By Margie Wuebker
mwuebker@dailystandard.com Mitchell D. Mullins, who is being sought in connection with an alleged Oct. 15 abduction, fled from Celina Police following a Friday night traffic stop.
The 30-year-old Mullins, a resident of 905 Cheshire Circle, was a passenger in a car police stopped for a traffic offense at 9:34 p.m. on Johnson Avenue near Buckeye Street.
As the officer approached the stopped vehicle, a passenger he recognized as Mullins got out and ran. A two-block foot chase ensued before the suspect disappeared while running through backyards north of Johnson Avenue.
The driver, a 30-year-old Mendon man, claimed he did not know Mullins had been involved in criminal activity. Subsequent information gathered by the police indicated he was fully aware of the serious allegations involving Mullins.
The case involving the unidentified Mendon man has been referred to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, where a determination will be made regarding the charges. Those charges may come from a complaint filed through the Celina Police Department or by an indictment from a Mercer County grand jury. A bench warrant has been issued for Mullins in connection with the alleged abduction of his former girlfriend. He led authorities on a chase through Celina and into the countryside where "stop sticks" deflated all four tires on the woman's car. He continued driving until sparks from the rims apparently started a fire in the engine compartment. He ran from the scene and the woman also got out of the burning car.
Mullins also faces charges of assaulting a police officer and escape handed down by a grand jury in August.
Mullins is a white male standing 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds. He has brown eyes and has been known to dye or bleach his brown hair to alter his appearance.
Celina Police Chief Dave Slusser warns that anyone found to be harboring or aiding Mullins is subject to arrest on felony charges. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should call police at (419) 586-2345. |
