By SAXON DAUGHERTY
Staff writer
The Franklin Police Department is preparing to file several charges against a Franklin man accused of leading authorities on a high-speed chase and crashing into a cement wall at the former Joy Global Plant 1 last week.
Enough evidence has been secured by police to show that 33-year-old Travis Semrau was under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances during the June 1 incident, according to a press release issued Thursday by patrolman Steven Barnes.
Pending the approval of the Venango County District Attorney’s Office, Semrau will be charged with DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while under the influence, aggravated assault by vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude police, accidents involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed, reckless driving, driving while operating privilege is suspended and multiple other traffic violations.
Barnes observed a red Ford Mustang driven by Semrau traveling dangerously at about 12:50 a.m. June 1.
Semrau is accused of narrowly missing a parked car in the 1300 block of Franklin Avenue and fleeing from Barnes when he tried to conduct a traffic stop.
The pursuit reached a speed of between 80 and 90 mph from the 1500 block to the 1200 block of Buffalo Street, with Semrau reaching speeds Barnes believes to be in excess of 100 mph, police said.
The pursuit was called off in the 1200 block of Buffalo due to the increased risk of accident and Barnes losing sight of the vehicle with its lights turned off, police said.
Police then began to search for the vehicle and found that it had struck the former Joy plant at the intersection of Buffalo and Fourth streets at a high rate of speed, police said.
Semrau’s vehicle had struck the heavy garage bay door of the loading dock and continued into the loading bay where it hit a cement wall, police said. Semrau and an adult female passenger were trapped due to massive damage caused to the vehicle, police said.
Franklin and Rocky Grove fire departments, in addition to Community Ambulance Service, extricated both occupants from the vehicle, police said. They were both flown to UPMC Hamot in Erie due to the seriousness of their injuries, police said.
