Two people were arrested after a retail-fraud pursuit from Ohio entered Monroe County. Deputies stopped the chase as it neared a Veterans Day parade, then later disabled the SUV with a spike strip and found the occupants after they ran on foot.
The pursuit began at about 3 p.m. Nov. 7, when Lucas County Central Dispatch in Ohio alerted Monroe County Central Dispatch that Toledo Police and Washington Township Police were chasing a retail-fraud suspect north on I-75 into Michigan, according to MLive. Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy Tanner Goss intercepted the red Chevrolet Trailblazer and pursued it off the interstate into Erie Township.
A Parade Interrupts the Pursuit
Deputies ended the pursuit after realizing a Veterans Day parade was underway ahead in the city of Monroe. The vehicle was not stopped at that point; the search for it continued later, according to the report.
Deputies later went to the Monroe Township address of the Trailblazer's registered owner and spotted the SUV driving nearby. They placed a spike strip across the roadway before the vehicle passed.
Spike Strip Ends the Second Chase
The Trailblazer struck the spike strip during the renewed pursuit and became disabled about a mile later, the outlet reported. The driver, a 42-year-old Monroe woman, and her passenger, a 35-year-old man from Berlin Township, got out and ran. Both were captured soon afterward.
A K9 handler from the Monroe Public Safety Department helped track the pair. Sheriff's Detective Dominic Flint piloted an aerial drone, and Luna Pier Police Department also assisted with the vehicle pursuit and arrests, according to the report.
Charges Pending on Both Sides of the State Line
According to the report, the woman and man are facing charges for fleeing and eluding and resisting arrest in Michigan, in addition to separate criminal charges already pending against them in Ohio. Michigan's fourth-degree fleeing-and-eluding statute, as written by the Michigan Legislature, classifies the offense as a felony punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both — though that general statutory language doesn't speak to the specific penalties either suspect might ultimately face.
What Michigan Law Says About Cross-State Pursuits
Michigan’s Uniform Act on Fresh Pursuit provides that qualifying out-of-state officers who enter Michigan in continuous pursuit of someone they believe committed a felony in their state may have the same authority to arrest and hold that person as Michigan peace officers, according to the Michigan Legislature. The statute does not establish the legal basis used in this case or specify procedures for assistance by Michigan agencies.
A separate pursuit two days earlier, on Nov. 5, began after a reported theft at a Meijer store in Frenchtown Township, according to ClickOnDetroit. That chase ended when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed in a construction zone near South Otter Creek Road. Both occupants fled on foot and were found with the help of an aerial drone. The driver was identified as a 27-year-old man from Fairmont, West Virginia.
