Police: Officer Took Students On Joyride, Crashed

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Muncie's police chief says he'll try to fire an officer accused of taking three college students on a high-speed ride in a police car and crashing into a light pole.

Muncie police Officer Jason Lyons (pictured), 38, was driving his police car with three female BSU freshmen as passengers when he lost control and crashed on McKinley Avenue early Tuesday, Chief Joe Winkle said.

The car hit speeds of close to 80 mph on city streets before the wreck, Winkle said.

"This guy is taking a 2007 car and driving like an idiot up and down the city streets, and he loses control and causes $10,000 (in) damage," Winkle said Wednesday. "With or without the Ball State students, I've got a major problem with it. With them in the car, it just takes it to a completely different level."

After the wreck, Lyons was put on administrative leave. Winkle said he will recommend to a merit board that Lyons be fired.

Police said Lyons, while on duty, met the three students at a Village Pantry near campus. At some point, the girls asked Lyons for a ride home, police said.

Instead of driving them straight to their dorm, Lyons took the girls for a joyride, police said.

After the crash, Lyons exited the car, told the students to run, and then tried to deny that they were ever in the vehicle, police said.

A witness, Kammie Depew, said she saw the students leave.

"We were just really confused on why three girls ran out of the car," Depew told 6News' Jennifer Carmack. "They just ran down the street and away."

One of the students in the car was treated for a cut on her head, police said. No other injuries were reported.

"This is the kind of thing that I should be worrying about my 16-year-old doing, not a 38-year-old, six-year veteran of the police department," Winkle said.