CRUISER CAMERA: Man accused of stealing deputy’s cruiser

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Cruiser camera footage shows a man accused of stealing a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office cruiser leading officers from multiple departments on a high-speed chase.

Stephen Reynolds, 29, was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on theft and escape charges, according to Sheriff Rob Streck.

>> Man accused of stealing sheriff’s cruiser, leading officers on pursuit identified

The incident started with deputies responding around 6:45 a.m. Aug. 6 to reports of a person passed out inside a pickup truck at the Shell gas station on Needmore Road near Interstate 75, investigators said. 

The truck and Reynolds were found at the gas station and he was initially taken into custody after the truck was found to be stolen. 

Several deputies assisting had to leave to respond to a crash, leaving one deputy to finish up the investigation.

While that deputy was out of the vehicle gathering information, Reynolds “was able to change his hands’ position to be in front of him.” He was then “able to crawl through an opening in the patrol vehicle’s security partition.”

Cruiser camera footage from the stolen cruiser shows the driver going the wrong way on state Route 49, nearly missing several vehicles.

Another cruiser camera shows spike strips, a tire deflation device, used during the pursuit and punctured at least one tire of the cruiser during the pursuit. 

The pursuit ended in Trotwood near the intersection of state Route 49 and Shiloh Springs Road after the cruiser hit multiple other vehicles. 

Reynolds was arraigned on the charges in the case last week and remains in the Montgomery County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF