NEW MARKET TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 20-year-old Portsmouth man is facing multiple charges after leading a Highland County sheriff’s deputy on a pursuit that ended when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a wooded area and he fled on foot, according to the Highland County Sheriff’s Office.
The pursuit began Saturday when a deputy patrolling New Market Township saw a vehicle without working taillights traveling south on Mad River Road and attempted a traffic stop, the sheriff’s office said. Instead of stopping, the driver continued south on Mad River Road at a high rate of speed before turning onto Griffith Road, where the vehicle crashed into a wooded area in the 5900 block, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver ran from the scene on foot behind a nearby residence, the sheriff’s office said. Several juveniles who were riding in the vehicle were transported to Highland District Hospital, where they were treated and released, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver, identified by the sheriff’s office as Jaydin M. Griffith, 20, of Portsmouth, later returned to the crash scene, where he was taken into custody. Griffith was charged with failure to comply, obstructing official business, driving under suspension, unlawful restraint and a taillight violation, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office also reported responding to two other incidents in the county over the same 48-hour period. A resident in the 6600 block of Pied Piper Parkway reported vandalism to a window on Friday, with charges pending, and a deputy investigated a reported assault in the 3100 block of Neal Road on Saturday. That case remains under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
Suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Highland County Sheriff’s Office.
