By CARRIE KIRSCHNER - The Independent
ASHLAND — The woman police say led officers from three departments on a chase early Sunday morning remained jailed Monday on a number of charges connected to the incident.
The pursuit caused heavy damage to two Ashland Police Department cruisers and resulted in the injury of two innocent Ohio women.
Angela Walaszczyk, 37, of Ironton, was being held at the Boyd County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond as of press time Monday. According to jail personnel, Walaszczyk had been placed under observation for posing a danger to herself.
She has been charged with several felonies, including fleeing and evading police and two counts of wanton endangerment. She was also charged with aggravated driving under the influence and third-degree criminal mischief.
No additional charges have been filed in Greenup County where the pursuit ended and Walaszczyk was apprehended by the Russell Police Department.
Brian Cordle, 35, of Flatwoods, was a passenger in Walaszczyk’s vehicle during the pursuit. He was charged with alcohol intoxication and released from jail four hours after being charged.
According to APD Patrol Capt. Todd Kelley, the incident began when APD Officer Matt Howard attempted to stop Walaszczyk for suspected drunk driving shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday after spotting her driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Walaszczyk refused to stop and Howard pursued her throughout downtown, including areas not intended for vehicle traffic.
Walaszczyk eventually got onto U.S. 23 and headed north entering Greenup County, where the pursuit ended when she tried to enter the Golden Corral but missed and stopped in a grassy area adjacent to the restaurant.
Kelley called her actions “basically inexcusable.”
“She was wanting to get away. She did not want to be apprehended by the police,” he said. “It was obvious by her actions that she had no due regard for the safety of the motoring public or the property owners in the Ashland-Russell area,” he said. “She was obviously a danger to herself, her passenger and other vehicles on the road.”
In addition to endangering the lives of others, Walaszczyk caused substantial property damage to publicly owned property during the pursuit, Kelley said.
Howard’s cruiser sustained heavy front-end damage during the chase, eventually becoming disabled. Walaszczyk also struck a parking meter at the intersection of 15th and Carter Avenue, he said.
A second cruiser also sustained heavy damage as a result of the pursuit when Officer J.R. Schoch crashed his cruiser into another vehicle not involved in the incident.
Schoch was on his way to assist in the pursuit by putting out stop sticks when he crashed at the intersection of 22nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Two women, who have not been identified but are Ohio residents, were injured in that wreck, Kelley said.
Their injuries were not life threatening and both women were treated and released from King’s Daughters Medical Center, according to Kelley. Schoch was not injured in the crash.
A third cruiser received minor damage in the course of the chase but was put back into service Monday, Kelley said.
Kelley said the disabled cruisers will have no effect on the number of vehicles on the road in Ashland.
“We sustain a fleet, that takes into consideration that we do have breakdowns and we do have crashes,” he said. “We are still operating with an appropriate number of vehicles.”
He added the incident — including the crash — remains under investigation. Kelley said the city will make every attempt to seek restitution for damages caused by the pursuit.
CARRIE KIRSCHNER can be reached at ckirschner@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.
