A routine shoplifting call outside an Elkhart department store turned into a felony case seven months in the making after 26-year-old Indianapolis resident Nakia Adams allegedly backed her SUV toward an off-duty deputy, sped off, and then broadsided another car — leaving a 17-year-old driver hospitalized. U.S. Marshals finally caught up with Adams at her Indianapolis home Tuesday, more than seven months after the January crash near Cassopolis and Bristol Streets in Elkhart.
According to Fox 59, an Elkhart County Sheriff's Office deputy was working an off-duty security job at a department store when he was alerted to a possible shoplifter near the intersection of Cassopolis Street and Emerson Drive. Per InkFreeNews, the encounter began around 12:13 p.m. on January 13, when the deputy, in full uniform, approached the suspect on foot in the parking lot.
When the uniformed deputy confronted her, authorities believe Adams failed to stop, according to Fox 59's reporting. She allegedly got into a beige 2012 Buick SUV and backed the vehicle toward the deputy before speeding away, forcing him to retrieve his marked Dodge Durango patrol vehicle to search for her, according to a report from WBIW.
A Two-Minute Chase Ends in a Broadside Collision
The pursuit itself lasted only about two minutes. Adams reportedly ignored a stop sign on Cassopolis Street during the chase, per Fox 59, before the deputy followed her southbound on Cassopolis Street as the sheriff's office deputy pursued her vehicle. At 12:15 p.m., Adams ran a red light at the intersection of Cassopolis and Bristol Streets, the same report from WBIW states, striking a dark gray Chevrolet passenger car that had entered the intersection on a green light and knocking it onto a sidewalk at the southeast corner. Her Buick reportedly struck the other vehicle on the driver's side, and Adams's own vehicle came to a halt on the south side of the intersection.
The Chevrolet was being driven by a 17-year-old girl, who was transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for medical treatment. Adams was also hospitalized following the crash, the same account notes, delaying the filing of formal charges while both she and the teenager recovered.
Why It Took Seven Months to File Charges
The gap between the January crash and this week's arrest traces back to a lengthy, independent investigation. The Indiana State Police handled both the crash reconstruction and toxicological analysis separately from local deputies, ultimately submitting criminal charges to the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office before a warrant was issued on August 31, according to WTHR. Indiana State Police announced Adams's arrest after that warrant was issued for her alleged role in the pursuit and crash, per Fox 59.
Once the warrant existed, it fell to federal authorities to close the loop. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service executed the warrant on Tuesday, detaining Adams at her Indianapolis home roughly 150 miles south of the Elkhart County crash scene, according to WTHR's reporting. She was brought to the Marion County Jail and now awaits extradition to Elkhart County, Fox 59 reports.
Felony Charges Carry Years of Prison Exposure
Adams faces two felony counts tied to the crash: resisting law enforcement causing serious bodily injury, a Level 4 felony, and causing serious bodily injury with a Schedule I or II substance in her body, a Level 5 felony, per Fox 59's report. Under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-3-1, fleeing a law enforcement officer in a vehicle is elevated to a Level 4 felony specifically when the driver's conduct causes serious bodily injury to another person, according to Justia Law.
A Level 4 felony conviction under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-5.5 carries a mandatory prison sentence range of 2 to 12 years, with an advisory starting sentence of 6 years and fines up to $10,000, Justia Law notes. The secondary Level 5 felony charge, under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-6, carries a range of 1 to 6 years with an advisory sentence of 3 years and fines up to $10,000. Trial judges weighing where a sentence falls within those ranges evaluate aggravating factors under Indiana Code § 35-38-1-7.1, such as the severity of the victim's injuries or a defendant's prior criminal record, according to attorney Mark Nicholson's analysis of the state's sentencing guidelines.
The case adds to a string of Indiana pursuit-related crashes that have drawn scrutiny in recent weeks, including a Michigan City chase that injured three. Adams's extradition hearing in Marion County, and the medical recovery status of the 17-year-old driver, remain unresolved as the case moves toward arraignment in Elkhart County.
