×

1 arrested after police pursuit, 3 sought

Suspects fled in vehicle, then on foot

Around 1:20 p.m., police arrested John D. Philpott, 22, of 1215 1/2 Latrobe St., Parkersburg, at Das Rookhaus on Dudley Avenue.

PARKERSBURG — One man was arrested and three other people are being sought after fleeing from Parkersburg Police in a vehicle and on foot Tuesday afternoon.

Around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, a uniformed officer spotted a black 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe driving south in the 3300 block of Broad Street, traveling at excessive speed and passing other vehicles on a double yellow line, Police Chief Joe Martin said.

The vehicle pursuit began at 26th and Broad streets and ended a short time later after the Tahoe turned into a dead-end alley along 26th Street below the Eagle Pointe care facility, Martin said. The vehicle was unable to continue and four individuals inside exited and fled on foot, he said.

Scanner traffic indicated police were searching for three males and one female, though that could not be immediately confirmed Tuesday night.

Parkersburg High School and Madison and McKinley Elementary schools were placed on lockdown as a result of the incident, said Mike Fling, assistant superintendent for Wood County Schools. Students at Worthington and Criss elementaries were pulled from the playground as a precaution.

Around 1:20 p.m., police arrested John D. Philpott, 22, of 1215 1/2 Latrobe St., Parkersburg, at Das Rookhaus on Dudley Avenue. Martin said Philpott admitted to being in the vehicle.

Philpott was arrested on a charge of fleeing and a capias warrant out of Wood County Circuit Court for failure to appear, Martin said. His bond was set at $1,000.

Das Rookhaus owner Sherry Dugan said a man entered the restaurant and was talking on his phone, apparently asking someone to pick him up.

“Next thing I know, cops are everywhere,” she said. “There must have been … one cruiser and five unmarked cars.”

At one point, there was a report of shots fired in the vicinity of Eagle Pointe, but Martin said police could not locate the source of the sound and it could have been the Tahoe striking something as it fled.

“We did find a shotgun inside the vehicle, but there was no evidence that it had been discharged,” he said.

Lockdowns at the schools were lifted around 1:45 p.m., Fling said.

The case remains under investigation.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today