TURNERS FALLS — A 19-year-old Deerfield man was arraigned on a slew of charges after police say he led them on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle.
Todd David Wise Jr. was summoned to court on charges of receiving a stolen motor vehicle, failing to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, a marked lanes violation and failure to stop. He was arraigned in Greenfield District Court Tuesday.
The charges were brought against Wise after he allegedly led police on a high-speed chase in Turners Falls in September.
According to a report by Montague Police Sgt. Joshua Hoffman, dispatch issued a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) Sept. 23 for a red Toyota Tacoma registered to a man in Northampton. Hoffman, who was monitoring traffic on Montague City Road across from the Farren Care Center, saw the vehicle drive by as the BOLO was announced around 9 p.m.
Hoffman wrote that he began to follow the truck, which sped up and continued to increase its speed after he activated his emergency lights and siren. He wrote that at times, the truck was traveling faster than 60 mph in a 25 mph zone, navigating small curves by crossing from one side of the road to the other.
While turning back onto Montague City Road, the Tacoma ran a stop sign, lost control and crashed into a house across the street, according to the report. Hoffman wrote that after exiting his cruiser, he unholstered his firearm, walked up to the truck — yelling for the occupants to show their hands — and found Wise laying on the ground in front of the vehicle.
Wise initially told police his friend was driving and had fled into the woodline, leading officers to request the State Police Air-Wing, which was grounded due to fog. State Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office K-9s were called into assist with a search, but were unsuccessful due to the terrain and thickness of the brush. One K-9 did locate a blue hat, which was identified as belonging to Wise’s friend.
Dispatch also confirmed the friend, identified as Ian Covalenco, 20, was actively wanted on default warrants, including one that involved firearms charges.
Police ended the search after midnight, and Wise was brought to the police station for an interview. Though he initially continued to say he was not operating the truck, Wise eventually admitted he was operating the vehicle during the pursuit after police noted that his statements were inconsistent with witnesses statements, Hoffman’s observations and timing, according to the report.
Hoffman wrote that Wise told police he was attempting to locate and buy heroin for himself and Covalenco in Montague, and was scared to stop because he was unlicensed and knew the truck was stolen.
Wise was allowed to leave after the interview based on his cooperation with police, but was issued a summons. He was released on personal recognizance following his arraignment and is due back in court Jan. 4, 2018, for a pretrial conference.