An Elkhart man will be spending time behind bars, either in Michigan or Indiana, after leading police in a high-speed chase across both states in June.
Judge Michael Dodge sentenced 24-year-old Davion Tyriece Bowen to 300 days in jail Friday in Cass County Court, on charges of fleeing from police and possession of marijuana. Due to the fact Bowen faces pending charges in Indiana, Dodge ordered that the man could serve his sentence in a correctional facility either in Cass County or in Indiana.
Bowen pleaded guilty to the charges during an appearance in court on July 14.
The chase occurred on June 29, after a police officer stopped a vehicle Bowen was driving in Elkhart.

During the stop, the officer asked Bowen to exit the vehicle, as the man had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, the judge said.
“Whatever he told you, it caused you to panic, as you took off [in your vehicle] and fled from the officer,” Dodge said, addressing the defendant in court Friday. “Unfortunately, you led three or four Elkhart police vehicles on a high speed chase up into Michigan.”
The Indiana police officers, upon arriving in Michigan, radioed for backup from the Ontwa Township/Edwardsburg Police Department. An officer from the department responded, Dodge said.
Bowen’s flight ended shortly thereafter, after the pursuing force stopped his vehicle inside the parking lot of the Four Square Restaurant in the village of Edwardsburg.
Police learned that Bowen had been driving the vehicle without a valid driver’s license and with improper plates on the automobile. The authorities also discovered some marijuana inside the vehicle.
While all three of these violations were misdemeanors, Bowen’s choice to drive away from the initial stop in Elkhart resulted in a felony charge in Cass County, Dodge said.
“You set yourself up for a lot of trouble here,” Dodge said. “You know now that it would have been better if you had just waited and cooperated with the officer, to learn what exactly you were facing.”
Bowen was also serving a term of probation for an earlier conviction of possession of marijuana at the time of the offense — he is currently facing charges in his home state for violating the terms of that sentence, Dodge said.
Assistant Prosecutor Tiffiny Vohwinkle made a similar remark to Dodge’s in her statement to the court Friday, saying that while no one was injured the chase needlessly complicated the situation Bowen originally faced.
“From his reckless choices, he put possibly hundreds of drivers in danger,” Vohwinkle said.
Bowen was given credit for 94 days already served behind bars.
Also sentenced Friday:
• Gary Wayne McCartney, 43, of Edwardsburg, to a minimum of 30 months to a maximum of 25 years in prison for operating/maintaining a lab involving a firearm, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine.
• Joseph Robin Brewer, 56, of Dowagiac, to 120 days in jail for failure to register as a sex offender.
• John Phillip Thoendel, 35, of Vandalia, to three years of probation for methamphetamine- and marijuana-related charges.
• Jeremy Edward Daniels, 37, of Marcellus, to two years of probation for possession of methamphetamine.
• Brian Stanley Herthoge, 44, to two years of probation for possession of methamphetamine.
• Anthony David Hazard, 35, to 180 days in jail for receiving/concealing stolen property more than $1,000.