Cheswold man flees from officer before crashing vehicle on Brenford Rd

Town of Cheswold Police Department Official News Release:

On the 11/8/13 @ approx. 1930 hrs Cpl. Louis Simms was operating stationary radar on Moorton Rd n/o Main St when he clocked a Tan Jeep Liberty speeding in a marked 25 mph zone travelling n/b at 46 mph.

The officer left his position and turned on his lights and sirens in an attempt to stop this vehicle. The vehicle would not stop and traveled at an extreme high rate of speed on Moorton Rd headed towards Brenford Rd. While following the vehicle the officer observed the vehicle run off the roadway several times and failed to maintain his lane. After returning his vehicle to the roadway the vehicle continued to flee the officer eventually disregarded the stop sign at the intersection of Moorton Rd and Brenford Rd.

The vehicle then  went off of the roadway through a wooden fence located at a home on Brenford Rd. and striking a tree located in the yard of the residence, coming to a stop. When the officer approached the vehicle he observed a w/m wearing a dark hoodie exited the vehicle and flee on foot away from this officer.

A foot chase was initiated with the suspect but the officer lost him in the woods located close to the vehicle stop. Cpl. Simms requested assistance and a Clayton PD Officer responded with his K9 partner to assist in a search of the suspect. Several minutes later the suspect was located in the backyard facedown of a residence and was taken into custody without incident.

The offender was then identify John Gras 28yr old, w/m , from Cheswold, DE. Who was familiar to the officer when in April of this year  the suspect led the same officer on a foot chase into Pinewood Acres after a traffic stop.

The fleeing vehicle was occupied by the suspect and his girlfriend, Alicia Lynch who is pregnant. Neither party was injured due to the crash and neither requested medical treatment. However Alicia was transported to Kent General via Cheswold Paramedics as a precautionary check for her unborn child and released with no injuries or complications later in the evening.

The suspect was placed into the officers patrol vehicle and transported to Cheswold Police Department for processing. The suspect was charged with Disregarding a Police Officers Signal, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Mischief, Speeding, Driving while Suspended and numerous other related traffic charges. The suspect was arraigned and released on an unsecured bond pending his court appearance.