On October 11th, 2016 at 8:00 PM, deputies in the Holiday City area were on patrol looking for a stolen black 2000 Ford Focus of the Village of Montpelier. Deputies located the vehicle on CR-15 at CR-N.30 and attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver stopped the vehicle on CR-15 just south of the intersection and fled on foot into a corn field.
Deputies on scene began to set up a perimeter and contacted Sheriff Steven Towns. Sheriff Towns called for additional deputies to respond and assist. Officers from Pioneer, Montpelier, West Unity, and Stryker, Ohio State Highway Patrol, along with fire department personnel from Kunkle and Montpelier assisted at the scene.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol also brought in their helicopter from Columbus to search the area. The helicopter was outfitted with a thermal imaging camera that allows the pilot to see through the corn and dense woods. The area was checked on the ground and by air, but the driver was never located.
In the recent weeks, there have been over a dozen vehicles in the Montpelier area stolen. Five of those vehicles have been recovered in the Holiday City area alone. Deputies have taken their own initiative to work on catching the person or persons involved by spending extra time patrolling and investigating the thefts and recovered vehicles in the area.
The driver is described as a Caucasian male, around 5’10” and about 150 pounds. He was wearing running shoes, blue jeans, a grey jacket with navy blue sleeves, and a ball cap. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Williams County Sheriff’s Office at 419-636-3151. Your information will be kept confidential.
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