Staff report

WARREN — A Youngstown man pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday to seven months in prison for an Aug. 18 police chase in Liberty.

Glen K. Gabriel, 31, of Clay Street, entered his plea to a charge of failure to comply with the order / signal of a police officer before Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Sarah T. Kovoor.

Gabriel posted bail following his arraignment Aug. 21 in Girard Municipal Court on a charge of obstructing official business and a traffic violation, as well as a felony charge of tampering with evidence. He was indicted on the failure to comply charge.

According to a police report, an officer was following a vehicle on Logan Gate Road near Logan Way when they noticed it did not come to a complete stop at a stop sign, and immediately initiated a traffic stop.

The officer approached the driver, later identified as Gabriel, and the report states that the officer noticed a “large quantity of cash” in his center console as Gabriel provided his information. The officer added it seemed as if Gabriel was blading his body to block his view of the center console, too, noting a “profound odor” of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The report states the reporting officer called for another officer to help as needed, asking him to speak to Gabriel while he completed a traffic citation for his stop sign violation. While the officer spoke with Gabriel, he requested that he step out of the vehicle, which Gabriel refused to do, instead putting his window back up, according to the report.

The report states Gabriel ignored more commands to exit the vehicle and put his vehicle in reverse, backing up and accelerating hard forward, fleeing northbound through the plaza and showing “no attempt to yield to any traffic.”

The report states Gabriel continued southbound on Logan Gate Road, disregarding a stop sign and showing no attempt to slow down at the intersection of Logan Gate and Monticello Boulevard.

The officer was eventually able to get behind Gabriel near Powder Mill Run Road, reporting that by that point, Gabriel began slowing down but continued to disregard his emergency lights and siren.

The report states he continued to flee at a speed of 45 to 55 mph until coming to a stop on Logan Gate near the railroad tracks, where officers began a high-risk traffic stop and detained him without further incident. The officer noted Gabriel passed “numerous oncoming vehicles” during the chase.

A tow truck was called to impound Gabriel’s vehicle, and the officer began an inventory of it, finding a milkshake cup with a plastic baggy containing an unknown substance. The officer added that in the milkshake was a piece of paper that was believed to have been a paper fold containing narcotics.

The report states the fold was destroyed and unable to be collected as evidence. The milkshake also contained a burnt marijuana blunt, and six unknown capsule pills were found in the vehicle’s center console area under the radio, the report states.

The two officers, along with a police dog, searched the pursuit route afterward, after suspecting Gabriel had thrown evidence from his vehicle during their chase. Only a plastic tear-off baggie could be found, however.