SIDNEY — Two Michigan men are incarcerated in the Shelby County Jail following intentional damage to their vehicle by troopers along Interstate 75 north of Sidney, Thursday, Oct. 18, shortly after 11 p.m.
Dustin Gilbert-Renault Chappel, 47, of Ecorse, and Mark Dias Lacy, 39, of Detroit, were each charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.
Chappel, the driver, also was charged with fleeing, operating a vehicle while impaired, driving under suspension, failure to maintain marked lanes and failure to wear a seat belt.
The arrests came after a chase on the northbound interstate that involved the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Sidney Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office before it ended with intentional crashes near mile marker 95.
The Piqua post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol initially responded to report of a reckless driver in a black Lincoln.
“As troopers attempted to initiate a traffic stop (just) north of Piqua, the vehicle fled,” the patrol said in a release, Friday.
“The suspect vehicle accelerated, resulting in a pursuit. As the vehicle continued in the city of Sidney on I-75, officers from Sidney Police Department deployed stop sticks, which successfully deflated the left front tire of the Lincoln,” the release said.
According to patrol Lt. Joseph A. Gebhart, the stop sticks were used near mile marker 92, which is at state Route 47. Despite their flat tire, the Michigan men continued to flee on the Interstate.
“As the suspect vehicle slowed down, troopers, as well as officers from Sidney Police Department and deputies from Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, attempted to block the suspect vehicle in with their patrol vehicles,” the release said.
The suspect intentionally drove his car into a highway patrol cruiser twice and then tried to escape by driving into the median. In turn, “the trooper made intentional contact with the suspect vehicle, disabling it and bringing the pursuit to an end,” the release said.
When troopers searched the Lincoln, they found a large number of Oxycontin pills, which were seized. Both suspects were arrested, and there were no injuries as a result of the intentional crashes.
The incident remains under investigation.
