DaytonDailyNews.com

BUTLER TWP., Montgomery County — James Reed III was arrested twice in the past year for failure to comply with a police order even before he fled from a traffic stop on Saturday, Oct. 11, lost control of his car and hit an Olive Garden restaurant sign, killing himself and his female passenger.

Reed, 28, and Lanisha Brookins, 22, were killed when the Pontiac Grand Prix that Reed was driving went airborne and collided with the sign at the Olive Garden in the 6700 block of Miller lane. It was the third time in a year Reed had run from police, according to police and court records.

The most recent arrest, on April 1, began when a Dayton police officer started following a GMC Yukon driven by Reed, which the officer thought might be related to a recent aggravated burglary, according to the police report. Reed guided the Yukon into the West Dayton neighborhood east of Gettysburg Avenue and southwest of Salem Avenue as the officer turned on his lights and siren.

During the chase, Reed cut the Yukon into an overgrown parking lot, bumping over concrete parking blocks to avoid police. When Reed exited the parking lot, he collided with another SUV but kept driving. He soon lost control of the car, ran over a curb and sidewalk and up a steeply sloped yard.

As the Yukon bounced back across the sidewalk, Reed exited the car and started running. One of the two passengers had to press the brake with her hand to stop the Yukon.

Reed then ran into a Dayton police detective car and was arrested.

Police soon learned the Yukon was not the SUV they were looking for, and Reed was cited for having no drivers license, five recent suspensions, a hit and run and jaywalking.

"The only explanation we can establish for his behavior was that he was trying to avoid another charge," the police report said.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of failure to comply with a police order in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. That came just six months after police arrested Reed when he drove a GMC Yukon away from a traffic stop on South Broadway Street in Dayton, according to court records. Reed pleaded not guilty to that charge as well.

Those were two of seven Reed arrests by Dayton police since 2000. He pleaded guilty three times on cocaine possession charges and once on an aggravated burglary charge.

Butler Twp. police Chief Danny Hobbs has said the Saturday incident was not the result of a police chase and that officers found a loaded handgun in the car and a small amount of marijuana.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com