Man asks to review FCSO video of alleged high speed pursuit

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A Washington C.H. man who allegedly eluded police in a high speed chase from Washington Court House to Sabina appeared in court Monday to ask for a continuance.

Joey L. Woody, 36, and his public defense attorney, Thomas J.C. Arrington, asked for the final pretrial hearing in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas to be continued in order to have additional time to review video footage of the incident.

Arrington told the court that he and his client had reviewed video footage from the Washington Police Department, but had not yet reviewed video footage from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. Both agencies were involved in the pursuit, Arrington said.

Woody is charged with failure to comply with the order of a police officer, a third-degree felony, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a first-degree misdemeanor. He is being held in the Fayette County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

A woman reported to police Oct. 10 that she had given Woody permission to drive her car but reported it stolen because it had not been returned, reports said.

At 9:45 p.m., Washington C.H. Police Department officers reportedly located the stolen Jeep Cherokee in the Walmart lot, 1397 Leesburg Ave., near the front of the store. Once the temporary tag was positively identified, confirming it was the stolen vehicle, an officer attempted to make a traffic stop after the vehicle exited the lot westbound onto Leesburg Avenue.

The driver, later identified as Woody, allegedly did not stop the vehicle after police activated their cruisers’ overhead lights and sirens. Woody continued out of the city on US 62 toward Sabina, according to reports, and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office joined the pursuit.

The high speed pursuit reached 80-plus miles per hour several times on wet road surfaces, according to reports.

As the chase continued into the Village of Sabina, reports said Woody continued to drive at a high rate of speed in 25 mile per hour zones. The vehicle struck the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office cruiser when Woody attempted to accelerate past him, according to reports. The vehicle allegedly struck a large propane tank and finally crashed into a police cruiser head-on.

Woody and the passenger, identified as Desiree D. Coonrod, were then taken into custody without further incident, police said. Coonrod allegedly admitted to officers that she was in possession of drugs. No injuries were reported during the pursuit or crash.

During Monday’s hearing, Judge Steven Beathard approved the request for a continuance of the final hearing in order for the parties to inspect the video footage. The next hearing will be held Feb. 5. The trial is scheduled for Feb. 8.

Coonrod’s cases for charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a first-degree misdemeanor, were continued in November in the Washington Municipal Court.

Woody
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2017/12/web1_MUGSHOTS_34399880-1-.jpgWoody

By Ashley Bunton

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Contact Ashley at (740) 313-0355 or connect on Twitter by searching Twitter.com for @ashbunton

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