VAN WERT COUNTY — A student at an Ohio high school sent threatening texts that put the school on lockdown, followed by a police chase on Tuesday.
A Van Wert Juvenile Probation Officer went to Lincolnview school to speak with a 16-year-old student on the basis of a complaint the student had made, according to our news partner WCSM.
Before the conversation could happen, the student ran from the probation officer, left the school, and stole a vehicle that was unlocked with the keys inside, fleeing in an unknown direction.
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Officers arrived at the student’s home in York Township, where the student ran out of the house and fled the area in the stolen vehicle.
The officers engaged in a brief chase that ended when the student crashed the vehicle into a ditch on Mendon Rd.
The student fled the crash and ran to a nearby house, stealing another unlocked vehicle with the keys in the ignition.
The student was driving at speeds of over 100 mph, ignoring stop signs.
Officers canceled the pursuit for the safety of the community and followed him to Spencerville, where they lost sight of him.
Allen County officers and the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) located the vehicle and attempted to stop the student, but the student fled, engaging in another pursuit.
The student crashed the vehicle near State Route 117 and Queens Lane, where he fled on foot and hid in a bush on Squire Lane.
OSHP and Shawnee Township officers located the student and arrested him.
When detectives processed the first vehicle, they found some personal items of the student, along with three handguns.
At the student’s home in York Township, detectives searched his room, where they found two more handguns.
The student was transported to the West Central Juvenile Detention Center in Troy, on a probation violation from Van Wert County Juvenile Probation.
More charges are expected to be filed within the upcoming days.
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