By MARISSA DECHANT
Staff writer
Two people accused of eluding Oil City police during a chase last month through the North Side in a stolen vehicle waived their preliminary hearings Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.
Charges against Asia Hall, 20, of Oil City, and Jordan Dodge, 20, of Franklin, will now be bound over for further proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas.
A third person involved in the incident, Timothy Wolf, 20, of Oil City, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance. Three other charges against Wolf were withdrawn.
Chief Bob Wenner observed Hall driving a Chrysler Sebring convertible and requested dispatch run her driver’s license. Wenner was informed by another officer that Hall’s license was suspended, and he initiated a traffic stop in the 100 block of East Bissell, police said.
Hall initially pulled the vehicle off the roadway but sped off once Wenner began to leave his vehicle, police said.
Wenner was joined by other officers who engaged in a brief pursuit before the speeds reached an unsafe limit and the chase was called off, police said.
Officers were then alerted to the vehicle being parked in the Assumption BVM Church lot, with the individuals having fled on foot onto Route 8, police said.
After a search of the area, officers conducted interviews with the vehicle owner and her daughter, who said Hall took the keys from the home and stole the vehicle from the driveway.
Hall and Dodge were charged with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, in addition to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
In addition, Hall was charged with a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude police, seven misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and eight summary traffic violation charges.
