Lisbon chase has chilly ending

Liverpool man runs from traffic stop, caught after a cold spell in Beaver Creek

LISBON -- An East Liverpool man was arrested after reportedly assaulting a police officer, fleeing from the traffic stop and hiding in the creek in below freezing temperatures late Saturday evening.

Lisbon police Sgt. Jon Kerchofer said a vehicle was stopped on state Route 154 at the pull-off area near the bridge on the east side of town for driving out of the marked lanes. While one Lisbon officer, Patrolman Anthony Konders went to the driver's side window, Kerchofer said he went to the passenger window, spotting a bag of suspected narcotics on the passenger seat.

That is when the man, later identified as Aaron Holt, fled. He grabbed the bag and got out of the driver's side door before kicking the officer in the leg and pushing him away so he could run.

Holt, 41, Blakely Street, East Liverpool, then ran for the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek, which runs past there. Kerchofer said they heard a splash and ran down to the steep bank, but could not spot the man. Kerchofer noted it was about 31 degrees and the water was flowing swiftly.

Sheriff's deputies nearby arrived and they all scanned the water and the shore with flashlights and spotlights, but could not find him. Salem police were contacted and sent a K-9 unit to the scene. The highway patrol arrived and helped set up a perimeter. Kerchofer said he stayed with the suspect's vehicle while the search began for the man.

At one point the K-9 unit got a track on the man and he was sighted before he was again lost in the darkness, the thick briars and underbrush in the area around the creek, Kerchofer said.

Later while looking for him, Konders looked under a deck porch nearby and saw a pair of shoes sticking out. Holt was taken into custody.

Kerchofer said they did not know how long Holt had been in the creek and he told police he had fallen at least once, so an ambulance was called to transport Holt to the Salem Regional Medical Center, where he was checked for hypothermia and any other injuries caused by falling.

He was then transported to the county jail on a long list of charges. Besides two traffic offenses of driving under suspension and marked lanes, Holt is charged with tampering with evidence, assault on a police officer, obstructing official business, resisting arrest and drug paraphernalia for a crack pipe reportedly found inside the vehicle. Additionally, Kerchofer said Holt has warrants for felony charges in Arizona, where authorities said they plan to extradite him after they were notified he had been arrested.

The bag Holt grabbed from the passenger seat was not recovered, but Kerchofer said Holt admitted he threw it into the creek to avoid additional charges.

Chief Michael Abraham thanked the county sheriff's office, the state highway patrol and the Salem K-9 unit for their assistance in the capture of the man.

djohnson@mojonews.com