Man who allegedly led police on chase now facing additional charges in Butler County
Ronald R. Piper, the 46-year-old Butler man who is accused of leading police on a high-speed chase and eventually prompting a search in Armstrong County, is now being charged in Butler County.
Piper and Tabatha Marie McConnell, 29, of Slippery Rock, were each charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor theft in an incident that preceded Piper’s chase. McConnell was charged Thursday and Piper was charged in Butler County on Friday.
The new charges for Piper come a few days after other charges were filed in Armstrong County. Piper was charged Tuesday with three felony counts of aggravated assault and felony fleeing police; and one misdemeanor count each of evading police, reckless endangerment and drug paraphernalia possession.
State police said they were dispatched Monday to a property on Buena Vista Road in Fairview Township for a reported burglary. A woman on the property told police she saw a suspicious minivan near her property and encountered a man walking near the barn. She told him to leave the property.
The woman told police the man then walked toward the intersection of Cherry and Buena Vista roads and dropped some items on his way, including a drill and citizens band radios.
The van drove toward the intersection at the same time as the man headed that way, the woman told police.
Police then encountered a Honda Odyssey van and attempted to make a traffic stop but failed. Three individuals were observed inside the van.
The van was then seen traveling west on Route 68 with the three occupants. When it traveled east again, there was only one occupant in the vehicle, police said. Another pursuit was initiated on Route 268 going into Armstrong County.
State police from Kittanning deployed spike stripes, but they did not stop the van. The van then swerved off the road and almost — apparently intentionally — struck a trooper who was deploying more spike stripes, police said.
The operator then exited the van and fled on foot but was not found at that time.
Around the same time, police received multiple calls for a suspicious man and woman crossing through yards closer to the burglary site. Police found and apprehended McConnell and a man, and McConnell admitted to the burglary. The man with McConnell is not currently facing charges related to the incident.
At 5 a.m. Tuesday, state police received a report of a stolen vehicle near where the pursuit ended. The stolen vehicle was recovered on Route 422 near Swartzlander Lane in Clearfield Township, Butler County. Police said they believe Piper stole the vehicle after crashing the van.
Piper is being held in Butler County Prison on a $50,000 bail. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 5 before District Judge Kenneth Bussard in Armstrong County, and another scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Nov. 18 before District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora.
McConnell is being held in the jail on a $30,000 bail. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Nov. 18 before Stoughton.
