SIDNEY — The people involved in the car jacking, high speed chase, shooting at police, and man hunt in October entered guilty pleas in Shelby County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday.
Travis Wickline, 28, of Charleston, West Virginia, was originally indicted on two counts of felonious assault, one count of kidnapping, one count of attempted murder, one count of having weapons under disability, one count of failure to comply with the order of a police officer, one count of grand theft auto, and one count of domestic violence. Eight counts total with four specifications.
He entered guilty pleas to one count of felonious assault, having weapons under disability, failure to comply with the order of a police officer, and grand theft auto. He also plead to two of the specifications. The rest of the charges were dismissed.
In total he is facing up to 24 and a half years in prison, up to a $45,000 fine, and a license suspension of three years to life. He will have to serve five years of mandatory probation upon release from prison.
Ashley Wayson, 31, of Charleston, West Virginia, was originally indicted on one count of obstructing justice, a third-degree felony. She entered a plea to an amended count of attempted obstruction of justice. This carries a maximum prison term of 18 months, and a $500 fine, neither of which is presumed.
In the late hours of Monday, Oct. 24, Wickline carjacked a women by yielding a firearm in the Hidden Valley Trailer Park, and then fled the area.
As deputies were responding to the call, the stolen vehicle was spotted on state Route 29. As a Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a felony traffic stop and ordered the driver to show his hands and open the car door, Wickline exited the vehicle and fired six shots at the Deputy. The Deputy returned fire, shooting at the vehicle three times.
Wickline then fled in the stolen vehicle. The pursuit continued with three Deputies trying to stop the vehicle, at times reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Wickline returned to Hidden Valley Trailer Park, where his vehicle struck a cruiser, disabling it, sending that Deputy to the hospital.
Wickline then left the trailer park and while on state Route 29, he stopped and let a female companion out of the vehicle. The female, identified as Wayson was arrested.
Wickline continued westbound on state Route 29 where he turned around, went off the south side of the road, and purposely drove into the woods. He then fled the area on foot.
He then lead law enforcement on a manhunt where K-9s and a helicopter were used.
After interviewing Wayson they were able to obtain enough information to identify Wickline as the driver of the vehicle and that Wayson and Wickline had been staying with Wickline’s parents in Hidden Valley Trailer Park. Contact was made at the residence and Wickline was arrested without incident around 4 a.m. the next morning.
The two already had felony warrants out for their arrest from West Virginia. Wickline is set to be sentenced Friday morning at 11 a.m. and extradited to West Virginia. No sentencing for Wayson had been set by Thursday at noon.
