South Salem woman gets community control in failure to comply case

A South Salem woman has been sentenced to community control after pleading guilty to a failure to comply charge.

Kendra D. Ward, 51, was indicted in April on charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony; aggravated possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony; and aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony.

The indictment alleged that on or about Feb. 20, Ward “did operate a motor vehicle … so as willfully to elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring the person’s motor vehicle to a stop, and the operation of the motor vehicle by the offender caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property.”

According to a bill of particulars, a Greenfield Police officer attempted to make a traffic stop in the area of Jefferson Street after watching Ward make turns without signaling. A patrolman “reached a speed of 101 mph attempting to catch up” with her vehicle, the bill of particulars says. Ward also turned off her vehicle’s headlights and taillights during the pursuit despite it being “extremely dark” in a rural area at approximately 2 a.m.

The pursuit eventually ended with Ward stopping on Lyndon-Salem Road after her vehicle sustained windshield damage, according to the bill of particulars.

Ward pleaded guilty June 8 to the failure to comply charge, with the drug charges dismissed. During a hearing July 20, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Ward to three years of community control. She was also ordered to pay court costs and to successfully complete a recommended treatment program, according to court records.