Galion Police seeking chase suspect

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GALION — Galion Police are seeking a man who led law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit late Thursday night.

Chief Brian Saterfield said officers from GPD along with deputies from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from the Ohio Highway Patrol searched for the male suspect until around 2 a.m. Friday before abandoning the effort.

The incident remains under investigation and the suspect’s identity is not being released at this time, Saterfield said. The individual is facing charges of fleeing and eluding. The chief said the case has been referred to the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

“We are still actively working this investigation in conjunction with the prosecutor’s office to get this person apprehended,” Saterfield said.

Saterfield said the chase began around 10:50 p.m. Thursday when Officer Andrew Rehm observed a white Honda minivan traveling along Sherman Street at a “high rate of speed.”

“It ended up running a stop sign,” Saterfield said. “The vehicle turned north onto Sherman Street and Officer Rehm attempted to stop the vehicle and the vehicle began to flee from him.”

Saterfield said the vehicle reached speeds near 90 mph during the pursuit, which ended in a field adjacent to the parking lot of the Ridgewood Court apartment complex — formerly called Buckeye Arms — located in the 1100 block of North Market Street. The suspect exited the minivan at that location and fled on foot into a wooded area south of the apartment complex.

Rehm and his K9 partner Basco searched the area for the suspect, but were unable to locate him. The Highway Patrol sent a helicopter to the scene and employed thermal imaging technology to aid the search, but the suspect was not found, Saterfield said.

According to the Galion Police incident report, officers found a black shoe in an area south of Magnolia Terrace, which is located to the south of Ridgewood Court along North Market Street. The report further states that officers discovered “several open containers” inside the suspect’s vehicle and the vehicle’s airbags were deployed. It’s unknown at this time whether the suspect suffered any injuries.

Saterfield noted that the suspect drove the vehicle through a yard on Buckeye Road, causing damage to the lawn.

No injuries to civilians or law enforcement officers were reported during the pursuit or subsequent search effort, Saterfield said.

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Chief: Speeds reached 90 mph during Thursday night pursuit

By Andrew Carter

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