A juvenile was arrested after allegedly stealing a vehicle from the dealership where he worked, then leading authorities on a chase.
The Portage County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that deputies from the department’s road division were dispatched to Haasz Automall in Ravenna Township Thursday for a report of a stolen vehicle. An employee told deputies that a Dodge Durango was noticed missing from the lot earlier that day.
A suspect returned to the dealership in the vehicle, and an employee tried to confront the driver, who fled the scene and headed toward Streetsboro. The employee called 911 and deputies arrived, but couldn’t immediately locate the vehicle. During an investigation, the sheriff’s office stated, deputies learned that the suspect was an employee of the dealership, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile.
Deputies found the vehicle traveling on State Route 14 in Streetsboro and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect fled, according to the sheriff’s department, initiating a pursuit. The stolen vehicle was seen driving erratically, running red lights and driving through yards, the sheriff reported. The vehicle was found abandoned in a nearby apartment complex.