A Portage County grand jury has indicted a Pennsylvania man following a high-speed pursuit, crash and manhunt July 18.
Kenneth Raymond Moore, 27, is charged with third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer.
He was scheduled for arraignment in Portage County Court of Common Pleas on July 25. He is also scheduled for a Sept. 23 jury trial.
The Portage County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook July 24 the Ohio State Highway Patrol began to pursue a vehicle on the Ohio Turnpike eastbound in Summit County. The pursuit continued into Portage County, with speeds as high as 125 mph, until the vehicle exited onto State Route 44 in Shalersville.
Sheriff’s deputies joined in, but sight of the vehicle was lost. A search commenced and about 40 minutes later, a resident reported discovering three males on foot on his wooded property. The resident reported that when he asked the males what they were doing, they told him they were “running from the cops,” says the post.
When the resident drew a gun, one of the males stopped but the other two ran deeper into the woods.
It was learned that the three males had been involved in the pursuit and that shortly after exiting the turnpike, the vehicle’s driver, later identified as Moore, lost control. The vehicle went down an embankment and got stuck in a field.
Deputies arrived, established a perimeter and sheriff’s K-9 Hulk and his handler were called in and the vehicle was found. Deputies, troopers and the highway patrol aviation unit began a two-hour search across roughly 160 acres until the two remaining males were spotted from the air.
Deputies and troopers converged and the males surrendered after being warned that the dog would be released. A search of their hiding spot uncovered a bag containing about a pound of suspected marijuana, the post says.
All three males, none of whom is an Ohio resident, were taken into custody. Moore was booked into Portage County Jail and he was initially charged in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna on July 21. However, no charges were reported against the two unidentified males and a search of Portage County court records did not uncover any apparently related cases.
The sheriff’s office said Moore was found to have arrest warrants against him, including for another failure to comply charge through the Ohio State Highway Patrol and a receiving stolen property case in Pennsylvania.
More: Streetsboro pursuit that ended in crash sends man to jail
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Pa. man indicted in Portage County following high-speed pursuit, crash