NORWALK, Ohio — A 49-year-old man has been arrested after authorities say he fled the scene of a deadly motorcycle crash in Norwalk on Wednesday night, resulting in what's being called an "extensive manhunt."
Authorities say it was around 8:39 p.m. when Chad Holbrook of Norwalk was driving a 2007 Chevy truck northbound on Route 61 when he allegedly rear-ended a 2000 Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The man on the motorcycle – identified as 46-year-old Benjamin Curtis Conley – was thrown from the bike and landed in a ditch.
Conley was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Holbrook continued driving north on SR 61 while dragging the Harley Davidson with his truck,” according to a press release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “He turned left onto Seminary Road and continued north, turned right onto McIntyre Road and eventually stopped in the roadway approximately two miles from the initial crash scene.”
An off-duty deputy with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office witnessed the crash and followed Holbrook, according to the Highway Patrol. When Holbrook stopped his truck due to disabling damage, authorities say the deputy approached and identified himself as law enforcement.
Holbrook then allegedly fled on foot into a wooded area.
He was found approximately two hours later and taken to the Huron County Jail. Charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a fatal crash and operating a vehicle while impaired have been filed in Norwalk Municipal Court.
Authorities say he was not hurt in the crash.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated story on Oct. 6, 2022.