Passenger dies after police pursuit ends with crash in Dundee
A police pursuit that started Friday night in Toledo wound its way though Monroe County, ending in a fiery crash in downtown Dundee that caused the death of the passenger in the car.
Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said Lesley Rosales, 46, of Leipsic, Ohio, was transported from the crash scene to ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to a news release.
The car's driver, a 31-year-old Napoleon, Ohio, man, was transported to an area hospital and was listed in critical condition, the release said. Authorities are not releasing his name pending the issuance of charges.
The preliminary investigation showed at 9:26 p.m. Friday, Monroe County Central Dispatch was notified by the Toledo Police Department of a vehicle pursuit initiated by Toledo officers involving a red 2007 Ford Fusion whose driver was refusing to stop for the officers. It was reported that the man driving the car was known to have felony warrants for his arrest. Assisting the Toledo police with the pursuit was the Washington Township, Ohio, Police Department. The pursuit traveled northbound on Interstate 75 from Ohio.
After crossing into Michigan, the Toledo officers terminated their pursuit, the release said. However, Washington Township police continued relaying updated information about the Ford’s location.
The man being pursued exited I-75 at exit 2 and continued to flee on several roadways within southern Monroe County, eventually traveling back toward Telegraph Road, the release said. He traveled northbound on Telegraph Road to westbound South Custer Road while being pursued by Monroe County sheriff's deputies. During the pursuit, tire-deflation devices were deployed, deflating two of the Ford’s tires.
The driver continued to flee, traveling at a high rate of speed, westbound on South Custer Road entering the village of Dundee, the release said. Once the car reached the intersection of West Monroe Street and Tecumseh Street in downtown Dundee, the man was unable to negotiate the intersection, leaving the roadway to the northwest. The car struck a utility pole and came to rest. The Ford then caught fire. Sheriff’s deputies approached the Ford and made forced entry into the vehicle to extract both the driver and Rosales, who was in the front passenger seat.
At the time of the crash, neither the driver nor Rosales were wearing safety belts, the release said. The airbags in the 2007 Ford Fusion did not deploy.
Members of the Dundee Township Volunteer Fire Department, Dundee Police Department, Monroe Community Ambulance and Michigan State Police assisted at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation by Sgt. Brian Quinn and deputy sheriffs Jon Cregar, Alec Preadmore and Steven Warren of the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Services Division and Detective Michael Swiercz of the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau. Anyone with information is asked to call 734-240-7756.
Anonymous tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at 800-SPEAKUP or can be submitted on their website, www.1800speakup.org.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Passenger dies after police pursuit ends with crash in Dundee
