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LISBON -- A man accused of fleeing from the Columbiana County Municipal Court parking lot in a stolen car appeared in court via video Monday for additional charges related to last week's high-speed chase.
Richard P. Smith, 35, Riley Avenue, East Liverpool, was arraigned on a third-degree felony charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer. A preliminary hearing was set July 13 on the new charge, along with the fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property charge he was arraigned for last week.
He remains jailed under a $75,000 cash or surety bond.
The incident occurred a little after 1 p.m. July 6 after Richard P. Smith dropped off someone who had a court appearance. Columbiana County Sheriff's Office deputies assigned to county Municipal Court discovered the car he was driving had been reported stolen out of Wellsville on July 4. When he came back to pick up the person he had dropped off, he fled when deputies approached, letting two people out of the car and then taking off with a woman who was also in the car.
According to the affidavit filed with the new charge, the two deputies, Rob Smith and John Scheets, attempted to approach the vehicle as it was attempting to drive off and made audible commands to stop while the windows of the vehicle were down.
The affidavit said Richard Smith "disregarded the safety of persons or property due to the following actions, running over the stop sign at 38832 Saltwell Road, failure to stop at the stop sign at state Route 164 and state Route 517, numerous illegal passing violations through the route, speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, reckless operation through an active construction zone, the route being approximately 18 miles in length with the pursuit lasting about 13 minutes."
Besides appearing for arraignment, Richard Smith was fined $300 for no license and reckless operation, both charges related to the incident.
Mya Darby, 20, Ambrose Avenue, East Liverpool, the woman who was a passenger in the stolen vehicle with Richard Smith, is also scheduled to appear at 1 p.m. July 13 for a preliminary hearing for receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony.
The high-speed chase started when Richard Smith fled and drove over a stop sign at county Municipal Court, then drove down Saltwell Road to state Route 164 south, through the stop sign at state Route 164 and state Route 517 without stopping and following Race Road to Bluff Street to state Route 154 and then onto state Route 11 southbound.
The driver eventually crashed in East Liverpool on the road under the former Newell Bridge. No injuries were reported.
mgreier@mojonews.com