RITTMAN, Ohio — At about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday., a Rittman police officer tried to stop a motorist for speeding.
The driver fled and led the officer on a chase into Wayne County near State Route 604. The driver drove through two cornfields to try to get away before stopping near a creek,
Police from nearby communities were asked to assist as the driver and passengers ran from the car. The driver was caught minutes later.
The passenger was hiding in an area where the Ohio State Highway Patrol airplane was called in to help find him. The passenger was also arrested.
Officers seized about $3,000 in cash, lock picking tools, a gun case, loaded magazines, methamphetamine pipes, marijuana, and suspected fentanyl from inside the stolen vehicle.
A Rittman police officer and his K9 partner later searched the field and found a pistol thrown away by the driver, 31-year-old Tyler Chrostowski of Wooster.
Police say Chrostowski is a felon with a criminal record. He did not have a driver's license and had a warrant for his arrest from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Chrostowski was charged with numerous offenses including driving under suspension, felony fleeing, receiving stolen property, having weapons under disability and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
The passenger, 23-year-old Trevor McKenney of Ravenna was charged with obstructing official business.
Both men are in the Wayne County Jail.
