Man arrested after chase
REDSTONE TWP. – A high speed chase in Redstone and Luzerne townships Wednesday night resulted in the arrest of a Brownsville man. Geoffrey Douglas, 29, of 26 Hood St., Brownsville, was arraigned before District Justice Mark Blair on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, recklessly endangering another person, and resisting arrest. He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The incident occurred around 10:15 p.m.
Police said they initially stopped to see if the suspect and another man needed help loading a dirt bike into the back of a truck. As soon as the officers stopped, police said, Douglas jumped into the passenger side of the truck, slid into the driver’s seat and left the Dunlap Creek Presbyterian Church parking lot at a high rate of speed. The other man, who owned the truck, called for the police to stop Douglas.
Police said they followed Douglas with their lights and siren going. The chase went to Merrittstown Crossroads and north on Route 166, where police said Douglas allegedly passed one car on a sharp curve and forced another off the road. The chase proceeded through Allison No. 2 and Allison No. 1, where Douglas jumped from the vehicle, leaving it in drive.
Capt. Dennis Field chased Douglas on foot into a wooded area, where he was eventually subdued with pepper spray.
Officers said they found three plastic bags containing approximately 5.4 grams of suspected cocaine and two plastic bags containing about 1.6 grams of suspected marijuana. Both items field-tested positive.
Douglas was arraigned and jailed in lieu of $25,000 cash bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 28 at 1 p.m. before District Justice Mike Defino Jr.