CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Ross County Sheriff’s Office has released new details about a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash down an embankment late last week.
According to a sheriff’s office report, deputies were on patrol around 10:20 p.m. Dec. 15, 2025, on U.S. 50 near state Route 41 South in Ross County when they spotted a Dodge Durango with a license plate that “was not returning to a vehicle.” The report says deputies initiated a traffic stop, but the Durango fled as deputies approached.
The report states deputies pursued the vehicle into the 1700 block of Route 41 South before the pursuit was terminated. Deputies continued searching the area, watching for the vehicle to possibly pull into a driveway, crash, or continue into neighboring Pike County, according to the report.
While checking the area, deputies encountered a separate structure fire on Route 41 where firefighters had shut down the road, the report says. Dispatch was advised to notify the fire department that a vehicle could be approaching at a high rate of speed, according to the report.
Deputies then turned back toward U.S. 50 to continue searching, the report says. They later observed tire marks near a sharp curve and, after returning to the area, found damage to a guardrail. The report states the vehicle had gone over the embankment.
Multiple fire departments responded to the crash scene, according to the report. A firefighter was heard yelling, “Let me see your hands,” the report says, and a person was found on the ground near the vehicle. The individual identified himself to responders, but the sheriff’s office withheld his name in the report.
The report says responders were able to get the individual out of the ravine and provide aid. The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded and conducted a crash investigation, according to the report.
The sheriff’s office has not released the driver’s name or condition. The Scioto Valley Guardian said it will continue seeking additional details from the sheriff’s office.