MOUNT VERNON – Local law enforcement officials are asking for the public’s assistance in locating an individual who allegedly fled on foot after initiating a police pursuit in Knox County late Sunday night.
Nicholas M. Hamilton, 23, of Mount Vernon, is still at-large, according to Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer. The sheriff’s office issued a warrant for his arrest on Friday, after he failed to appear in court for his arraignment on Wednesday, June 23.
Hamilton was charged June 1 with grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony. He was indicted by a Knox County grand jury for allegedly stealing another man’s 2001 Honda Civic on March 1.
Anyone with information on Hamilton’s whereabouts is encouraged to call the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at 740-397-3333 ext. 1.
The pursuit began at 11 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of South Jackson Street and West Gambier Street in Mount Vernon, according to a preliminary report field by Mount Vernon Patrolman James Coffey.
Coffey said MVPD units were “watching a house with known drug activity” when they observed a vehicle leaving the house with no headlights on. Coffey identified the driver as Hamilton, and knowing there was a warrant out for his arrest, attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
“When a traffic stop was initiated, Nicholas fled the area going at a high rate of speed,” Coffey reported.
The pursuit eventually crossed the city line, Coffey reported, and deputies from the sheriff’s office took over. Hamilton hit a sheriff’s cruiser with his vehicle at one point, Shaffer said, before re-entering the city and heading north on Lower Gambier Road.
By the end of the chase, Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said Hamilton was riding on rims, as all four tires were flat.
The pursuit came to a violent end near the Mount Vernon Avenue intersection.
“He hit some obstruction in the road, I’m not sure what it was, and then went off the road and perhaps down the embankment and toward the river,” McConville said.
Hamilton then fled on foot, leaving an injured female in the vehicle.
It’s unclear how long the pursuit lasted, how many units were involved, or what exact route was taken. Shaffer and Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Morgan were unavailable for comment Monday.
The status and identity of the female riding in the passenger’s seat were also unknown as of Monday afternoon. Mount Vernon Fire Chief Chad Christopher was unavailable for comment.
The deputy involved in the mid-chase collision was not injured, McConville said. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is currently investigating the crash.
Law enforcement officials were unable to locate Hamilton on foot late Sunday night. The sheriff’s office called the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Aviation Unit for aerial assistance at 12:35 a.m. after K-9 units lost Hamilton’s scent in the woods, Sgt. B.D. Brown of the Mount Gilead post said.
Units searched for Hamilton until approximately 2 a.m., Brown said, when the sheriff’s office called the search off for the night.
Ben Cook Sr., the interim Director of Facility Operations and Campus Safety at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, sent an email to faculty and students at 2:50 a.m. Monday, saying law enforcement officials had searched MVNU’s property and the surrounding area for a suspect who had fled on foot, according to MVNU Communications Coordinator Samantha Scoles.
“It didn’t necessarily say (the search) happened here, it just said they did search MVNU’s property and the surrounding area and found there was no threat to the campus community,” Scoles said.
The campus is relatively empty at the moment, Scoles noted, due to students being away on summer break and many faculty members being on vacation. Heavy construction is also occurring on the campus at this time.
In addition to charges stemming from his current felony warrant, McConville said Hamilton will likely face a multitude of charges resulting from Sunday night’s pursuit.
“There’s a whole list of things (Hamilton could be charged with),” including fleeing and eluding, McConville said.
“I think it’s fair to say he will be facing additional charges, but I’m going to need to see all reports from law enforcement – there was a damaged cruiser, and apparently the passenger in the vehicle was significantly injured – so there’s a whole laundry list of stuff we’re gonna need to look at before we make any charging decisions.”
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is currently leading the search for Hamilton, McConville said, because “80 percent of (the pursuit) happened out in the county.” The MVPD and OSHP are also assisting in the investigation.
Hamilton has a lengthy criminal record locally, court documents indicate.
He was convicted of complicity in the commission of a burglary, a second-degree felony, in 2017, according to Knox County Court of Common Pleas records. Hamilton was sentenced to three years in prison for the offense.
He has also been convicted of petty theft (twice), possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal trespassing, and obstructing official business since 2017, according to Mount Vernon Municipal Court records.
Hamilton was last listed as “homeless” in court documents. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at 740-397-3333 ext. 1.
