By MARK TODD - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
CONNEAUT —
A Conneaut man who sped an all-terrain vehicle down a residential street, past children and adults a few steps away, to elude police, faces numerous charges in Conneaut Municipal Court.
Jason Gehring, 28, 122 Thomas Drive, has been charged with failure to comply and possession of drugs, as well as with seven traffic charges, according to court records.
Gehring, who was arrested late Wednesday afternoon, is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 13. He will be represented by a public defender, a court spokeswoman said.
An officer on patrol on Harbor Street spotted an ATV crossing the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks around 4:42 p.m. When the cruiser approached, emergency lights flashing, the driver sped away to the north. Ignoring a stop sign, the driver turned onto Marshall Street and accelerated to 40 mph in the 25 mph zone, zipping past children and adults on the sidewalk, police said.
The driver then turned onto Harper Avenue, where he lost control of the vehicle and ran into thick brush on an incline, police said. The ATV stalled as the driver tried to rock it out of the brush, officers said.
Gehring was arrested and searched, police said. Gehring was carrying a knife and a plastic bag containing marijuana, officers said. Gehring said he fled police because of the marijuana and that he didn’t have a valid driver’s license, police said.
