A driver suspected of being heavily impaired led Clark County, Ohio, deputies on a late-night pursuit this week that ended with him ramming the patrol cars that had cornered his truck in a residential yard. None of the deputies were hurt.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office began following the truck after a deputy clocked it going nearly twice the speed limit. The driver was also drifting across lanes and weaving through traffic. In fact, he didn’t stop until the police had to box him in. When officers finally stopped him, it took both deputies and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to physically remove him from the cab.
According to WDTN 2 News, authorities have released a name, but they haven’t yet released a full charge sheet.
The speeding driver and the raucous path he took all culminated in a hospital trip that had less to do with the crash than with how much the driver had reportedly been drinking.
How the Pursuit Began
The chase started at about 10:40 p.m. after a deputy noticed a truck driving round 60 mph in a 35 mph zone while weaving across the road. The driver didn’t pull over when seeing a police vehicle was in pursuit. Instead, he continued to speed, reaching about 55 mph.
The truck eventually turned onto a property along Sheridan Avenue near Belmont, where deputies moved their cruisers in around it. Rather than stopping, the driver began ramming and pushing the patrol vehicles, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies, joined by Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, pulled the driver out of the cab and took him into custody. No deputies were injured.
The Driver and What’s Still Unknown
The sheriff’s office identified the driver as Matthew Violet. After being taken into custody, he was transferred to Springfield Regional Medical Center because of what deputies described as a severe level of intoxication. After being cleared, he was finally booked into the Clark County Jail.
Several pieces of the picture have not yet been made public. There isn’t any information on which specific charges Violet now faces. There’s also the question of court appearances and the extent of damage to the patrol cars.
The story continues to develop, and we’ll continue to update as more details emerge.