Car chase suspect booked

A Bloomington man who took county deputies and state police on a 20-mile car chase from Bloomington to Martinsville was booked into the Monroe County Jail Wednesday afternoon.

Gregory Allen Prather, 38, faces preliminary charges of OWI refusal, a class A misdemeanor; resisting law enforcement, a class D felony; reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor; and vehicle theft, another class D felony. His bond is set at $4,000 surety and $500 cash.

A Royal South Toyota employee saw Prather wandering around the dealership on South Walnut Street Wednesday morning, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Steve Kellams said. After talking to Prather, the employee noticed him acting strangely and reported it to a manager.

The manager asked Prather to leave the parking lot. Prather drove off in an employee’s maroon 2002 Honda Odyssey van, which had been idling in the lot for inspection.

From 1980 to 2013, the average for vehicle theft in Bloomington was 156 per year. The greatest number of vehicles stolen was 262 in 1991.

— Dennis Barbosa