GRAFTON, W.Va. — A man has been charged following a pursuit through Taylor County.
On May 24, troopers with the Taylor County detachment of the West Virginia Police Department were patrolling W.Va. Rt. 119 at the intersection of W.Va. Rt. 50 in Grafton when they observed a Chevrolet with “a suspicious WV Motor Vehicle Inspection sticker” on its window, according to a criminal complaint.
Troopers pulled behind the vehicle in an attempt to pull it over, but the vehicle’s driver began to speed up. It reached Monroe Street and “continued to speed away at speeds unsafe for the narrow winding road,” troopers said.
The driver sped through a four-way stop in Knottsville while on the way to Sandy Creek Road and then turned onto a private drive. It went then through a field and became stuck when attempting to climb a muddy hill, according to the complaint.
At that point, the truck’s driver fled while the passenger, identified as Joshua Swisher, 44, of Grafton, stepped out of the vehicle to be detained, troopers said.
A search of the vehicle resulted in troopers finding a loaded 9mm pistol, a glass smoking pipe and a set of digital scales. During the search, troopers also found drugs packaged for sale as well as numerous empty bags for future packaging, according to a criminal complaint.
The drugs amounted to 26 Vyvanse pills, 17 “m.aphet salts pills,” three amphetamine-destoamphetamine pills and 145 Suboxone pills, troopers said.
The vehicle’s driver has yet to be located and arrested at this time, according to the complaint.
Swisher has been charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $45,000 bond.