Passenger in pursuit arrested out of river, driver runs off
GNADENHUTTEN (WTUZ) (Nov. 8, 2024) – Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s officials have been looking for the driver who ran off following a pursuit spanning several roads in the Tusky area while his passenger was apprehended after emerging from the Tuscarawas River.
Detective Sgt. Phil Valdez says it started when a deputy tried to stop a pickup truck for going around another vehicle in a no-pass zone on US 36 at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The truck fled and eventually stopped in a cornfield at the end of Riverside Park Road. Two men inside ran off into the woods and later entered the river.
State Patrol air units joined the search and authorities using night vision located the passenger on the riverbank. He was taken to Trinity Hospital for possible hypothermia and charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest.
The driver wasn’t found, but deputies believe they know his identity. His charges were pending with the prosecutor.