Police chase starts after men allegedly steal over $3,000 worth of tools at an Ohio Rural King; Police chase ends with a crash, a man hunt, and arrest

BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WTRF) — Two men are in the Belmont County Jail after a five-hour pursuit and search by vehicle and on foot.

It all started with a call at 5:30 p.m. from Rural King, saying two men had just stolen $3,000 worth of tools and had taken off.

With descriptions of the men and the vehicle, the sheriff’s department, St. Clairsville Police, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol started the chase.

They took I-70, then Route 331.

You know you’re looking at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Sheriff Dave M. Lucas, Belmont County

They took several local roads, then Route 40, and went back on I-70.

During these times, other units are trying to get in position for spikes. They avoided the spikes.”

Sheriff Dave M. Lucas, Belmont County

They finally crashed, and both jumped out and ran.

The Highway Patrol captured one.

The other kept going on foot.

So, a reverse 911 call went out to the community with the description.

Roughly 10:30 that night we get calls from a resident about a suspect out by Jamboree.”

Sheriff Dave M. Lucas, Belmont County

He’d been running through the woods.

You’ll be able to see from his photograph that he has some facial injury because he was running. We found one shoe or two shoes, and he was running through the woods and multiflora rose so.”

Sheriff Dave M. Lucas, Belmont County

Now, Todd Williams and Byron Carner, both from the Cleveland area, are jailed on charges of theft and failure to comply.

Both of ’em have charges out of Medina County for aggravated robbery, kidnapping and safecracking.”

Sheriff Dave M. Lucas, Belmont County

The sheriff says the heroes of the story are the dispatchers at 911 and the residents of Belmont County.

And this is just a classic case of doing a reverse 911 in that area that we have a resident, a person, call in and say here he is!

Officials say the two suspects are also suspects in similar robberies in four other states.

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