Out of bounds: Indiana man arrested for joyriding through golf course

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — An Evansville man is facing criminal charges after a night of fun on Fendrich Golf Course.

At 1:23 a.m. Thursday, a deputy from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office spotted 36-year-old Rodney Kessler riding a dirt bike through the Evansville golf course, which is at the intersection of Diamond Avenue and U.S. 41. When the deputy made contact with Kessler, he fled on his bike.

Minutes later, deputies found Kessler trying to leave the golf course and attempted a traffic stop, but Kessler evaded police again, driving back into the golf course with his bike lights off.

Evansville Police Department and the deputies surrounded the area and found Kessler’s abandoned bike. With the use of a drone and the sheriff’s office’s K-9 team, police located Kessler hiding in the nearby woods.

The police dog team apprehended Kessler. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. Kessler taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail upon his release.

Kessler was facing two counts of resisting law enforcement, a count of trespassing, a count of reckless driving, and multiple traffic violations. Online court records on Thursday did not show he’s been formally charged.