A tense, hour-long pursuit across multiple counties in Ohio yesterday ended with the arrest of a 37-year-old man after he allegedly stole a semi-truck. The Butler County Sheriff's Office confirmed the capture of Joseph Allen Horton, who led law enforcement through a chase that commenced in Middletown and concluded near a local sports complex known as Spooky Nook.
The chase began around 12:47 p.m. when the Ohio State Highway Patrol and local officers, alerted by C-Jams Trucking Company to a missing 2013 Kenworth semi-truck, pursued the vehicle, which was swiftly trying to exit I-75. Authorities were forced to quickly deploy tire deflation devices, or stop sticks, which ultimately ended the high-speed chase on U.S. 127, close to Spooky Nook, according to Local12 and FOX19.
Throughout the chase, Horton reportedly attempted to hinder the police by throwing hammers and tools out of the truck's window. Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones took to social media to share a video of the pursuit, commenting on the dangerous nature of the incident. As the truck dangerously weaved through traffic, the risk to other motorists and responding officers was sharply increased.
Horton is now facing a third-degree felony charge for failure to comply and a fourth-degree felony charge for receiving stolen property. While all charges are currently through Butler County, additional charges from Middletown, Trenton, and Preble County are pending. As detailed by Sheriff Jones in a Facebook live statement, "The chase ended when the stop sticks were used and the truck ended up stopping at a slow rate of speed," which indicated a more measured resolution to an otherwise fraught scenario, Journal-News reported.
