LORAIN, Ohio — A man has been arrested on several charges after making threats to law enforcement officials and leading police on a chase through the city of Lorain.
A spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol told 3News that the suspect, identified as Joseph Hengst, was taken into custody by Brook Park police officers and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers at 2:46 p.m. on Saturday in the parking lot of the Cleveland Ohio State Highway Patrol post.
Hengst was charged with the following:
- Aggravated trespassing,
- Impersonation of a peace officer
- Failure to comply
- Obstruction
In an arraignment hearing on March 4, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.
On Saturday, March 2, the Lorain County Sheriff's Office received several phone calls to their 911 dispatch center from Hengst claiming he was the Sheriff. According to dispatchers, Hengst made cryptic statements to them during the call.
Several other surrounding city's dispatch centers also reported the same type of phone call, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office revealed that a man, later revealed to be Hengst himself, called them to report a driver "possibly passed out behind the wheel at a red light" located at the intersection of State Route 57 and Grafton Road.
When deputies investigated the report, they found a Subaru sedan at the location without a license plate. Deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop with the vehicle, but the suspect in the vehicle fled the scene.
The Sheriff's Office was able to confirm the driver to be Hengst when he called dispatchers requesting the names of the deputies attempting to stop him. Eventually, pursuing deputies stopped the chase in the interest of public safety.
Hengst continued to call various law enforcement agencies throughout the day, including Cleveland's FBI field office claiming to be the "President."
Hengst then called the Lorain County Sheriff's Office once more and made threats during the call. According to dispatchers he said, "be armed and ready, I'm on my way in."
Later in the day, law enforcement officials learned the location on Hengst through an emergency ping on his cellphone provided by the cellphone provider. Hengst was arrested without incident.
More charges related to the police chase are expected, according to a spokesperson from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office.