Police pursuit leads to arrests
A woman faces a hearing next week on charges that she led Butler police in a pursuit through the city.
Police eventually stopped Maxine J. Jacobson, 23, of Butler early Monday morning, but they said officers had to force her from her car.
District Judge Kevin O'Donnell arraigned Jacobson on misdemeanor charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police and possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
She also was cited for failing to stop at a red light and two other traffic violations. She is free on $3,000 bail. Police said a patrol officer activated his emergency lights and siren around 12:45 a.m. after he spotted a car run a red light at West Brady and North Washington streets. But the driver, later identified as Jacobson, did not stop, police said.
She is accused of accelerating before turning onto North Church Street. The officer briefly lost sight of the car before he again saw it traveling west on Brady Street “at a high rate of speed,” according to court documents.
Jacobson continued onto North Chestnut Street and then West Penn Street, where she failed to stop at the intersections of Broad Street, Miller Avenue and Mercer Street, police said.
A second officer assisted in stopping the pursuit. The defendant was ordered to get out of the car and get on the ground. Police said she refused.
“Jacobson had to be forcibly removed from the vehicle,” documents said.
An eventual search of the car turned up a small plastic container with suspected marijuana in it, police said, and a crack pipe and marijuana pipe.
Police also arrested one of her passengers, Steven Dunmire, 26, of Butler, after they learned he was wanted on a bench warrant. He is being held in the county prison on the warrant as well as for a probation violation, authorities said.
Jacobson's preliminary hearing is scheduled Dec. 23 before District Judge William Fullerton. Online court records did not indicate if she has an attorney.
