High speed chase of stolen construction truck in West Liberty, Ohio

West Liberty, Ohio - On May 21, 2024, at 2:53 PM, Logan County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 9490 County Road 41 in West Liberty, Ohio, following a report of a stolen vehicle. The stolen vehicle, a red Chevrolet flatbed truck belonging to Shelly Construction Company, had been taken from a construction site and was last seen parked at a church near the intersection of State Route 287 and County Road 15.

An employee of Shelly Construction informed the deputies that the truck was stolen after being left at a church property. Witnesses observed a white male, appearing agitated and wearing a fishing hat, walking westbound along State Route 287 near the parked truck.

A manager at Shelly confirmed that the truck was equipped with a GPS tracking device, which indicated the truck was in Champaign County shortly after it was reported stolen.

Reports provided to Capsule detail that deputies traced the vehicle's location using the GPS data, which later showed the truck had returned to Logan County. Deputies Wells and Core located the vehicle at 105 Carlisle Street, Quincy, Ohio. As they approached, Deputy Core saw the stolen truck driving north on SR 235 towards DeGraff, Ohio.

A deputy, who was stopped in traffic at Main Street and Miami Street, spotted the truck driving east on Miami Street. The truck ignored a stop sign and continued eastbound. The deputy activated his lights and siren to pursue the vehicle, driven by Joey Coleman, who continued to evade the deputies, running several more stop signs and traveling at high speeds.

The pursuit lasted for approximately 6 miles, with speeds exceeding 80 mph. Coleman eventually stopped on County Road 18 after the vehicle ran out of fuel. Deputies apprehended Coleman at gunpoint and placed him in handcuffs. A search of the truck revealed a pair of homemade nunchucks on the driver's seat, which Coleman admitted were his.

At the Logan County Jail, Coleman explained that he found the truck running with keys inside at the church and saw it as a sign to take it. He mentioned that he didn’t stop for deputies because he saw Deputy Core turn around and wanted to see how far he could get. Coleman added that he had to stop only because it ran out of gas.

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Photo byScott RodgersononUnsplash