A high speed pursuit along Interstate 86 and around the Valley area early Friday morning ended with the arrest of an Owego man after he crashed his SUV and ran.
Around 12:35 a.m., dispatchers in Tioga County, New York notified Sayre police about a gray Oldsmobile Bravada heading west on the interstate. When Sayre police joined New York State Police in the pursuit, the SUV was traveling more than 100 mph, according to court documents.
Other police from Waverly, Athens Borough, and Athens Township joined the pursuit as well as it continued back across the New York state border. The driver, 29-year-old Russell Leonard Hutuchings, used the Wilawana exit and entrance ramps to head back east with speeds continuing to exceed 100 mph.
Taking Exit 60, Hutchings led police on Route 220 while traveling south in the northbound lane before taking a ramp to Wilawana Road. Hutchings crashed the SUV into a concrete divider and sign after trying to make a left hand turn. The cloud of dust left behind from the crash resulted in a New York State Police cruiser hitting the divider as well.
As the Oldsmobile continued rolling forward, Hutchings opened the door and ran. During his escape, police said he tapped on the window of a nearby truck, and then punched the window when the driver wouldn’t roll it down. Horton was found near the Speed Queen laundromat, where he had stuffed the brown hoodie in a dryer to hide it.
In the criminal complaint, police quoted Hutchings as saying, “The only reason I ran and wouldn’t pull over was because I wanted to get out of Tioga and Broome County because the police there always beat me up.”
Police noted that Hutchings appeared sweaty and nervous like he was under the influence of a stimulant narcotic, and then found some methamphetamine folded in a $5 bill in the small pocket of his pants.
Hutchings was charged with the felonies of receiving stolen property and fleeing or attempting to elude officer. He also faces the charges of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, drugs, device or cosmetic, and the summary violations of reckless driving and driving without a license.
He was sent to the Bradford County Correctional Facility on $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 16.
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