A teenage suspect was charged Monday, April 7, with multiple felonies after he reportedly stole a car and then attempted to elude officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department attempting to investigate the theft.
Austin Sawvell, 18, of Dayton, faces charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony, and fourth-degree felony theft.
Officers were initially dispatched around 3:40 a.m. to the a residence in the 500 block of Gunntown Road on a report of a stolen black 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The victim reported the vehicle had last been seen at their residence around 2 p.m. the previous day, Sunday, April 6, and that no one else had permission or access to use it. The victim told officers that a pair of AirPods inside the vehicle had triggered a notification alerting them to the car’s absence.
The vehicle was initially located near Garfield Avenue at the city limits, but officers were unable to immediately recover it. Around 4:27 a.m., the vehicle was observed traveling closely behind another car near the CSX railroad crossing on east Columbus Avenue. Officers confirmed the vehicle was stolen and attempted to initiate a stop. The driver reportedly turned off the vehicle’s lights and sped off northbound on Garfield Avenue, leading officers on a pursuit for approximately three-quarters of a mile.
The chase ended when the stolen Hyundai left the roadway and crashed through a fence, coming to a stop in the front yard of a residence on County Road 130. Sawvell, the driver, and a female passenger fled on foot across a field but stopped and complied with officers’ verbal commands after running about 100 yards. Both were taken into custody without further incident.
The female passenger was transported to Mary Rutan Hospital for evaluation of injuries sustained in the crash. Sawvell refused medical treatment. Sawvell reportedly admitted to taking the vehicle with the intent of fleeing if discovered. He was also found to have a suspended driver’s license.
Sawvell was lodged in the Logan County Jail. The vehicle was towed towed from the scene. Officers seized two cell phones and a wallet as part of the investigation. Additional charges are pending.