State police collared a Derry man last weekend after he led them on a high-speed pursuit from Blairsville Borough onto routes 22 and 119 in Burrell Township.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:30 Friday night when a state trooper on patrol attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by 33-year-old Johnathan Checca for traffic violations on North Walnut Street in Blairsville. Instead of stopping, Checca took off, speeding onto Route 22 East and then onto Route 119 North, where the trooper executed a PIT maneuver to force Checca to stop. (The PIT maneuver causes the suspect vehicle to slide to a stop after being bumped on the rear quarter panel.)
Checca was taken into custody without incident. He is charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and 28 traffic violations, including driving while suspended and fraudulent use or removal of a registration plate. He was taken to the Indiana County Jail, where he was held on $5,000 bond. He’ll have a hearing next Monday before District Judge Christopher Welch.
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