The man being sought for two incidents involving burglaries and impersonating an officer Friday was caught a day later after a nearly 4-hour standoff with police.
Travis Michael Luedeman, 40, of Norman was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 5:52 a.m. Saturday on two counts of burglary, theft, pointing a firearm and impersonation of a public servant. Luedeman, who was arrested by county police, was being held without bond pending his initial hearing in Jackson Circuit Court.
Luedeman was arrested by police who went to his house in the 11000 block of West U.S. 50 at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday. The officers spotted Luedeman in the house but he failed to come outside as ordered, according to a news release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
He instead fled to a bedroom in the house, out of the sight of the police.
County Officer Zach Elliott, Lt. Adam Nicholson and Chief Deputy Dustin Steward along with Brownstown Officer Sam Hughes then set up a perimeter around the house.
Sheriff Rick Meyer arrived at the scene and contacted Detective Stan Darlage to help obtain a search warrant for Luedeman’s home, police said.
Since Luedeman was considered to be armed and dangerous, the sheriff’s department also requested an Indiana State Police Swat team to assist. While waiting for the SWAT team, police were able to speak with Luedeman through a public address system.
Luedeman, however, denied police’s request to surrender and said he was not coming out of the house. At 5:15 a.m. Saturday, Luedeman was ordered to exit the house and was told the SWAT team would enter the house if he did not. That’s when he surrendered, police said.
The incidents that led to police investigating Luedeman’s activities occurred Friday in the area of County Road 1250W in the Norman area, according to a news release from Lt. Adam Nicholson with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
That incident involved a male, later identified as Luedeman, who told a property owner he was a police officer and had permission to be on the property. Luedeman, who was described as wearing a military style uniform with a badge, then left and the property owner found items of value missing, Nicholson said.
Earlier in the day, county Officer J.L. McElfresh responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 4000 block of North County Road 1250W, also in the Norman area.
The complainant reported seeing a suspicious vehicle on the property of one of his neighbors and went to check it out. He said when he approached the vehicle, a male came from the back of the home, Nicholson said.
The man said he then tried to keep the suspect from leaving until police could arrive. The suspect, however, pointed a gun at the complainant and left in the vehicle, police said.
The complainant said he followed the man for a short time before the suspect got out of the vehicle and ran off. He was not found at the time.
McElfresh recovered the vehicle, which had been stolen from the Seymour area.
Luedeman also faces charges related to his sex offender status and possibly additional charges related to the investigation and standoff, police said.
Medora Town Marshall Richard Hanlin and officers with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department also assisted.