Hillsboro man sentenced to 2 years for failure to comply

A Hillsboro man accused of fleeing from a Highland County Sheriff’s deputy by driving into a field last summer was sentenced recently to two years in prison.

Terry G. Shanks, 46, was indicted in December and charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of police officer, a third-degree felony; aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony; and aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony.

According to court records, Shanks pleaded guilty to the failure to comply charge in August, with the drug possession charges dismissed.

A bill of particulars alleges that on or about Aug. 26, 2024, a sheriff’s deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on Shanks’ vehicle, while Shanks was allegedly “traveling at such a high rate of speed” that the deputy “could barely see” his vehicle. When the deputy turned on her lights, Shanks allegedly ran a stop sign and “drastically turned left into a field,” where Shanks allegedly “was running over unknown items and violently bouncing up and down” before crashing into the woods.

After the crash, it is alleged that Shanks exited the vehicle and “continued into the wooded area,” as “was advised several times to come out of the woods and never did.”

During a Sept. 19 hearing, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Shanks to 24 months in prison, with jail time credit of 30 days. In addition, Shanks’ driver’s license will be suspended for five years, effective Sept. 19, 2025.

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