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Two men were arrested after allegedly following and harassing two people.
Josiah Andrew Li Balke, 20, of 208 S. Maple St., Pierceton, is charged with stalking, a level 6 felony; aggressive driving, a class A misdemeanor; and criminal recklessness, a class B misdemeanor. He was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 1:30 a.m. May 24 on a $5,250 preliminary bond.
Matthew Theodore Hanes, 19, of 4803 E. Ind. 14, Claypool, is charged with stalking, a level 6 felony; and criminal recklessness, a class B misdemeanor. He was booked into the KCJ at 1:50 a.m. May 24 on a $750 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at approximately 3:36 a.m. May 24 Kosciusko County Central Dispatch advised law enforcement of a call at the Warsaw Police Department where the caller reported they were in a vehicle being pursued by two other vehicles, and the two vehicles boxed them in their vehicle. WPD officers, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a Winona Lake Police Department officer responded to the call.
An officer spoke with the two people.
The first victim said they had stopped at a gas station to get drinks. The first victim said as they walked into the convenience store in Pierceton, they heard someone whistling at them. The first victim said both victims then got into their vehicle and started heading toward Warsaw on U.S. 30, where the two vehicles from the gas station appeared and began following the two victims. The first victim said they drove quickly to get away from the two vehicles and the two vehicles kept pace with them, even though the first victim was pushing 80 miles an hour in an attempt to separate from the two vehicles.
The first victim also said they pulled into the left-turn lane to exit U.S. 30 at Center Street in Warsaw. Both victims said, at one point, one of the vehicles got ahead of the and “boxed” them in. The first victim said they proceeded to the light to turn off into a parking lot and they turned on their turn signal. The vehicle in front of them also activated its signal. The first victim said they turned into the parking lot and had to come to a complete stop to prevent a collision with the vehicle in front of them that had slowed down.
The first victim said they turned the wheel of their vehicle and sped around the first vehicle before the men in the two vehicles were able to make contact with them. The two victims said they called 911 and drove to the WPD. The second trailing vehicle peeled off, but the front vehicle eventually approached the police department, parked facing them and watched the two victims until the first officer arrived at the scene.
The driver of the front vehicle was identified as Balke. Balke agreed to speak with law enforcement. Balke said he was at the gas station when he saw the two victims and whistled at them. Balke said he and his friend, later identified at Hanes, started driving around the parking lot and saw the two victims leaving the parking lot. Balke said he told Hanes he wanted to “troll around” but claimed he did not have an intention to do anything sexual in nature to the two victims. He said his plan was just to follow them, honk at them and “skedaddle.”
Balke said he initially didn’t follow the two victims to the police department and talked to Hanes. Balke said Hanes told them they should probably stop, but Balke said he wanted to make contact with the two victims to obtain their phone numbers. Balke said he slowly drove to where the two victims were parked and parked his vehicle. Balke said his plan, if the officers had not arrived, was to walk up to the victims and attempt to get their numbers.
An officer spoke with Hanes. Hanes said he recognized the second victim and said they went to the same elementary school. Hanes said he just wanted to say hi, so he followed the second victim for seven minutes. Hanes also said while following the two victims, Balke honked at another vehicle, but wasn’t honking at the two victims. Hanes said at the gas station, they followed them because they wanted to “mess around” with the two victims and Hanes didn’t want anything sexual from them.
Hanes said he didn’t know if the second victim knew he was the one following them.
The two victims were not familiar with Balke nor Hanes.
