A Sandy Lake man is facing charges for leading police on a high speed chase through Oil City and Franklin early Saturday.
Police tried to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Patrick Ealy, 32, at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday on Oil City’s North Side, according to a criminal complaint filed by Franklin state police.
Ealy pulled his vehicle, a black Equinox, into the parking lot of Austin Ink Tattoo Shop, the complaint said. When police approached the vehicle, he sped away out of the parking lot, onto Center Street and then on to Route 8, the complaint said.
During the pursuit on Route 8, which continued all the way to Franklin, speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, the complaint said.
Ealy’s vehicle then turned onto Liberty Street and reached speeds of 75 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone, police said.
The chase continued up Bully Hill and on to Congress Hill Road where police again tried to stop the vehicle by passing it, the complaint said.
The vehicle, pursued by state police, Franklin police and Sugarcreek police, turned around and headed down Congress Hill Road and Bully Hill, the complaint said.
At the bottom of the hill, the Equinox was unable to make the turn onto Third Street and traveled through grass into the parking lot of Komatsu Manufacturing and back onto Third Street where it hit a Jeep Grand Cherokee, ending the chase, the complaint said.
The driver of the Grand Cherokee wasn’t hurt, the complaint said.
He continued to refuse to speak to officers after they obtained a warrant for a blood draw, the complaint said.
Ealy was charged with a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude officers and misdemeanor counts of DUI and obstructing administration of law/other government function, as well as six summary traffic violations.
He was arraigned Saturday before district judge Patrick Lowrey and taken to the Venango County jail after failing to post bail.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled March 18 in Central Court.
