Jail Escapee Caught After Chase in Eaton County
A 32-year-old man who escaped the Ingham County Jail over a week ago is back behind bars after a chase with authorities in Eaton County Saturday afternoon.
Michael McKerchie was nabbed in the Eaton Rapids area on Saturday, November 21st, after a tip was received by local law enforcement. According to information posted on from Ingham County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page, a Eaton Rapids Police officer spotted a black pick-up identified that had left a convenience store with McKerchie as the driver. An attempted stop led to a chase into a cemetery where McKerchie crashed the truck and fled on foot.
As Eaton County Sheriff’s deputies set a perimeter around the area, a citizen called dispatchers after their truck was stolen near the area. Deputies spotted the truck and after a short chase, the driver identified as McKerchie, surrendered. Deputies were forced to use the "pit" manuever to end the chase in a nearby field. The Eaton County Sheriff's Department posted the second short chase to their Facebook page.
McKerchie is expected to receive multiple charges in Eaton County on top of the charges he is currently held on in Ingham and Calhoun counties. McKerchie's charges in Ingham County involve multiple vehicles charges along with Resisting and Obstruction in September. The charges in Calhoun County are related to an incident in Springfield in July involving assault, destruction of property and resisting arrest. The additional charges in Ingham County led to a no bond hold in Calhoun County after the original bond was revoked.
The Ingham County Sheriff's Office announced McKerchie's escape on Friday, November 13th, hours after he was able to disassemble a mattress and form a sleeping body and damaging the frame to the cell window to escape during the overnight.