Monroe County Sheriff's Office: Fleeing suspect was felon, had brass knuckles
ERIE TOWNSHIP – A man wanted on felony warrants and who tried to escape sheriff’s deputies was captured after a car chase on I-75 during the weekend.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported the incident began Saturday when Deputy Cody Carena spotted a Mercury Sable cross the centerline of Sterns Road near South Dixie Highway in Erie Township.
When he looked up the vehicle's Ohio license plate, he discovered that the vehicle was improperly registered. Carena initiated a traffic stop on Summit Street near the northbound I-75 entrance ramp.
Upon making contact with the vehicle, the driver was identified as a 30-year-old Monroe resident. The deputy was familiar with the driver from prior contacts and believed that he was wanted on several active felony warrants. He also had a history of fleeing and eluding police.
Carena returned to his vehicle to confirm the warrants and wait for backup officers to arrive. Deputies Zach Straub and Shawna Hester arrived to assist a short time later. Prior to making contact with the driver for the arrest, Straub placed Stop Sticks tire-deflation devices under the left rear tire of the vehicle.
The suspect was advised to exit the vehicle in order to be placed under arrest for his warrants. The suspect refused to exit and sped away in the vehicle northbound on I-75. The vehicle ran over the Stop Sticks causing the left rear tire to deflate.
Deputies then began a pursuit. The pursuit continued north on I-75 where Deputy Jacob Llewellyn deployed Stop Sticks at LaPlasiance Road. Monroe City Police Officers Christopher Smith and Jacob Winter also deployed Stop Sticks at Elm Street.
After the vehicle's tires were deflated, the suspect pulled over to the shoulder of the expressway and surrendered. He was taken into custody without incident.
The suspect was found to be in possession of brass knuckles and a catalytic converter that was suspected to have been recently stolen.
The man was lodged in the Monroe County Jail on charges of fleeing and eluding, carrying a concealed weapon, and possession of stolen property along with his outstanding warrants.
The suspect's name is being withheld pending formal arraignment in First District Court. The case remains under investigation by Carena. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 734-240-7548.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Monroe County Sheriff's Office: Fleeing suspect was felon
