A Google Maps Street View driver has pleaded guilty to leading an Indiana police officer on a high-speed chase that caused him to crash into a creek, nearly a year after his arrest. To everyone's surprise, the man accepted a one-year suspended prison sentence for his actions and also agreed to pay $3,200 (approximately Rs. 300,000) in restitution, leading to criminal charges against the man. The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.
Coleman Ferguson, 37, was “escorted from the vehicle and detained for approximately seven months” by Middletown police. On August 1, 2023, police shared information through a Facebook post that they had arrested Ferguson. He was driving over 100 miles per hour. The officer who arrested the driver reported that the suspect's unusual vehicle crashed through the high school and passed another vehicle at nearly twice the speed limit of 55 mph. The police report states:[The car] It was wrapped in Google wrapping and had a large 360-degree camera mounted on top of the vehicle. ”
Check out the post here:
The driver sped up as the officer gave chase, activating his siren. Police also said the car “suspended several feet in the air” before coming to rest in a creek in the northeast suburbs of Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Ferguson accused police of letting him run from police because he was reportedly driving with a suspended license. The plates had previously expired and he was convicted of the same.
“Mr. Ferguson worked at Google and said he was afraid to quit,” the department said in the post. He was taken to Henry Community Health Hospital in New Castle for medical clearance and then transferred to the Henry County Jail. He was arrested for resisting law enforcement with his vehicle, a Level 6 felony. ”
But police still haven't determined how Ferguson, who worked as a Google contractor, came to operate the Street View car. The driver was found to be in possession of a rap sheet that included two separate convictions for driving with a suspended license and expired license plates. He reportedly worked in the facilities department of a university in Indiana.
First published: March 28, 2024, 13:21 IST
