CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa.-- A Maryland man is facing charges for fleeing police in stolen vehicle and one State Police officer suffered minor injuries after a crash while in pursuit on Wednesday night.
Jonathan Abney, 21, of Maryland, is facing fleeing and eluding, receiving stolen property, and endangering the welfare of a child among other related charges for the incident.
Around 10:13 p.m. on August 30, police pulled Abney over for an expired registration tag on Interstate 81 in Dickinson Township. As a trooper approached Abney's vehicle, police say he sped away at a high rate of speed onto Route 34.
Abney almost struck a motorist as he went off the road, before driving onto Pine Road, Burt House Road and then driving through multiple farms and lawns before being taken into custody on a farm off of Rockledge Extension.
An investigation revealed that Abney had a 3-month-old infant and a 23-month-toddler and two other people in the vehicle at the time, and neither were properly restrained. However, at the time of the pursuit, police say they did not know children were in the vehicle or no pursuit would have taken place.
The children were taken to Carlisle Regional Medical Center as a precautionary measure.
After Abney was taken into custody, it was found that the vehicle had been stolen from Blaise Alexander Chevrolet in Greencastle.
According to the affidavit, Abney told police that he didn't realize the truck was stolen until the day of the chase. He also told police that he got the truck about a week ago and purchased it about a month ago from a man, paying him $10,000.
While in pursuit of the incident a state trooper crashed around 10:30 p.m. in the 600 block of W. Old York Road in Carlisle.
The collision occurred as the State Police officer was attempting to assist in a pursuit when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a utility pool.
The officer suffered minor injuries, but has already been discharged from the Carlisle Regional Medical Center.