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An Indiana man is in custody after a pursuit that began in Hardin County ended after a wreck in LaRue County.

Dusten Sauer of Pendleton, Ind., faces multiple charges including first degree Fleeing or Evading Police, first degree Criminal Mischief, and third degree Assault following his arrest Tuesday.

According to the LaRue County Sheriff’s Office, on March 24 LaRue County Dispatch was notified of a pursuit involving a stolen vehicle by the Elizabethtown Police Department. The EPD said the vehicle was traveling toward LaRue County on Lincoln Parkway and the EPD terminated the pursuit at the county line. LaRue County Dispatch issued an Attempt to Locate on the vehicle.

The sheriff’s office says a deputy observed the vehicle near the intersection of Lincoln Parkway and Tonieville Road and activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle fled on Tonieville Road and then on McCubbins Road.

The suspect, later identified as Sauer, failed to negotiate a curve, resulting in a crash. Sauer fled the scene of the crash on foot, pursued by the deputy. After several hundred yards, the deputy reached Sauer, who the sheriff’s office says resisted arrest and attempted to assault the deputy. After a brief struggle, Sauer was taken into custody.

The sheriff’s office says Sauer was also served with two extraditable warrants out of Indiana.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says a scam involving fake texts from the KYTC has not gone away. 

The KYTC says reports are still coming in regarding fraudulent text messages impersonating the Cabinet, the Office of Highway Safety, and driver licensing offices, with the texts including a suspicious link that appears similar to Kentucky government website addresses. The scam text warns customers of unpaid traffic tickets or “traffic infractions” with notices that payment is due or actions will be taken.

The KYTC does not collect traffic ticket fees, and does not notify customers of violations via text messages. The Cabinet does not refer to itself or its offices as “KDOT” or the “DMV” and only does business on the website drive.ky.gov.

The KYTC says beware of text messages that include the word “pay” or add hyphens to official-looking links. Never click a suspicious link you receive in a text or email. When in doubt, reach out to the agency to confirm authenticity. If you have clicked a link or provided any personal information, contact your bank immediately.

The KYTC says it is working to have fraudulent websites taken down. If you receive a scam text, you can forward the suspicious message to 7726 or report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) or the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General (ag.ky.gov). Sign up for Kentucky scam alerts at stopscams.ky.gov.