crash in La Porte on May 15, 2026. Court records cited by ABC57 also show Gilmore was previously convicted of Level 5 felony possession of methamphetamine in 2022 and faced a prior domestic battery charge in March 2026.
His record stretches back further still. In October 2019, 95.3 MNC reported that a then-24-year-old Gilmore was arrested in rural Clinton Township on two Level 3 felony counts and one Level 4 felony count of criminal confinement, along with Level 5 felony domestic battery, Level 5 felony intimidation, and Level 6 felony strangulation.
Deputies and Agencies Involved
The sheriff's office credited a wide roster of personnel and agencies with assisting in the pursuit and arrest, including Deputy Adam Needles, Sergeant Keith Wilson, and Deputy Alexander Nolan, as well as the Westville Police Department and the Starke County Sheriff's Office. La Porte County EMS, John's Garage, and the La Crosse Volunteer Fire Department also assisted at the scene, according to the department.
Biggerstaff, who first recognized Gilmore's vehicle and initiated the stop, graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in August 2023 and has completed three years with the agency's patrol division, according to a March 2026 social media post from the sheriff's office. The department also operates a specialized Fatal Alcohol Crash Team, established in 2012 through state grant funding, to investigate crashes and incidents involving suspected alcohol and narcotic impairment.
Gilmore remains in the custody of the sheriff's office following the arrest. As is standard, the sheriff's office noted that arrests and criminal charges are mere accusations, and that every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
