Chicora man arrested after pursuit in Butler
A Chicora man with a suspended driver's license is accused of leading Butler police officers on a vehicle pursuit that ended Tuesday evening when he ran into a parked car on East Walnut Street.
Officers arrested 19-year-old Dakota L. Anthony, who is facing felony and other charges. He is in the Butler County Prison on $20,000 bond.
Patrolman Michael Sulerud Jr. was on duty about 5:30 p.m. when he saw the driver of a 2016 Jeep Renegade run a stop sign at Franklin and East Brady streets, police reported. The vehicle sped away on East Brady Street.
The officer pulled his cruiser behind the Jeep and activated the emergency lights and siren, but the suspect did not stop.
The Jeep continued at a “high rate of speed,” according to charging documents, as it traveled on North Cliff, Taylor and Franklin streets.
During the pursuit, police said, the defendant drove “in an unsafe manner” and failed to stop at all the stop signs or use turn signals. Police also noted there were other motorists and several pedestrians in the area at the time.
The Jeep nearly rolled onto its passenger side as it turned from Franklin Street onto East Walnut Street. Police said the driver, later identified as Anthony, lost control and struck the rear bumper of an unoccupied parked car.
Police ordered Anthony out of the vehicle and onto the ground. A front seat passenger, a 27-year-old Butler man, was also briefly arrested.
Police subsequently determined the passenger was a victim, according to charging documents. The man told officers that during the pursuit, he asked the defendant to slow down and let him out of the Jeep. But Anthony allegedly refused.
An inventory search of the vehicle turned up two marijuana pipes, police said.
District Judge William Fullerton arraigned Anthony on a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude police, and misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was also cited for driving under drug suspension and three other traffic violations. His preliminary hearing is set Feb. 3. Online court records did not indicate if Anthony has an attorney.
