A Schuylkill County man’s vehicle allegedly went airborne during a high-speed pursuit last month. He was arrested about a week later in Pottsville, passed out in a vehicle allegedly with a loaded gun.
Police in Saint Clair say they were on patrol on Nov. 13 at about 10:30 p.m. near E. Lawton and Second streets in the borough. At that time and place, a black Jeep Grand Cherokee was headed south on the driveway of the Sunoco gas station and made a left turn onto Lawton St.
As it made that turn, police say the driver failed to use a blinker.
Police say they also noticed that the Jeep was missing an inspection sticker. As it passed the patrol vehicle at a slow speed, police say they recognized the driver as William Rowland, 26, of Auburn. Rowland was known to police thanks in part to a recent traffic stop on Nov. 5, during which he was cited for numerous violations, including using the wrong license plate on his vehicle, driving without insurance and on a suspended license.
Knowing this, police attempted a traffic stop on the 13th. Soon after turning on their headlights and turning the vehicle around, police say Rowland’s vehicle accelerated from the scene. They made this assumption based on the noise coming from a suspected exhaust leakage from Rowland’s Jeep. Police say they could hear the Jeep’s engine revving as it sped toward Front St.
Now with emergency lights activated, police say they witnessed Rowland speeding and failing to stop at a STOP sign at S. Front and Patterson streets. It continued southbound and ran another STOP sign at S. Front and Russell streets.
When the Jeep went up a sharp incline toward the bridge at S. Front and Russell streets, police say it went airborne as it approached the bridge.
Rowland allegedly continued speeding away from police, going through a third STOP sign at S. Front and Thwing streets.
At that point, police stopped pursuing Rowland, citing risks to public safety.
A short time later, police say they received a report that a vehicle believed to be Rowland’s was operating recklessly on Mill Creek Ave. and heading toward Pottsville.
On Nov. 19, police in Pottsville say they arrested Rowland (who was previously listed as living in Hamburg but court records indicate he may be living in Auburn) after he was spotted unconscious in his vehicle by a witness near the Dunkin’ in the west end of the city.
Police say they found Rowland that day in possession of gun, too. Due to a prior conviction, Rowland was not able to possess a gun.
On Nov. 26, a felony charge of fleeing an officer along with numerous summary traffic offenses were filed against Rowland.
Following his arrest in Pottsville, Rowland was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on $20,000 bail.
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