New Philadelphia, Ohio - A Dennison man is facing multiple charges in connection with a high-speed pursuit that began on the west side of the city early Wednesday morning.

Michael D. Western, 43, of Dennison is being charged with OVI, failure to comply with the order and signal of a police officer, and several traffic violations after leading officers on a chase through town and out Route 39 that reached speeds in excess of 105 miles an hour.

According to police, the incident began when Officer Bradley Geist observed a silver BMW heading eastbound on West High Avenue at an extremely high rate of speed. The officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver continued to speed down the road, running several traffic lights before turning onto Third Street NE and continuing onto Fair Avenue.

The driver continued to run a stop sign before turning onto Beaver Avenue and continuing out Route 39 past the corporation limit. The officer was forced to back off from the pursuit a few miles past Roswell due to poor road conditions and limited visibility and eventually lost sight of the vehicle. However, he was able to follow its tracks in the snow to a driveway on Roswell Road where the driver and a passenger were ultimately apprehended.  

Western is scheduled to appear in New Philadelphia Municipal Court today (Thursday) for arraignment. The department will also be seeking felony charges for the pursuit. No charges are expected to be filed against the passenger.