WARREN COUNTY, Ohio — A Cincinnati man is in custody today after leading law enforcement on a pursuit and a standoff that left a major Ohio interstate closed for over an hour.
It happened yesterday afternoon along I-71in Warren County.
Authorities say the driver, 32-year-old Gerale Sanchez Witcher, of Cincinnati, was taken into custody after a nearly hour-long negotiation.
It all started around 12:30 p.m. when the Ohio Highway Patrol was notified of a potential reckless driver. After locating Hyundai SUV, troopers, reports say, attempted a traffic stop. That is when Witcher pulled away at a high rate of speed.
The pursuit continued down the interstate. Troopers say they were able to successfully deploy spike strips, but Witcher continued.
Eventually, the chase came to a halt near the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge near the rest areas just north of Route 123.
SWAT teams, along with several other law enforcement agencies arrived on the scene. Witcher eventually surrendered. He was first taken to the hospital for evaluation before being transported to the Warren County Jail.
He has been charged with failing to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and driving a vehicle while impaired.
The interstate reopened shortly after 2 p.m.
