By MARISSA DECHANT – Staff writer
A Franklin man has pleaded guilty to leading authorities on a high-speed chase and crashing into a cement wall at the former Joy Global Plant 1 last June.
Travis Semrau, 34, entered his guilty plea Thursday to three charges. He pleaded guilty to felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, in addition to a misdemeanor count of DUI-highest rate of alcohol.
Numerous charges against Semrau were dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea.
The charges stem from a June 1 incident when Franklin patrolman Steve Barnes observed a red Ford Mustang driven by Semrau traveling dangerously at about 12:40 a.m., according to a criminal complaint filed through district judge Matthew Kirtland’s office.
Semrau narrowly missed a parked car in the 1300 block of Franklin Avenue and fled from Barnes when he tried to conduct a traffic stop, the complaint said.
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 believed to be in excess of 100 mph, the complaint 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.
At 12:46 a.m., Venango County 911 dispatched the Franklin Police Department, the Franklin Fire Department and Community Ambulance Service to a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of Fourth and Buffalo streets.
Emergency responders discovered that the vehicle was the red Ford Mustang Barnes had been pursuing, the complaint said.
Both Semrau and the woman were flown to UPMC Hamot in Erie due to the seriousness of their injuries.
A review of the medical records for Semrau confirmed that he suffered life threatening injuries. The woman also suffered life threatening injuries.
Semrau tested positive for being under the influence of benzodiazepine and quaaludes, and his blood alcohol content was 0.216 percent at the time of testing, the complaint said.
Semrau had waived his preliminary hearing in the case.
He remains released on $75,000 unsecured bail.
