ASHLAND — A Summit County man is in custody after leading law enforcement on high-speed chase that ended Saturday in Ashland County.
Victor Stephen Head, 70, was driving his black 2022 Tesla Model Y when a Medina County State Highway Patrol officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
Head was arrested and charged with resisting arrest by fleeing, a fifth degree felony.
According to a report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Head was driving around 99 miles per hour while traveling west on I-76 in Medina County’s Wadsworth Township.
Head reportedly responded to the lights and sirens by accelerating to around 115 miles per hour, occasionally slowing down to around 65 miles per hour depending on the traffic.
The report states that Head later took the I-71 south ramp, traveling through the grassy area and nearly hitting a semi-tractor trailer on the left side. Head continued driving along the berm, passing the semi and continuing down I-71.
Officials in Ashland County closed down all three lanes of I-71 south. The Ashland County State Highway Patrol deployed stop sticks near mile market 184.
The Tesla struck the sticks, causing its passenger side front and rear tires to deflate, and came to a stop near mile marker 182.
After that, the Medina County and Ashland County Sheriffs Office, along with the Village of Lodi Police Department, initiated a traffic stop with weapons out, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Head did not exit his vehicle for approximately 15 minutes after it came to a stop.
Other agencies on the scene included the Richland County State Highway Patrol and City of Ashland EMS.