ASHLAND — A Morrow County man is now being housed in Ashland County Jail after leading a chase spanning five counties that ended in Loudonville on Monday.
Joshua Boucher, 43 — wanted in connection to a Monday morning shooting in Morrow County — is now being held at Ashland County Jail on felony charges. He will also face a felony charge stemming from Richland County, an Ashland County Jail spokeswoman said.
Boucher originally was held at Richland County Jail on Monday, but transferred to Ashland’s facility at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
A Holmes County Sheriff press release said Boucher led authorities in a man hunt that started in Morrow County and included Holmes, Ashland, Richland and Knox counties.
Boucher was captured Monday in an unoccupied Loudonville house following a crash, a vehicular chase and a run through some woods.
Ashland authorities said Boucher crashed into another vehicle in the 2000 block of State Route 89 on Monday afternoon, according to a press release issued Tuesday from the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office.
Boucher then stole the vehicle and kept driving south, authorities said.
“A short time later the vehicle was spotted in the 2500 block of State Route 60 traveling southbound,” deputies said.
Officers tried to stop Boucher but he kept fleeing.
“The stolen vehicle came to a rest after crashing behind the H&H Custom Homes. The driver fled on foot into a wooded area, and drone teams were activated,” reads the release.
By around 2 p.m. on Monday, officers apprehended Boucher while hiding in a crawl space of a vacant house along Township Road 457 at the Ashland and Holmes county line.
The ACSO press release said the crash involved injuries, but no other details were given.
Authorities from Ashland and Morrow county sheriff offices were not immediately available for comment.
Charges have not yet been officially filed.
Law enforcement’s pursuit of Boucher led to lockdowns in area schools Monday, including Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village School District and Clear Fork Valley Local Schools.
Clear Fork schools went into a “soft lockdown,” meaning kids stayed in classrooms and employees took extra caution letting people into the building.