Suspect wanted in area vehicle thefts last seen in Oxford

Person being pursued by police may be responsible for stealing Ross Twp. vehicle

Police in Oxford had to chase a suspect after first seeing him checking out vehicles in a local driveway on Dec. 9.

One officer saw two vehicles parked in the driveway of a residence in the 6800 block of Fairfield Road and a man with a flashlight near the vehicles at 8:21 p.m. Dispatch confirmed with the owner no one was supposed to be there, so the officer pulled into the driveway to investigate.

A red pickup then drove around the police cruiser, through the owner’s field, fleeing while a Jeep Liberty was coming toward the officer who drew his duty weapon and pointed it at the driver ordering him to stop. He did not stop but also drove around and out onto the roadway, fleeing east. The officer and a sergeant who also responded pursued the Jeep Liberty traveling 60 mph.

The Liberty turned north on South Locust Street followed by the sergeant, while the officer turned onto Lynn Street, but could not locate the car they were seeking.

The officer lost sight of the vehicle and the sergeant terminated the pursuit out of safety concerns. They both returned to the property where the vehicles had originally been seen. The owner did not believe anything was missing but said no one was supposed to be on the property.

The sergeant who responded said the driver of the red pickup truck seemed to be the same suspect as in several recent thefts from motor vehicle reports the department had received.

The Jeep Liberty was found in an apartment building parking lot on College Corner Pike at 9:27 p.m. by another officer conducting a motor vehicle patrol. The vehicle was identified by a large window sticker on the rear window and piece of paper underneath the passenger-side wiper blade.

The officer who found the vehicle walked around it to confirm it was not occupied and the description matched the one involved in the earlier pursuit. It was confirmed as a vehicle stolen from Ross Twp.

A resident of the apartment complex said he heard squealing tires and looked out of his window to see the Jeep Liberty nearly hit a parked vehicle and then stop. The driver then fled into the woods. He was described as a white male with dirty blonde hair, wearing a tan coat. He said this had occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m.

The Jeep was towed and impounded to be processed by detectives later.

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