Penske truck takes wild ride through two counties

Video: Moving truck chased through two counties

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Updated 11:12 PM Saturday, May 16, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — If you see a big, bright yellow Penske truck with one, maybe two, blown tires, call police.

The truck, apparently containing stolen merchandise from the local Home Depot, was chased by several law enforcement agencies through two counties Saturday, May 16, before the chase was called off.

“A couple thousand dollars of merchandise from Home Depot, it’s not worth someone’s life,” said Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Elliott.

The chase started in Springfield about 4:56 p.m. when police began pursuing the truck, which was rented in Cincinnati, Elliott said.

The truck’s occupants — reported to be a man and a woman — refused to stop and the police ended its pursuit, he said.

The truck then was spotted eastbound on Interstate 70 by a South Vienna officer, who followed it into Madison County, where London police officers picked up the chase.

The truck headed back into Clark County on U.S. 42, when stop-sticks were deployed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol near South Charleston, Elliott said.

But even with one, possibly two, of the tires blown, the truck reportedly continued.

The sheriff’s office picked up the chase on Plattsburg Road, when the truck — “basically a semi without the trailer,” Elliott said — got onto U.S. 40 and headed back into Springfield.

The chase, he said, was called off. For the sheriff’s office, the chase reached speeds of 70 mph.

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I listened to this all going down on the scanner.
I'm glad they called of the chase because he was going on the wrong side of the road and almost hit several cars head-on. However, I think they could of followed him in an unmarked car. It is a shame that they got away with a crime. Seems like springfield police/sheriff usually catch the theif, but then the judges let them go. That must be frustrating for our police/sheriff departments.

Diana
3:40 PM, 5/18/2009

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My Aunt was killed last January because a police chase was NOT called off. Some drunken idiot turned off his lights speeding 70mph thru town try to avoid the police and t-boned her suv on Derr road. It was right to call off the chase and not risk human lives for a few thousand dollars in "stuff". Anyone here who is opposed to calling off the chase would feel differently if they lost a loved one due to " makin sure we get the bad guy at all costs"...

Eugene
9:53 AM, 5/18/2009

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why cant they call off the chase but follow,,from a distance,,in plain cars? They don't have to follow with horns blowing and lights a flashing to catch someone. A little old lady could have follow the truck home!!

george
7:18 AM, 5/18/2009

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Sheriff Kelly is wrong no matter what he does? I applaud the police effort, it is the criminal who is wrong and put other people's lives at stake over merchandise. Keep up the good work.

Scott
6:03 AM, 5/18/2009

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What happened to helicopters , you can't get away from them .

rfi
1:48 AM, 5/18/2009

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