A Mansfield man was arrested after a burglary investigation by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office that led to a chase early Sunday morning.
James Allen Compton, 38, was charged with receiving stolen property and failure to comply with police signal, both felonies. Compton was also charged with a first-degree misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid driver’s license and two traffic violations — driving without a seat belt and failure to control a vehicle.
According to a sheriff’s office news release, Sgt. James Nicholson had been on patrol at 3:06 a.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of West Cook Road after receiving information from a deputy following up on a case that stolen property was found on the ground in the area.
The deputy reported the property was hidden in such a way that it appeared the suspect would return to retrieve it later. This was the third instance where stolen items were placed nearby after being stolen from area residences. One of those residences was on Home Road, where the suspect also hid the stolen items nearby.
Nicholson waited in the West Cook Road area to see if the burglary suspect would return to the scene. Nicholson observed a full-size truck slow down as it passed by the residence. The truck left and then returned 30 minutes later, slowing down again as it passed the same area.
As Nicholson approached the truck in his cruiser in an attempt to get a license plate number, the truck quickly accelerated away.
According to the press release, Nicholson turned on his emergency lights and pursued the truck until his cruiser hydroplaned off the roadway and struck a fire hydrant near the Mansfield City School Raemelton Administrative Building. Nicholson was not reported injured in the accident.
Nicholson said he saw the truck leave the roadway and take out two traffic signs and a telephone pole before crashing into and causing damage to two residences on West Cook Road. Deputies found Compton driving the truck. Compton was taken to OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital where he was treated and released into police custody.
It was discovered that the truck Compton was driving had been stolen from a residence in Mansfield that had also been burglarized. Items located at the crash scene, including tools and weed eaters, were also stolen.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Mansfield Police will continue to investigate the burglaries.
