Suspect in Mishawaka police pursuit, crash that killed two teens arrested after two years
MISHAWAKA — A man accused of hitting and killing two teenagers with his car during a 2020 police pursuit in Mishawaka was arrested Thursday after nearly two years of evading law enforcement.
Warrant officers with the St. Joseph County Police Department arrested 24-year-old Jesse Lottie Jr. in the Pin Oak Manor Apartments in Mishawaka on Thursday afternoon on multiple outstanding criminal charges, including four felony counts stemming from the Dec. 2, 2020 pursuit and crash.
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Lottie had allegedly broken into an apartment on East 12th Street that evening but drove away going west when police arrived. A few minutes later, Lottie's Pontiac Grand Prix allegedly hit a Chevy Cavalier at the intersection of Spring Street and West 13th Street, killing 19-year-old Clayton McClish and 18-year-old Elizabeth Johnson-Neher.
Two men in the Pontiac ran away after the crash, while a woman who was in the car stayed at the scene. In August, 18 months after the crash, Lottie was charged with resisting law enforcement and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, with court documents saying the other man in the car that night eventually identified Lottie as the driver.
A resident who said he witnessed the crash told a reporter he estimated the Pontiac was going between 50 and 60 mph when it ignored a stop sign at the intersection and hit McClish.
No court dates have been set as of Friday. If convicted, Lottie faces a possible sentence of well over 30 years. Court records show Lottie has had prior convictions for marijuana possession and resisting law enforcement and was charged with a new count of illegally owning a handgun in October.
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The fatal crash has since sparked a lawsuit filed by the family of Johnson-Neher who allege Mishawaka police were negligent in their decision to initiate a pursuit in a residential area. The chase was dangerous from the start, the lawsuit says, also asserting Mishawaka officers were not properly trained in reasonable procedures governing pursuits.
The suit was filed in early October and in late November, attorneys representing the city filed a response brief denying that officers acted negligently or recklessly. Officials have pointed out the pursuit lasted "less than a minute" before the crash occurred.
Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Suspect in Mishawaka pursuit, crash that killed two teens arrested
