Officer killed, three suspects in custody

VW independent staff and submitted information

FINDLAY – All three suspects remain in custody after Thursday’s multi-county pursuit that claimed the life of a Bluffton police officer.

Officer Dominic Francis, 42, died at 2:30 a.m. while attempting to deploy stop sticks but was hit by a vehicle that was fleeing from law enforcement officers. He was a nine-year veteran of the police force and coached various sports at Cory-Rawson.

According to the highway patrol, the incident began at approximately 2 a.m. when troopers from the Marion Patrol Post observed a dark-colored sedan traveling at a high rate of speed on state Route 23 northbound, but were unable to make contact with the vehicle. Speeds were said to be in excess of 120-130 miles per hour.

A Findlay Post trooper then identified the vehicle as a black Infiniti sedan at approximately 2:20 a.m. on state Route 15 in Hancock County. The suspect vehicle continued to flee on state Route 15 and then onto Interstate 75 southbound.

At 2:30 a.m., on Interstate 75, near exit 142, Officer Francis was struck by the car and subsequently succumbed to his injuries from the crash.

The three suspects fled on foot and at approximately 3 a.m., a gray 2010 Toyota Prius was stolen from a residence on County Road 29 in Hancock County. One of the suspects was taken into custody in the neighboring proximity of the residence from where the Prius was stolen.

The car was then located by a trooper from the Medina Post on Interstate 71 near milepost 208 in Medina County. The vehicle continued to flee on westbound state Route 82. One suspect was ultimately taken into custody at approximately 8:15 a.m. after a traffic stop at state Route 57 and Chestnut Ridge Rd. in the city of Elyria.

The third and final suspect was arrested near Bluffton shortly before 1 p.m.

During the search, Bluffton University locked down its campus, Bluffton Schools canceled classes and some nearby businesses shut down.

Law enforcement officers have not released the names of the suspects or preliminary charges against them, but more information is expected to be released by the highway patrol.