Trending
WARREN -- A Niles man on Thursday admitted to a Trumbull County judge that he made a poor choice when he decided to run from Niles police during a May traffic stop.
Andrew J. Bowles, 18, of Robbins Avenue, pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony charge of failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer and was given a nine-month prison sentence by Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice.
In addition to the prison term, Rice issued a mandatory three-year driver's license suspension for the man.
"You're lucky you didn't hurt anyone," Rice told Bowles. "You are 18 and you need to wake up and start exercising some good judgment."
The case involved a tip to police shortly after midnight on May 8, 2021 that Bowles was in a stolen Ford Escape heading to a North Road apartment complex. According to a police report, Bowles at the time had active warrants from Mahoning County on a burglary charge and the suspect was known to drive stolen autos.
Officers spotted the vehicle in the complex parking lot and Bowles put the Ford in reverse and almost sideswiped the cruiser. Officers pursued the vehicle north on North Road and then east on U.S. Route 422. Speeds stayed between 50 and 60 mph as the chase continued east on Route 422 through Girard and into Youngstown.
Trumbull County authorities terminated the pursuit when Youngstown police took over the chase on Glenwood Avenue. About five minutes later, the report states Bowles was arrested after the Ford struck an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser. The report states the Ford was stolen from a Boardman address. Bowles was checked at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital before being taken to jail.