Trish Bennett, Editor
CIRCLEVILLE – A West Carrollton woman is facing a fourth-degree felony charge after leading law enforcement on a 25-mile chase from Chillicothe to just south of Circleville on Thursday.
Theresa L. Gordon, 49, is charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer by the Chillicothe Police Department. Her case is set for preliminary hearing June 8 in Chillicothe. She also is charged with giving false information to a police officer, driving under suspension and no operator’s license.
Gordon also was charged with a probation violation, for which she will serve 89 days in jail, according to the report from the Chillicothe Police Department.
The incident began about 7:43 p.m. Thursday when Chillicothe Police responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle in the Zane Village area. An officer initiated a traffic stop on a white Chevrolet van and made contact with the female driver.
The driver gave her name and Social Security number to the officer, but he quickly determined it was a false identity, according to the report. As a back-up unit arrived on the scene, Gordon fled from the stop in her vehicle, reportedly weaving in and out of traffic at speeds reaching 70 miles per hour on North Bridge Street, then continuing northbound on U.S. Route 23, where speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour.
The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office deployed stop sticks near the Pilot gas station just south of Circleville. The stop sticks damaged the rear driver’s side tire, but Gordon continued northbound on Route 23 at speeds of 70 miles per hour, then turned eastbound on Tarlton Road. The two Pickaway County deputies then joined the pursuit.
A Chillicothe Police officer reported the rear tire was smoking and pieces of it began flying off until only the white rim remained, but Gordon continued eastbound on Tarlton Road at speeds of more than 70 miles per hour.
The pursuit continued to Route 159 at a dead end, where Gordon drove straight into a wheat field, taking down a fence.
She then exited the vehicle and began running southbound toward a house when a Chillicothe officer and a trooper from the Ohio State Highway Patrol began chasing her on foot. She was captured at the rear of the house after running about 150 yards, taken to the ground and handcuffed.
Once in the cruiser, Gordon was positively identified, and the officer advised she had an outstanding warrant from the Chillicothe Police Department. As she was read her Miranda Rights, she reportedly attempted to tell the officer she tried to stop but the brakes in the van would not work.
The pursuit covered about 25 miles through moderate to heavy traffic, according to reports.
Units from the Chillicothe and Circleville posts of the Ohio State Highway Patrol also participated in the pursuit. The Tarlton Fire Department also assisted by stopping traffic at the intersection of Route 159 and Tarlton Road to keep vehicles from potentially being struck by the fleeing van.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
