One arrested after two vehicles stolen from Ashland dealership, police chase
ASHLAND — The Ohio Highway Patrol is investigating the theft of two vehicles and a 100-mph pursuit on I-71 that ended with one suspect being caught after crashing the car in Columbus early Thursday morning.
The vehicles, a Jeep Cherokee and a Dodge Challenger, were driven through the showroom window of Bill Harris Dodge Jeep Chrysler dealership in the 2100 block of Baney Road, the patrol said.
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Two troopers from the Mansfield post of the Highway Patrol initiated a pursuit at 3:21 a.m. on southbound Interstate 71 near the Bellville exit and activated overhead lights and siren, but neither suspect stopped, Sgt. Ryan Purpura of the highway patrol, said Thursday afternoon.
What happened after the pursuit started?
Both vehicles then exited at Ohio 97. The Dodge Challenger exited and turned westbound and troopers abandoned pursuit, but continued to pursue the Jeep after it got back on I-71 southbound.
The Jeep exited I-71 at Ohio 95 in Morrow County, where Mansfield troopers lost sight of him and temporarily discontinued pursuit. But troopers later located the vehicle on I-71 and re-initiated pursuit, according to Purpura.
The Jeep crashed near the I-270 exit in Columbus and troopers said they apprehended the suspect, DeAnthony Harris, 18, of Reynoldsburg, who remains in the Richland County Jail on a charge of failure to comply with the order of a police officer. Officials said other charges are pending.
The driver of the Challenger had not been located as of Thursday afternoon but the blue Dodge Challenger stolen from Bill Harris dealership was recovered unoccupied, Purpura said. He did not immediately know where it was found.
Ashland police Capt. Craig Kiley said officers were dispatched to the dealership at 3:15 a.m. and they arrived at 3:16 a.m.
He confirmed the two new vehicles were taken right off the showroom floor.
"The response time by the officers was great," Kiley said. "And the sergeant who was in charge of the shift did a great job coordinating things. And the fact that we have somebody in custody is also great."
Kiley said on Dec. 28, 2021, two Dodge Challengers and a Dodge Durango were stolen from the same dealership.
The general manager at the Bill Harris dealership could not be reached for comment.
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Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ohio Highway Patrol investigating theft of two vehicles, pursuit
