Lucasville man arrested after two-county high-speed chase
Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera reports that on April 22, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were involved in a pursuit with a utility truck which had been reported as stolen from the city of Wilmington at 9:34 a.m.
The vehicle traveled south on US 68 to state Route 28. The vehicle then turned south onto state Route 134, coming into Highland County. The vehicle came into the Village of Lynchburg onto Pearl Street. The vehicle then turned south onto state Route 134 headed toward US 50. Once on US 50 eastbound, Highland County deputies came in to assist and deployed stop sticks in Fairview. The vehicle avoided the stop sticks, continuing eastbound on US 50.
Officers attempted to slow the vehicle down by traveling in front of the vehicle. A deputy of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office stopped two semi trucks and used the semi trucks to block both lanes on US 50, leaving a path for the vehicle. The reportedly stolen vehicle then traveled off the right side of the roadway, west of Tolle Road.
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The vehicle traveled through several yards before coming back onto the roadway, where it then rammed a vehicle of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office. The reportedly stolen vehicle then lost control, going off the west side of the roadway.
The subject was then taken from the vehicle and into custody. The subject was found to be Russell Franklin Newman, 37, of Lucasville. Newman will be charged with felonious assault, a first-degree felony; fleeing and eluding, a third-degree felony; receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony; and vandalism, a fourth-degree felony.
Sheriff Barrera would like to thank Gary Mann, a driver of Con-Way Trucking, and James McCoy, a driver of Royal Paper Stock of Cincinnati, for assisting in stopping this very dangerous pursuit.
“Had it not been for the bravery of these two drivers, a very serious incident, including serious injury or possible loss of life, may have ensued,” Barrera said.
Barrera would also like to thank the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the dispatchers of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office for doing an outstanding job of keeping officers informed of all the radio traffic for the multiple agencies who assisted in this incident, in which no one was injured.