Man accused of stealing Ind. police car caught

January 13, 2012 at 1:45p.m.

KNOX, Ind. (AP) — A man accused of stealing a police cruiser while handcuffed in northwest Indiana, then using the police radio to ask how to unlock the cuffs, has turned himself in after two days on the run, authorities said today.

William Francis Blankenship, 22, was taken into custody late Thursday night at his family’s home in Knox, a small town about 50 miles southeast of Chicago. Indiana State Police said cooperation from his family helped make the peaceful surrender possible.

Blankenship had been arrested Tuesday on drug charges at a gas station in nearby Kouts. Police said that as the arresting officer searched Blankenship’s vehicle, the suspect somehow escaped from the police car’s backseat, climbed into the front and drove off. He then used the police radio to ask where to find the car’s cigarette lighter and a key to unlock his handcuffs.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost said Blankenship was being held without bond on a preliminary charge of auto theft and that no date was set for an initial hearing. He said more charges could be filed based on the police report, pending further investigation. He said there is no record that Blankenship has yet hired an attorney.