Man leads police on multi-county chase

DELPHOS — A number of charges are pending against a man who led law enforcement officers on a chase from Delphos into Putnam County in what was reportedly a stolen vehicle Thursday afternoon.

Kenneth J. Thierjung, 49, who has no formal address, is incarcerated in the Putnam County Jail on a charge related to the theft of the vehicle he was driving.

Delphos police received a phone call from an employee of the Circle K convenience store on Fifth Street stating that a man wanted by authorities had just been in store and attempted to purchase cigarettes. The employee apparently recognized Thierjung from a wanted poster circulated in the area a few days before.

Police arrived at Circle K, but Thierjung had already left. Officers then spotted him in the 500 block of North Main Street and also learned that the vehicle Thierjung was driving had been reported stolen in Putnam County.

Delphos police then attempted to stop the vehicle, but were unsuccessful, leading to a chase that went into Putnam County, where officers were finally able to arrest Thierjung when he pulled over and surrendered to police at the intersection of Putnam County Roads U-20 and R-21. Putnam County Sheriff’s Department deputies were also involved in the chase and subsequent apprehension of Thierjung, who was booked into the Putnam County Jail on a grand theft-auto charge, with additional felony criminal charges expected stemming from the pursuit.

Thierjung is also wanted in Shawnee Township, Allen County, for a theft offense.

No injuries or property damage resulted from the chase.