Bond set for Richmond man accused of stealing police cruiser, leading to pursuit in Shelby County

SHELBY COUNTY — A Richmond man facing charges after a pursuit involving a stolen Richmond police cruiser ended in a crash near Sidney remains in the Shelby County Jail.

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Mitchell Timothy Gard, 32, of Richmond, was taken into custody by Shelby County deputies after the pursuit and crash, Sidney police said. His bond was set Tuesday at $150,000 on felony charges of fleeing and eluding and receiving stolen property.

Richmond police are planning to ask the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to approve a theft charge against Gard and if approved the department would work on extraditing Gard back to Indiana, said Capt. Curt Leverton with Richmond Police.

State troopers started a pursuit on the ramp from I-75 to state Route 47 in Sidney around 2:05 p.m. Monday after the cruiser didn’t stop when troopers tried to pull it over. The pursuit continued east on state Route 29 near Jackson Road east of Sidney.

“The stolen cruiser was driving recklessly at a high rate of speed causing a minor accident at Wilkinson Street and state Route 47,” Sidney police said.

Sidney officers were unable to keep eyes on the fleeing cruiser, however a Sidney officer continued east on state Route 29 and found the cruiser had crash near the railroad tracks by the Pasco grocery store, investigators said.

The driver of the stolen cruiser then ran south from the vehicle and into a wooded area., witnesses told police Multiple officers reported to the area to look for the suspect, who was reported to be in custody around 2:30 p.m. Gard was captured in the area of Knoop Johnston Road.

The cruiser was stolen from the Richmond Mall area around 1 p.m.

We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.

Correction: The suspect in this case was previously identified by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Sidney police as Timothy M. Gard. However, court records obtained by News Center 7 Tuesday show Gard’s legal name is Mitchell Timothy Gard.

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