Local man faces charges after car chase

VW independent/submitted information

A Van Wert County man faces a number of charges related to an attempt to flee and damage to headstones in Woodland Cemetery.

Donald O’Day, 44, a resident of Tully Township, was charged with failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a felony of the third degree; operating a vehicle while impaired, his fourth OVI in the past 20 years; and vandalism, a felony of the fifth degree, as well as several traffic citations.

According to the Van Wert Police Department, dispatchers received a call at approximately 3:45 p.m. Tuesday of a possible drug deal in the Walmart parking lot involving a red Ford Mustang. The call also provided a temporary license plate number.

Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, police located and attempted to stop a red Mustang traveling south on Lincoln Street, which slowed, but failed to stop when the cruiser activated its emergency lights and siren. The Mustang failed to stop at the stop sign at Woodland Avenue and turned west onto Woodland and began to travel at a high rate of speed. The driver also ran the stop sign at Sibley Street and drove through the intersection at approximately 50 mph. The Mustang continued west on Woodland at speeds estimated to be greater than 75 mph and failed to stop at the intersection with John Brown Road, where it went left of center and hit and snapped off a stop sign at the exit drive for Woodland Cemetery.

O’Day continued driving recklessly into the cemetery until he lost control of the Mustang and hit at least two headstones, causing damage to the car and the stones. O’Day then got out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, but was caught before he could elude officers.

During a search of the Mustang, officers found a large of amount of what was suspected to be methamphetamines, marijuana, prescription medications, and drug paraphernalia.

The suspected meth will be sent to a laboratory for testing, and other charges could be filed with the grand jury after the results are released.

This is the second time O’Day has fled from law enforcement officers in the last month. Deputies from the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office caught O’Day on November 28 when he tried to flee on foot from a residence in Tully Township after officers tried to serve him with an arrest warrant on a drug-related charge.