The Ross County Grand Jury returned all 14 of their cases on Friday, July 26th, 2024, with three open for release to the public. From testimony in the the grand jury in one of the cases, according to the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office:
In the early hours of July 11th, a Chillicothe Police Sergeant was parked near the Olive Garden on North Bridge Street. Around 3:25am he saw a black Volkswagen being driven southbound with only one running light, no headlights, and no taillights.
The officer activated his lights, and the driver turned from the center lane of Bridge Street into Zane Plaza. The officer determined the driver was clearly attempting to flee, and so activated his siren.
The driver sped though the lot, onto Pawnee Road, and back to southbound Bridge Street…reaching 100 miles an hour.
South of the bridge, he turned east onto Water Street, still at a high speed. His car went airborne at the railroad crossing.
He tried to turn onto North Brownell Street, but instead hit an electrical pole on the northeast corner of the intersection, causing the pole’s top to break off – which cut the power to most of Chillicothe. The car stopped in a yard just before hitting the house at 581 East Water Street.
30-year-old Richard A. Rowland, Jr. of 152 North Brownell Street remains in custody for indictments on:
- Third-degree felony failure to comply, he could get up to three years and $10,000 in fines. (Endangering the public raised this charge to third degree.)
- First-degree misdemeanor OVI (operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs), he could get up to six months and $1,000 in fines.
- First-degree misdemeanor criminal damaging or endangering, he could get up to six months and $1,000 in fines.
Rowland also has charges of assault and theft in his booking information.
Find my discussion with county prosecutor on “How Does Ross County Deal with the High-Speed Chases and their Aftermath?” after the coincidence of this incident happening just before a similar incident that came out of a previous grand jury.
Also find our original report on this incident: “Chillicothe High-Speed Chase Ends in City-Wide Power Outage.”
Find the article on the Scioto Post.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.
1 of 3 30-year-old Richard A. Rowland, Jr.
2 of 3 Richard Rowland Jr.’s high-speed chase on July 11th.
3 of 3 Richard Rowland Jr. ended his high-speed chase on July 11th with a dramatic collision with a power pole at East Water and North Brownell streets that caused a city-wide power outage. An electrical substation that feeds the line is in the distance.