TROY — A pursuit of two allegedly stolen vehicles that began in northern Ohio, near Mount Cory, came to an end in Miami County Monday night with a crash of one of the vehicles and two Kentucky men being taken into custody.
The chase began at mile marker 147 on Interstate 75, according to the Findlay Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSP), when a trooper clocked the vehicles going 85 in a 70 mph zone. He initiated a pursuit; speeds were in excess of 115 mph and the trooper lost a visual of both vehicles.
Troy Police Chief Shawn McKinney said dispatchers at Miami County Communications Center received a report Monday, Nov. 21, at 10:41 p.m. about the pursuit. Dispatchers kept Miami County law enforcement units apprised of the ongoing pursuit on southbound I-75 involving OSP and the vehicles that came out of Michigan.
Troopers terminated the pursuit north of Piqua but a few minutes later, an alert Troy officer spotted the vehicles and attempted to initiate a stop. The vehicles again fled as Troy officers followed. Speeds reached around 100 mph.
One of the vehicles attempted to exit the highway in Troy where, according to McKinney, the vehicle ran out of gas.
Officers brought the suspect, Treyton R. Helm, 20, of Louisville, out of the vehicle at gunpoint and took him into custody without further incident. Helm told police he was offered money to transport the vehicle and was unaware the pair of vehicles had been stolen until he saw the broken rear windshield.
The second vehicle was spotted by Tipp City officers which had exited I-75 at mile marker 69. That vehicle also attempted to flee but crashed into a steep ditch as he tried re-enter I-75, but was going too fast, according to a Tipp City Police report.
Officers immediately took the driver, Jeremy C. Riggs, 20, of Louisville, into custody.
Both men were transported to the Miami County Jail.
Helm is charged with failure to comply with order of signal of police officer, marijuana drug paraphernalia, and marijuana drug paraphernalian_use of possession.
Riggs is charged with two counts of failure to comply with order of signal of police officer, receiving stolen property, possession of drugs_marijuana and failure to control.
The pursuit traveled an approximate distance of 77 miles.