Jeffersonville man sentenced in Highland County failure to comply case
A Jeffersonville man was sentenced to 18 months in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer in Highland County.
Timothy J. Williams Jr., 30, was indicted on the third-degree felony charge in June. The indictment alleged that on or about May 14, Williams “did operate a motor vehicle … so as willfully to elude or flee or a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal” to stop. It is alleged the “operation of the motor vehicle by the offender caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property,” the indictment says.
According to a bill of particulars, Greenfield Police officers attempted to make a traffic stop after observing that Williams’ truck had expired tags, then witnessing Williams pull “directly in front of” another car, nearly causing a collision.
The bill of particulars alleges that Williams failed to comply with the traffic stop, instead “continuing to accelerate” and traveling “at a high rate of speed” on several different routes in the Greenfield area, including North Washington Street, state Route 41 and Island Grove Road. During the pursuit, it is alleged that Williams “entered the opposite lane of travel;” “abruptly braked and passed a vehicle … and narrowly avoided a collision.”
Williams eventually stopped on Island Grove Road after applying the truck’s “brakes heavily, causing it to go off both sides of the roadway and also slide for approximately 200 feet before coming to a stop,” the bill of particulars says.
It is alleged that Williams continued to “refuse to comply” with the police officer’s orders after his truck came to stop, including “throwing his hands in the air and cussing” and “refusing … to get on the ground,” until the officer eventually restrained him.
Williams pleaded guilty to the charge July 26, according to court records.
During a hearing Aug. 24, Highland County Common Pleas Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Williams to 18 months in prison, with jail time credit of 102 days. Coss also ordered Williams’ driver’s license to be suspended for five years, commencing Aug. 24.