One-year prison sentence, eight-year driver's license suspension, ordered for high-speed pursuit

A Portage County judge sentenced a Tallmadge man to a year in prison and suspended his driver's license for eight years for a high-speed 36-mile police pursuit into Trumbull County in March.

Judge Laurie J. Pittman sentenced Robert V. Ashley, 58, immediately following his guilty plea to third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer in Portage County Court of Common Pleas. It was the lone charge in a grand jury indictment.

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Northeast Ohio Medical University police said they went to a BP service station on Route 44, near Lynn Road, in Rootstown after receiving a report that a man, later identified as Ashley, had been sitting in a parked 2013 Ford Transit Connect van for some time at about 7:10 p.m. on March 28.

Ashley fled in the van and NEOMED police pursued him north and then east on Route 5, with speeds reaching as high as 90 mph and Ashley reportedly committing marked lane violations. NEOMED police pursued him for about 10 miles and then the Ohio State Highway Patrol took over, continuing the pursuit for another 26 miles.

The pursuit entered Trumbull County, where the van hit spike sticks to stop it, but continued onto Route 82 to Route 11. The van crashed on Route 11, north of Tibbetts Wick Road near Girard Lake. It was reported that Ashley fled on foot, but was found by a police K-9 that tracked him.

Pittman also ordered that Ashley pay a $300 fine and approximately $232 in court costs within five years. He has the option of performing community service at $10 per hour.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Prison, driver's license suspension,ordered for high-speed pursuit