Man molests girl, tries to run over officer

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) -- A man who police say eluded capture for three days after he tried to run over an officer who was trying to arrest him was being held without bond Saturday in an Indiana jail.

Dustin Mullins, 28, of Anderson, faces preliminary charges of auto theft, resisting law enforcement, receiving stolen property and criminal recklessness, police said. Mullins, who is being held in the Madison County jail in Anderson, is also accused of molesting a 4-year-old girl. A jail officer said she didn't know if Mullins had an attorney.

Mullins was tried on the molesting charge earlier this year, but the jury couldn't reach a verdict. Madison County prosecutor Rodney Cummings said he intends to try Mullins again and filed a warrant for his arrest on Monday.

An Anderson police officer tried to arrest Mullins on the warrant on Wednesday, but police said Mullins tried to run down the officer in a stolen sport utility vehicle and then fled at speeds up to 120 mph. During the chase, an officer fired a gunshot that grazed Mullins' shoulder, authorities said.

Police in the city about 25 miles northeast of Indianapolis found the SUV abandoned late Wednesday night, but they were unable to locate Mullins.

Police received a tip Friday that Mullins intended to meet someone near a hospital on Anderson's north side, but they say he fled in another stolen car when officers approached.

Anderson police contacted authorities in Delaware County, and sheriff's deputies from there pursued Mullins through Henry, Wayne and Randolph counties in central and eastern Indiana, The Herald Bulletin of Anderson and The Star Press of Muncie reported.

Mullins finally crashed the car in Randolph County and fled on foot, authorities said, but he was captured after he was bitten by a police dog. He was taken to the jail in Anderson after he was treated for the bite at a Muncie hospital.