Man accused of dragging Indiana state trooper with car

PORTER COUNTY, Ind. - A man was charged with dragging a state trooper with his vehicle Wednesday while trying to flee a traffic stop in northwest Indiana.

Darrell A. Loving, 30, is charged with felony counts of battery to law enforcement, resisting law enforcement and dealing cocaine and heroin, according to a statement from Indiana State Police. He’s also charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement.

The trooper was on patrol about 12:02 a.m. on U.S. Route 30 near County Road 750 East when he saw a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu traveling westbound at 80 mph in a 55 mph zone, state police said. He initiated a traffic stop on U.S. 30 near the Porter/Lake County line.

Loving, who was driving, did not provide a driver’s license and wasn’t the registered owner of the Malibu, state police said. He complied when the trooper asked him to get out of the Malibu, but later ran back to the car and started to drive away.

The trooper reached into the driver’s seat to try to pull Loving out of the car and was dragged about 15 feet before falling into the westbound lanes of U.S. Route 30, state police said. He returned to his patrol car but lost sight of the Malibu after a brief pursuit.

Around the same time, Hobart, Indiana, police were investigating a crash about two miles away, when Loving drove by at a high speed and almost struck the officers, state police said.

The Hobart officers pursued the Malibu into Merrillville, Indiana, state police said. Loving got out of the car and tried to run away on foot, but was taken into custody.

He was taken to SouthLake Hospital in Merrillville and was later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, state police said. The trooper had minor injuries and was able to finish his shift.

The charges were filed against loving in Porter County, but additional charges may be pending from the Hobart Police Department, state police said.