A Florida man who became the focus of a Kirkwood manhunt amid a series of crimes, before he was spotted naked in a chicken coop, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a grand jury's indictment.

John Mehne, 25, a resident of Sarasota, Florida, who also has Ithaca ties, was arrested June 4 after he allegedly crashed a stolen Audi 4 on Interstate 81 North about three miles north of the Pennsylvania line. The Audi became disabled after hitting a guiderail.

When traffic slowed, Mehne allegedly jumped on a van, then onto a pickup truck for about 1½ miles before fleeing into a wooded area on foot. That's when enforcement officials launched a manhunt.

The grand jury has indicted Mehne on two charges, a felony count of fourth-degree grand larceny and a misdemeanor count of second-degree menacing. He remained jailed after arraignment in Broome County Court.

Another grand jury presentation is expected, as the Broome County District Attorney's Office continues to work with New York State Police on pursuing an indictment for more charges, as the investigation continues.

What the indictment says

The indictment, which was handed up July 9 in Broome County Court, accuses Mehne of stealing a Kawasaki Prairie 300 ATV from a Kirkwood resident while police were looking for him.

He's also accused of threatening the ATV's owner with an ax. Authorities said Mehne also had been been killing that person's chickens.

State police had initially charged Mehne with felony counts of first-degree robbery, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree burglary and aggravated cruelty to animals. Those charges could be among those pursued by prosecutors in the second grand jury.

As a shackled Mehne was led into court Wednesday, he put up a "Peace" sign to his public defender, who said there haven't been any plea discussions at this point. The case could go to trial as early as Oct. 15.

From a car crash to a chicken coop

Broome County Historian Roger Luther had returned to his Springer Road home that June 4 afternoon and learned police had alerted area residents to stay inside while the suspect was on the loose.

At one point, his wife looked out a window and saw a mud-covered, unclothed man walk into view.

Luther called 911, and said it looked like the suspect was trying to catch the chickens.

"The guy's in my chicken coop, he's totally naked and covered with mud, and he's chasing my chickens," Luther told the Press & Sun-Bulletin/pressconnects after the incident. "When I saw him in the chicken coop, I was just shaken."

As police vehicles converged on Luther's property, Mehne ran from the chicken coop toward another wooded area across from Springer Road.

Within 20 minutes, shortly before 6 p.m., Mehne was caught. He was treated at Binghamton General Hospital for a dog bite, before being arraigned in court on the initial criminal charges.

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