Elkhart man dead following pursuit, crash in Michigan

Oct. 22—MASON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Elkhart man is dead following a late night Saturday single-vehicle crash in Cass County, Michigan, after a pursuit which began in Nappanee.

Adrian Smith, 49, was a passenger in the vehicle, according to a Cass County Sheriff's Office news release.

"Around midnight on Oct. 22, deputies were notified by their dispatch that Nappanee, Indiana, police were chasing a stolen vehicle from Elkhart County into Cass County," the release stated.

"Nappanee Police terminated their pursuit when they lost sight of the stolen car.

"Shortly thereafter, a resident on Old 205 (in Cass County) notified deputies that a vehicle had crashed into a tree."

Smith was found deceased from his injuries, and the driver had fled on foot.

A K-9 unit from the Michigan State Police responded, and after a short track, took a male subject into custody, and the identity of the suspect driver will be released after his arraignment.

Smith was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, and deputies believe that drugs were a factor in the crash, the release added.

Edwardsburg Police, Michigan State Police, Nappanee Police, and SEPSA Fire Authority assisted the sheriff's office at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation.