Two Ohio men hospitalized after police chase ends in crash

BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Two men were taken to the hospital following a Belmont County Sheriff’s pursuit that ended in a crash on Tuesday, according to Belmont County Sheriff Dave Lucas.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, detectives with the Criminal Interdiction Unit attempted a traffic stop as part of an ongoing investigation.

Sheriff Dave Lucas tells 7 News that two men in a black Jeep led officers on a chase down I-70, hitting speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

He says at one point, they switched into the westbound lanes, going eastbound, then turned onto Route 40 into St. Clairsville.

The sheriff says spike strips were unsuccessful in getting them stopped.

Finally, the Jeep crashed into a double billboard near the Riesbeck’s corporate office.

The driver, Christopher Coleman, 30, of Columbus, and passenger, Jamey Kidder, 47, of Martins Ferry, were both hospitalized due to their injuries.

The passenger there was there because of his injuries. The driver took off on foot. My K-9 units was searching and we received the information of a person fitting the description on North 9 down by Jug Run.

Sheriff Dave Lucas
Belmont County

Officials say one of the occupants needed to be life-flighted due to their injuries.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Detectives will be requesting felony charges at a later date due to the ongoing investigation.

Stick with 7News for future updates on this ongoing investigation.

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