Chase ends in crash following Berrien County business break-in

SBT24/7 News Report

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Chase ends in crash following Berrien County business break-in

By SBT 24/7 News

Story Created: Oct 4, 2009 at 5:59 PM EST

Story Updated: Oct 4, 2009 at 8:56 PM EST

Police halted a man at gunpoint late Friday following a car dealership break-in that led to a Berrien County police pursuit and subsequent wreck.

The man, 45-year-old Jeffery A. Vlietstra, of Chesterton, faces several charges following the 10:30 p.m. break-in at Siemans Ford, in the 8900 block of Red Arrow Highway in Lake Township.

Police arrived at the scene to find him leaving the dealership in a white pickup truck, but say he failed to stop when an officer tried to pull him over.

A chase followed, but ended abruptly in nearby Bridgman when the truck left the roadway and flipped over into a ravine behind a dentist office.

Vlietstra tried to escape but was held at gunpoint, according to the Baroda-Lake Twp. departmental press release. Police then found more than 1,800 tools and chests taken from the dealership.

The truck itself was also stolen in August, police said.

Police say Vlietstra has a prior criminal history and was convicted in 2005 of a similar breaking and entering charge in Baroda.

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