MOUNT VERNON – The Dec. 14 session of the Knox County Grand Jury included three cases involving high-speed police chases. In all, the grand Jury indicted thirteen defendants.
Knox County Prosecuting Attorney Chip McConville said there has been a significant increase in cases involving police pursuits this year.
“Ordinarily, we see two or three of these cases in a year,” McConville said. “For whatever reason, this year we have had eight.”
Curtis W. Hull, 37, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for failure to comply with the signal of a police officer, possessing weapons under disability and driving under a lifetime suspension, all felonies of the third degree. Hull was also indicted for criminal damaging and two misdemeanor traffic violations. On Nov. 30, MVPD Sgt. Rex Young observed a vehicle commit the two alleged traffic violations and began a pursuit at high speed out Tilden Avenue and onto Banning Road in Clinton Township. The vehicle went left of center and crashed in a yard; where the driver, allegedly Curtis Hull, fled on foot. Sgt. Young eventually took Hull into custody and located a handgun near where Hull had paused during the chase. Hull is currently on post-release control with the Adult Parole Authority after serving a four-year sentence for aggravated vehicular homicide. That sentence also included a lifetime driver’s license suspension.
Matthew Adams, 26, address unknown, was indicted for failure to comply with the signal of a police officer, having weapons under disability and failure to provide a change in vehicle information, all felonies of the third degree. Adams was also indicted on charges of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and aggravated possession of drugs, felonies of the fourth and fifth degrees, respectively. On Nov. 23, MVPD Ptl. Matt Jones attempted to stop a van for an equipment violation and the van led him on a high-speed pursuit through residential areas on the east side of Mount Vernon. The van crashed into another vehicle; and the driver, alleged to be Matthew Adams, fled on foot. MVPD officers found a loaded handgun in the van along with alleged methamphetamine and personal property belonging to Adams. Adams, a registered sex offender, had not registered his use of the van with the Knox County Sheriff as required by law. MVPD K9 DJ assisted Ptl. Jones with the investigation of the vehicle.
Christopher M. Deraleau, 31, formerly of Columbus, was indicted for failure to comply with the signal of a police officer, failure to provide a change of address and a failure to provide a change in vehicle information resulting from an incident on Nov. 14. MVPD Ptl. Matthew McDonald attempted to stop a black Honda for a license plate violation when the vehicle accelerated away and went southbound on State Route 13 at speeds of about 70 mph. Knox County Sheriff’s deputies disabled the vehicle with stop sticks, and the driver fled on foot. Upon apprehension, he was allegedly identified as Christopher Deraleau. Deraleau is a registered sex offender from Texas with prior failures to register in Texas and Oklahoma. He is alleged to have been living in Knox County without registering his address or vehicle with the Sheriff. Officers reportedly seized a bag of sex toys from his vehicle.
Sara A. Herbertson, 29, of Westport, Connecticut, was indicted on one count of burglary, a felony of the second degree. Herbertson allegedly entered a residence on West Sugar Street in Mount Vernon while residents were at home and caused damage to a number of items in the basement. The case was investigated by MVPD Ptl. Zachary Uhler.
Donald R. Kennedy Jr., 27, address unknown, was indicted for burglary, a felony of the third degree, and theft, a first-degree misdemeanor. Kennedy allegedly entered an occupied residence on South Jefferson Street in Mount Vernon while no one was home and stole a television and other items. This case was investigated by MVPD Ptl. James Coffey.
Carlie S. Brown, 29, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. Brown allegedly caused physical harm to a family member on Nov. 27. She has a prior conviction for domestic violence from 2012 in Mount Vernon Municipal Court. This case was investigated by KCSO Dep. Zac Miller.
Robert R. Humphrey, 41, of Mount Vernon, was indicted on two counts of violating a protection order, both felonies of the fifth degree. Humphrey is alleged to have violated a protection order issued by Judge John Thatcher on Oct. 30, 2020, in a domestic violence case. This case is a felony because of Humphrey’s prior conviction for violating a protection order in 2011. This case was investigated by MVPD Ptl. Patience Miller and Ptl. James Coffey.
Jamie L. Shoemaker, 38, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. It is alleged that Shoemaker had a small quantity of methamphetamine with her when she was arrested on an assault in early November. This case was investigated by MVPD Ptl. Matthew McDonald.
Neil Farley, 59, of Columbus, was indicted on one count of possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a felony of the fifth degree. Farley was stopped for a license plate violation in June, and assisting units deployed a K9 which allegedly alerted to drugs in the vehicle. This case was investigated by MVPD Cpl. Justin Willis, Danville Ptl. John Cox and K9 TC.
Cierra N. Steigerwald, 32, of Mount Vernon, was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. Steigerwald allegedly had a small amount of methamphetamine in her possession when KCSO deputies responded to a crash involving her car on Green Valley Road in November. This case was investigated by KCSO Sgt. David Devolld.
Ashley N. Schaade, 29, of Mount Vernon, was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. Schaade allegedly had a small quantity of methamphetamine in her sweatshirt when MVPD officers stopped her vehicle for an equipment violation in November. This case was investigated by MVPD Ptl. Aaron Collins and K9 Laya.
Patrick M. Stein, 31, of Mount Vernon, was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. Stein was allegedly sleeping in his car on State Route 229 near Blue Road when the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded. Stein was believed to be impaired, and a probable-cause search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of suspected methamphetamine. This case was investigated by OSHP Tpr. C.E. Cox.
Ronda D. Berkshire, 62, of Mount Vernon, was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of drugs and one count of permitting drug abuse, both felonies of the fifth degree. Berkshire allegedly allowed her home to be used for trafficking methamphetamine, and she allegedly possessed a small quantity of methamphetamine when KCSO deputies assisted Knox County Probation officers with a search of the residence. The case was investigated by KCSO Det. Aaron Phillips.
