Ohio man accused of leading police officer on chase before crashing in Spring Township
An Ohio man was jailed Saturday after state police at Rockview said he led an officer on a more than 80 mph chase through Spring Township.
An officer who was monitoring traffic along state Route 144 at the top of the Centre Hall mountain attempted to stop Luis Alexis Rodriguez Rivera, 19, for following a vehicle too closely, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed Saturday.
Rivera stopped in a private driveway, but then accelerated in reverse for about one quarter-mile, police wrote. He then accelerated toward the officer and swerved at “the last second” to avoid a head-on collision with the officer, police wrote.
He traveled about 80-100 mph along state Route 144 before turning right onto South Harrison Road, police wrote. An officer estimated at least 75 people and vehicles were in the area.
Rivera crashed along North Harrison Road near the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology, police wrote. He was found about 10 minutes later.
Rivera told a Penn State auxiliary police officer he fled because he did not have a driver’s license or paperwork for the vehicle, an officer wrote.
A defense lawyer for Rivera was not listed on a court document.
Rivera was charged with one felony count of attempting to elude an officer, one misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person and 11 summary traffic citations.
He was arraigned Saturday by District Judge Allen Sinclair, who set bail at $50,000. Rivera did not post bail and is detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.