PUT-IN-BAY – A vehicle chase through the streets of Put-in-Bay on Sunday resulted in an injury crash involving a golf cart and the arrest of the driver.
“It’s unfortunate that the event happened, but my officers took the necessary steps to bring the event to an end, by bringing the individual into custody,” Police Chief James Kimble said.
He also commented on the nighttime crowds in the village.
“When you are dealing with people who have been drinking, and using alcohol all day, things can get a bit crazy. There were still a lot of people out on the street. There were probably 300 people out, walking around, milling around, but they were respectful and allowed us to do our job. I have officers who have experience in working with people and it worked out great.”
The Put-in-Bay Police Department was dispatched at 1:30 a.m. Sunday on a report of an altercation between a man and a woman in front of Put-in-Bay School. Two Put-in-Bay officers responded in separate patrol cars. The male was seen fleeing in a vehicle at a high rate of speed on northbound Catawba Avenue, toward both officers.
Officers pursued on Catawba, Bayview and Hartford avenues. The suspect then drove the wrong way on Delaware Avenue, narrowly missing a third police car, then crashing into a golf cart and injuring one of the golf cart’s occupants.
The suspect continued driving toward South Bass Island State Park, at a high rate of speed, along Catawba Ave. Put-in-Bay Police officers were joined in the pursuit by an Ottawa County Sheriff’s Deputy. The suspect left the park’s parking lot and continued on Niagara Avenue, eventually being stopped by Put-in-Bay police officers in a high-risk vehicle stop.
“When I say high-risk, they took him out of the vehicle at gunpoint,” Kimble said.
A 39-year-old suspect, from Marion, was taken into custody. Neither the suspect nor officers were injured, but the 29-year-old female, from Lebanon, Ohio, who was driving the golf cart, did sustain injuries. She was life-flighted for injuries that could not be treated by local EMS. South Bass Island does not have a hospital.
“The injuries were not as bad as they thought they were initially,” Kimble said. “The initial assessment was that they thought she had a fractured leg, but it didn’t turn out to be a fracture. She has been released.”
The Put-in-Bay Police Department reports that the suspect did not have a valid driver’s license and is facing potential felony, misdemeanor, and traffic charges.
The Put-in-Bay Police Department was assisted, through mutual aid, by the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and by Ohio Department of Natural Resources officers.
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