Man leads police on slow chase

A Fort Recovery man was arrested on Monday after a reported "low speed chase" in Ohio and Indiana by law enforcement with his two children in the car, according to a news release from the Fort Recovery Police Department.

Cristopher Lessing, 31, reportedly is being held at the Mercer County jail on multiple misdemeanor and felony charges including drug possession, resisting arrest and endangering children, according to a search of inmate records at the jail.

In the release, Fort Recovery police reported they received a call at 12:02 a.m. Monday from the Jay County Sheriff's Office in Indiana that they were attempting to stop a black vehicle in Indiana that fled from a traffic stop and was approaching Fox Road and Ohio-Indiana Line Road. Jay County sheriff's deputies reported they knew of children in the vehicle and suspected the driver, later found to be Lessing, of being impaired.

When Lessing entered Fort Recovery on South Wayne Street, Fort Recovery patrolman Adam Diller observed Lessing run the stop sign at Milligan Street. Diller tried to stop him. Lessing reportedly failed to stop and a low-speed pursuit began in Fort Recovery, continued on Sharpsburg Road to Mercer-Darke County Line Road and briefly went into Burkettsville, according to the release. The pursuit ended on Watkins Road after the tires of Lessing's vehicle were punctured by tire deflation devices deployed by Mercer County sheriff's deputies.

Lessing reportedly failed to exit his vehicle when ordered by law enforcement and was seen moving around and reaching into the back seat, according to the release. When officers tried to remove Lessing from his vehicle, he reportedly pulled away from officers. A Jay County sheriff's deputy and Portland police officer reportedly tasered Lessing. He was then arrested and transported to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater for treatment for being tasered and suspected drug use, according to the release.

Seized as evidence were more than 30 grams of suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Lessings's children, a boy and girl, were checked by members of the Southern Mercer County Joint Ambulance district and found to be unharmed. A worker with Mercer County Children's Services and the childrens' mother responded to the scene. The children reportedly went home with their mother.

It is believed that speeds during the pursuit never went above 35 mph in the village and never reached 55 mph outside the village, according to the release.

Mercer County jail records report Lessing was charged Monday in Celina Municipal Court with a second-degree felony count of possession of methamphetamine, a first-degree misdemeanor count of child endangering, a second-degree misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, a third-degree felony count of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony count of possession of drugs, and a first-degree misdemeanor count of driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. His bond has been set at $100,000, subject to 10%.

Also assisting in the traffic incident were the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Coldwater police and members of the Grand Lake Drug Task Force. No further information was released.