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Last updated on Wednesday, September 11, 2013
(BEDFORD) - A Mitchell man is facing numerous charges after he led police on a high-speed pursuit in a busy area of Bedford Tuesday night.
Bedford Police arrested 33-year-old Steven Stroud, of Mitchell.
Stroud is charged with:
Reckless driving
Criminal recklessness with a vehicle
Resisting arrest by force
Resisting arrest by fleeing
Attempted escape
Operating a vehicle intoxicated under a controlled substance
Operating a vehicle intoxicated endangerment
Operating a vehicle intoxicated impairment
Driving while driver's license suspended with prior convictions
Aggressive driving
Disorderly conduct
And was issued 15 different traffic citations including disregarding a stop sign, speeding, and driving left of center.
According to Bedford Police Chief Dennis Parsley, officers had contact with Stroud earlier in the day.
"We received 8 calls reporting a man hanging out of a red van," Parsley says. "The van was being driven by Mr. Stroud's girlfriend. Officers stopped them and told Mr. Stroud to stay inside the van and we thought the problem was solved."
Then at 7:15 p.m. the department received several 911 calls reporting a man in a van was driving recklessly.
"We got calls that he was doing donuts at Walmart," Parsley says. "Then a call the vehicle was in the Kmart lot and then on James Avenue and the calls kept coming in. He was all over the place."
An officer spotted the van on John Williams Boulevard near X Street.
"The officer attempted to stop the van and the driver (Stroud) took off," Parsley says. "We had discussions on ending the pursuit because of safety issues. But then he drove over an embankment, into Dunham's parking lot, jumped the curve and went back onto James Avenue. Avenue. We knew then we had to get him stopped."
The pursuit continued going down James Avenue, across 16th Street into the Lowe's parking lot, back across 16th Street.
"He was everywhere," Parsley added. "He was in the Big Lots parking lot, on Becky Skillman Way, on John Williams Boulevard and up and down James Avenue."
Officers attempted to stop the van in the Big Lots parking lot.
"Officers were able to spin the vehicle out, but he just kept going," Parsley says. "People in the areas of the pursuit were stopping because of the danger. People were just afraid to move."
Officers were finally able to stop Stroud on John Williams Boulevard.
"He drove into a field near Eight Street across from Hill Crest Road and officers were able to block the vehicle," Parsley says.
There was extensive damage to one of the police cruisers.
"The officer basically used the vehicle as a barricade. We can replace a police vehicle, you can't replace a person and we had to get this man stopped before something tragic happened," Parsely says.
No one was hurt in the incident.
Stroud was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.
"He was checked out and taken for a blood draw," Parsley added. "Then when Mr. Stroud was taken back to the police station he attempted to flee when police were taking him from the police car, hence the escape charge."
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