Vehicle theft suspects apprehended after chase in stolen dump truck
RUSH TOWNSHIP (WJER) (March 7, 2022) – Charges are pending against two men who led sheriff’s deputies on a chase in a stolen dump truck Friday evening.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Sergeant Bryan Patrick says it started when they arrived at a property on Watson Creek Road to investigate a tip about a stolen camper. They found it and the men working on a pickup that had also been reported stolen, who then hopped in the dump truck and took off through a field onto Heinz Ridge Road.
“At that point, I believe that they were lost and they turned into a driveway thinking it was just another road,” he says. “Once they realized it was a driveway they ended up driving through a victim’s yard and blowing through his cattle fence before getting the truck stuck.”
The man behind the wheel remained in the truck, while the passenger fled and was apprehended after a brief foot chase. Patrick anticipates two sets of charges.
“Both the trucks that were present and the camper all being stolen, that part of the investigation is going to be handled by Sgt. Detective Jones with our office, and I’m not 100 percent sure which charges he’s going for. On my end of the report, I’m handling the pursuit and suspected located narcotics,” he says.
The suspects claimed to have ingested drugs during the incident and were transported by ambulance to area hospitals for treatment. One was released a few hours later and booked into the county jail on preliminary charges. Patrick didn’t have an update on the other suspect’s condition Monday afternoon but expected him to recover.