The Ohio State Highway Patrol apprehended two men who ran from the scene of a traffic stop on Friday morning, according to Lt. Chad Enderby with the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Mansfield post.
Suspects William Titus and Zachary Garris were both arrested and taken to the Richland County Jail on Friday on charges of providing false information to a law enforcement officer and obstructing official business when fleeing from the scene. Enderby stated the men were incarcerated for those charges from the State Highway Patrol and also for their outstanding warrants for traffic violations from the Mansfield and Ontario Police Departments.
At approximately 9:54 a.m. Friday morning a State Highway Patrol trooper initiated a traffic stop on State Route 13 south of Bellville.
“While the trooper was back in his vehicle checking the occupants through LEADS for warrants and things of that nature, the right front passenger and the rear passenger fled on foot across the field into some woods,” said Enderby. “The driver stayed at the scene.”
Enderby noted the driver was charged with driving under suspension and released. Meanwhile, Enderby and four other State Highway Patrol officers traversed the area looking for Titus and Garris running on foot, searching a few properties in the area where they may have hidden.
At approximately 10:45 a.m. a local resident on Ross Road reported a male had knocked on her back door and then took off, and patrolmen were able to apprehend him after he solicited a ride from another homeowner. The second arrest came at about 1 p.m. later on Friday afternoon in the area of State Route 13 and Cook Road.
“Another homeowner reported they were giving a ride to a gentleman that was soaking wet and said he needed a ride to Mansfield,” said Enderby. “We stopped that vehicle and took the man in custody.”
Enderby said the State Highway Patrol was able to apprehend Titus and Garris thanks to the assistance from homeowners in the area who gave tips on where the suspects were last seen and suspicious activity in the area.
“Without the assistance of the homeowners in that area we’d have had a very difficult time finding them,” he said. “Luckily it was a fairly decent day so a lot of people were out and we could talk to them and let them know if they see someone suspicious to give us a call, and they did just that.”
