CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Law enforcement officers across Highland and Ross counties broke off a rainy, high-speed pursuit Thursday night of a man wanted on burglary and other charges who was driving a car reported stolen from his grandfather’s driveway, according to dispatch traffic.
The pursuit played out over Highland County and Ross County dispatch channels beginning at about 9:42 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. Officers in Highland County pursued the vehicle northbound on U.S. 28 at speeds reported around 82 mph on wet, rain-slicked roads, according to the dispatch audio.
Dispatchers said the driver was wanted on charges including burglary, domestic violence and aggravated menacing, and that the charges fit the criteria for continuing the pursuit, according to the audio.
By about 9:45 p.m., at least one officer had backed out. “No, I pulled away from this pursuit,” the officer said in the dispatch traffic. “Speeds are way too high and it’s raining.” A unit in Highland County said it would not get involved unless the chase circled back around, according to the audio.
Officers lost sight of the vehicle near New Martinsburg Road and the pursuit was terminated, according to the dispatch traffic. Trailing units checked the surrounding area and a gas station on U.S. 28 just inside Ross County and did not find the vehicle, dispatchers said.
Dispatch traffic during the incident also included a report of a vehicle striking something near a bridge. What was struck was not stated in the audio, and no injuries were reported in the dispatch traffic reviewed.
At about 9:57 p.m., dispatchers said the driver was on a FaceTime call and kept mentioning getting back to Ross County, and a Ross County unit headed back into the county, according to the audio.
Minutes later, dispatchers confirmed the car had been reported stolen from its registered owner’s driveway — and that the owner was following the vehicle himself, according to the dispatch traffic. Dispatch confirmed the owner is the driver’s grandfather: “Is this guy the grandpa of this man?” one person asked over the radio. “Yeah. Copy,” came the reply.
Whether the driver was later taken into custody could not be confirmed Friday morning. Neither sheriff’s office had issued a statement on the pursuit as of publication, and no booking tied to the pursuit appeared in the Ross County jail roster Friday morning.
