Couple faces charges after ramming deputy’s vehicle in Dalton
DGKN staff report
DALTON A couple was arrested Nov. 25 after ramming a law enforcement cruiser and leading Wayne County Sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement agencies on a 26-mile high-speed chase in two counties.
A Wayne County Sheriff’s Office report states Walter W. Ferryman, 43, of Massillon, faces multiple charges for offenses including felonious assault, receiving stolen property, failure to comply with order of officer, criminal damaging/endangering. The passenger, a 31-year-old woman from East Sparta, faces a tampering with evidence charge.
The report was sent to the prosecutor’s office for review.
A deputy discovered a red Chevrolet pick-up truck had a license plate belonging to another vehicle while he was on patrol in Sugar Creek Township at about 9:35 p.m. Nov. 25.
The truck pulled in to Marathon gas station at 208 S Mill St. in Dalton and the deputy pulled up behind to conduct a traffic stop, according to the WCSO report.
As the deputy approached the truck, the vehicle sped off, circled around the pumps and struck the rear of the deputy’s cruiser. The truck then drove in front of the cruiser and backed up ramming the front of the cruiser. The vehicle then sped out of the gas station traveling northbound on state Route 94. The truck ran the stop light, drove past Dalton High School at 66 miles per hour and continued up to Fox Lake Road. A Dalton police officer and Ohio Highway Patrol joined in the pursuit as the vehicle made its way to Massillon and reached speeds of up to 90 miles per hour and disregarding law enforcement vehicles’ lights and sirens.
When the vehicle turned on to Forty Corners Road, the deputy saw the passenger throwing what appeared to be numerous small baggies out of the window. Once the truck reached Erie Avenue in Massillon, city police officers threw out a spike strip, getting the tires of the vehicle, according to the report.
The truck didn’t stop yet. While on Erie Street in Massillon, the driver drove the truck on the sidewalk around the Lincoln Way construction barricades and back onto Erie Street. He then cut through the grass, ran over a fence, and drove northbound in southbound lanes on state Route 21. At Warmington Road and Carmont, the vehicle finally came to rest after going in to a ditch.
Both the driver and the passenger were taken into custody. The driver overdosed on what was believed to be heroin, the report states. Deputies used NARCAN twice to revive him and a Jackson Township squad was called. He was taken to a local hospital. After he was released, he was transported to Wayne County Jail.
The pick-up truck was confirmed as stolen out of Stark County. The driver was discovered to be on parole and the Massillon Police Department had felony warrants for his arrest, the report states.
