Staff report

LIBERTY — A Niles man appeared in court Wednesday after reportedly leading Liberty police on a chase that led into Niles on Tuesday evening.

Jimmy Williams, 38, pleaded not guilty to a charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer.

According to a Liberty police report, officers were notified by Boardman police about a pursuit involving a gold Chevrolet Malibu, stemming from an attempted theft at the Walmart on Doral Drive.

According to the report, a female passenger identified as Julie Lehman attempted to steal a TV from the business but was stopped by asset protection, leading to her fleeing the store on foot. Liberty police were told that Boardman police ended their chase at Shirley Road, but a Liberty officer on stationary patrol noticed the Chevrolet traveling northbound on state Route 11, and began pursuit after confirming the driver was Williams.

The officer attempted to pull over the Chevrolet, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. The officer noted he reached 110 mph while attempting to catch up with Williams, and a sergeant asked dispatchers to notify Weathersfield and Niles police about the chase, according to the police report.

Williams continued westbound on Tibbetts Wick Road, reaching 70 mph and “completely disregarding” the safety of other motorists and bystanders. He also passed a semi-truck on its left side, nearly sideswiping it, the report states.

The officer eventually lost track of Williams after he turned onto Russell Avenue and deactivated his emergency lights as he entered McKinley Avenue. An employee at New Day Recovery directed the officer to the back of the business, where its parking lot connects to an apartment complex’s parking area where the Chevrolet was parked and unoccupied.

Niles police and the Liberty sergeant joined him at the scene, and a canine unit was deployed to track the vehicle’s passengers, leading them to a Hillcrest Avenue residence.

Officers attempted to make contact with one of the apartments, but were unsuccessful, and they noticed a neighboring apartment had security cameras in its front and rear windows. Upon reviewing the footage, the sergeant observed Williams and Lehman enter the residence, the report states.

A tow company was called to take possession of the Chevrolet, and officers took inventory, recovering Williams’s wallet, a cell phone and drug paraphernalia, which was confiscated as evidence.

Liberty police were notified later that Niles police had Williams in custody, who explained that Williams fled the Hillcrest Avenue building after Liberty police cleared the area, but a witness took a picture of him and provided it to Niles officers. The report states Williams attempted to use his brother’s name, but was detained in handcuffs and identified by his tattoos via his Facebook account.

Williams asked about Lehman’s potential charges and apologized for leading police on a chase.

“Bro, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leading you on a high-speed chase. You know, I was driving and I was scared about getting caught. I’ll be honest with you, man,” Williams told officers, according to the report. “That’s why I did that, and that’s why I parked my car and ran into the house. I heard you guys, though. I was scared as hell.”

A warrant was issued Wednesday morning for Lehman through Girard Municipal Court for an obstructing official business charge.

Williams’s bond was set at $15,000, and he’s set to appear back in court for a pretrial hearing May 21, according to court records.