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Suspect who was not making any sense was medically cleared for a trip to jail

A Greene County sheriff's deputy reported that when he talked to a man accused of ransacking another man's car on Wednesday, the suspect was making odd statements – he just wasn't making any sense. After being medically cleared by EMS personnel, the suspect was transported to the Greene County Jail.

Dalton Wade Purvis

Dalton Wade Purvis, 29, Jasonville, was arrested by Deputy James Carpenter of the Greene County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday, June 22.

Around 3:00 PM on Wednesday, Deputy Carpenter was dispatched to a fireworks store on North State Road 59, Linton, about a man getting into another person’s car without permission.

When Deputy Carpenter arrived shortly after 3:00 PM, he saw a white Toyota passenger car on one side of the building but there was no one in the car or outside the car. The car owner met him outside the building and said he wasn't sure what this guy was doing but he had ransacked the car.

Deputy Carpenter found the man, later identified as Dalton Purvis, sitting inside the building holding a bottle of water. Purvis didn't have shoes on and he had scratches on his legs and feet.

The probable cause affidavit describing the incident, prepared by Deputy Carpenter, indicates that communication with Purvis was difficult.

Purvis allegedly said he had no identification and his name was Purvis Bar Rehmel you know what I mean. When asked where he was walking from, Purvis said from the car to there. Then he said his little girl should be in the car.

Deputy Carpenter said Purvis was making statements that did not make sense. He said he lived in Jasonville and he believed his small child was outside in the other man's vehicle.

At that time, Deputy Carpenter requested an additional law enforcement officer and EMS to check on Purvis for a possible mental episode.

Purvis allegedly told the car owner that he knew him but the car owner said he did not know Purvis. Purvis went on to say that Jesus was his Savior but he had not met God yet and he continued to say that his daughter was in the car.

When Purvis was asked who owned the car, Purvis said it was his but the officer should grab a flyer and the first person to hand him a key would get $50.

When two other officers arrived, they double-checked the car to verify that a child was not in the car. They said the car had been ransacked.

The car owner said that when Purvis first came into the fireworks store, Purvis handed him a church tract and a church pamphlet and then Purvis went outside and got into his car.

Greene County EMS medically cleared Purvis and Purvis was taken into custody and transported to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 4:21 PM with bond set at $5500 surety with 10% cash allowed.

Purvis is expected to appear at his initial hearing in Greene Superior Court on June 27 on a charge of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, a Class B misdemeanor.