Miami County man raising questions after having heard deadly pursuit, crash happen

MIAMI COUNTY — A man who heard the fatal crash caused by a driver being pursued by police in Miami County last week is taking action to have people think about the consequences of that crash that took two lives.

Jalen Alexander, 19, was being pursued by Troy police after he took off from an attempted traffic stop last Tuesday. Speeds in the pursuit reached over 100 mph before Alexander struck a vehicle driven by Chelsey Vollmer, 32, at the intersection of U.S. 40 and state Route 202, police previously told News Center 7.

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According to police, Alexander had warrants for his arrest from Miami and Greene counties.

Ben Fisher could hear the police pursuit of Alexander from his home, about half of a mile from the crash site.

“I heard shoom, shoom, then boom, boom, boom. I knew what happened,” Fisher said.

Horrified by the wreckage, Fisher decided to take action and posted signs at all four corners of the intersection that read “We as a community have a moral obligation to ensure the cause was worth the effect.”

The signs asked three questions for the community to think about: “Did he have a gun, Did he threaten life, Was the chase necessary.”

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“Why are we doing things locally that are jeopardizing other people’s lives? I don’t understand that,” Fisher said.

When speaking with News Center 7′s Mike Campbell, Fisher said that he spent his Easter weekend carving Jesus’ face into a tree on his property.

“We need Jesus, I’m telling you, there’s something not right. We’re not looking at each other right,” Fisher said.

Now, Fisher believes the people in the Bethel Township community, as well as even the surrounding communities should take action to raise money for a education fund for Ezra Smith, the 17-month-old daughter of Vollmer. Smith was in the vehicle with Vollmer when the crash happened and has since been released from an area hospital.

Cox Media Group