A 26-minute police pursuit through Tuscarawas County reached speeds exceeding 100 mph Tuesday evening before ending with the arrest of a New Philadelphia man and damage to a police cruiser along Interstate 77.
New Philadelphia Police Chief Tessa Pohovey told Jordan Miller News on Wednesday that the pursuit began at 6:43 p.m. Nov. 3 near South Broadway and the U.S. Route 250 eastbound exit after an officer identified a driver who had an active felony warrant through the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Pohovey, the officer ran the vehicle’s license plate and determined that the registered owner had an outstanding warrant. The officer then visually confirmed that the driver matched the registered owner.
When the officer activated the cruiser’s emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, the driver immediately fled.
“As soon as the overheads were activated, he basically just took off straight away, exceeding 100 miles per hour,” Pohovey said.
The driver entered U.S. Route 250 eastbound, triggering a pursuit that continued for approximately 26 minutes across multiple roadways, including U.S. Route 36.
Pohovey said the driver repeatedly made U-turns, traveling back and forth along the same stretches of highway while officers attempted to bring the pursuit to a safe conclusion.
“Most of the time they were well over 100 miles an hour,” Pohovey said.
The pursuit traveled through the Dennison area and near other communities in eastern Tuscarawas County before eventually reaching Interstate 77.
Pohovey said relatively light traffic conditions allowed officers to continue pursuing the vehicle despite the dangerous speeds.
“Luckily, traffic was pretty light through there,” she said.
Officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office joined New Philadelphia police during the pursuit.
The chase ended at 7:09 p.m. on Interstate 77, approximately one mile south of the Stone Creek exit, when law enforcement officers used a tactical maneuver commonly referred to as “boxing in” to surround the fleeing vehicle, reduce its speed and bring it to a stop.
During the maneuver, Pohovey said the driver intentionally rammed a New Philadelphia police cruiser, causing damage to the vehicle.
The cruiser remained operational but will require body repairs, according to the chief.
No officers were injured during the incident.
Once the fleeing vehicle was stopped, the driver surrendered to authorities without further incident.
Police identified the suspect as William Kislingbury, 33, of New Philadelphia.
Pohovey said Kislingbury was served Wednesday with a warrant for failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer.
Additional potential charges are being referred to prosecutors for review, including willful or wanton operation of a motor vehicle, operating with expired license plates and driving without an operator’s license.
The chief said she did not immediately have information about the underlying offense associated with the original felony warrant that prompted officers to attempt the traffic stop.
Pohovey also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, whose officers helped bring the high-speed pursuit to an end.
