TROTWOOD — UPDATE @ 10:42 a.m. (March 29):
Dalton Knisley remains in the Montgomery County Jail Thursday with a $10,000 bond, according to officials.
Knisley was indicted earlier this week on grand theft of a motor vehicle and failure to comply charges.
His next court date is scheduled for April 10, according to jail records.
RELATED: Missing Eaton teen found alive in Florida
UPDATE @ 2:56 p.m. (March 26):
A Montgomery County grand jury has indicted one of two suspects arrested after a school bus was reportedly stolen and involved in a chase with police.
Dalton Knisley, 20, was indicted on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and failure to comply, according to records.
Knisley is due in court for his arraignment on March 29.
UPDATE @ 12 p.m. (Feb. 14):
Two people were arrested and booked into jail on receiving stolen property charges following a pursuit involving a stolen Twin Valley South school bus, police said.
Dalton Knisley, 20, and Calvin Keener, 20, both of Eaton, were booked into the Montgomery County Jail on charges and authorities said additional charges might come out of Preble County, where the bus was stolen.
A Brookville officer initially spotted the bus on Arlington Road and thought it was suspicious for the bus to be out around 3 a.m. and followed the vehicle, investigators said. After attempting to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation, the suspects took off, police said.
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Brookville police said Knisley and Keener told them they had been sleeping in the school bus when they decided to drive off with it from the Twin Valley South parking lot.
“They indicated that they were sleeping in the bus early this morning and one of the suspects wanted to go to Walmart,” said Maj. Tom Simon with Brookville police. “We don’t know how they obtained the keys, we just know they were in the bus when we found it.”
Simon said Brookville officers called off the pursuit, however the vehicle was found crashed in front of a Trotwood residence a short time later. The suspects fled the crash scene, but eventually approached a Trotwood officer on the scene and were arrested, Simon said.
Twin Valley South school officials declined to release any surveillance video showing the theft, citing that “it contains information directly used for protecting or maintaining the security” of the school district, said Superintendent Bob Fischer.
Fischer said the district keeps the buses in a parking lot at the district’s main building and added that this is the first time something like this has happened.
The bus is currently out of service until the Ohio State Highway Patrol can inspect the bus.
According to police, speeds in the pursuit reached 54 mph.
Fischer said the buses are equipped with a piece of technology that limits how fast the bus can drive, which he said for Twin Valley’s buses limits speeds to between 75-85 mph. Police have not been able to investigate that side of the case to determine if that piece of equipment was operating properly, Simon said.
Knisley was charged and pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges in connection to a missing 16-year-old from Eaton who was later found safe in Florida, according to Eaton police.
RELATED: Missing Eaton teen found alive in Florida
Knisley pleaded guilty to the charge of interference with custody and was sentenced to three years of probation, according to online court documents. He also served about 12 weeks in prison following two probation violations, court records indicate.
Brookville police are planning to consult with prosecutors today to determine if any additional charges may be filed in the case.
INITIAL REPORT:
A Twin Valley school bus was stolen and ended up in Trotwood after a pursuit early Wednesday.
Officials say the pursuit started in Brookville around 2:50 a.m., and speeds during the pursuit reached 54 mph.
The bus reportedly blew through red lights and stop signs.
One parked car was hit on Wolf Creek Recreation Trail and Oak Street in Trotwood.
Authorities are still investigating when the bus was stolen and if it is from Twin Valley Middle School or Twin Valley High School, both of which are in West Alexandria.
One person was arrested in this incident. No word on injuries.
We’re working to learn more on the arrested person as well as further details on the ordeal.
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