An attempted traffic stop in Mount Vernon earlier this month culminated in a suspect fleeing both by vehicle and on foot before being apprehended. The suspect now faces drug and weapons charges.

According to a press release from the Mount Vernon Police Department (PD), a patrol unit tried to conduct a traffic stop at 8:53 a.m. on April 2, targeting a vehicle with fictitious license plates. The driver, later identified as 39-year-old Brandon Miller, allegedly fled in the vehicle, prompting a pursuit.

The Mount Vernon PD press release further details that the chase lasted for 15 minutes, initially heading southbound outside of the city before returning north within city limits. The suspect's vehicle pulled into the Grand Hotel's parking lot, struck a metal gate, and then continued south on Gay Street. A deputy from the Knox County Sheriff's Office halted the vehicle, after which the suspect fled on foot but was eventually apprehended without incident.

Upon Miller's arrest, police discovered that he had two outstanding felony warrants from Morrow County, according to another Mount Vernon PD press release. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed a loaded firearm and a significant quantity of narcotics.

Miller has been charged with felony aggravated possession of drugs, felony weapons under disability, felony failure to comply with an order or signal from a police officer, and felony vandalism as per another Mount Vernon PD press release. He was indicted on April 8 and is currently being held without bond pending a hearing in Knox County Common Pleas Court.

In their pursuit of Miller, the Mount Vernon PD received assistance from both the Knox County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol as stated in another press release from Mount Vernon PD. The department is part of METRICH (Metro-Richland County) Enforcement Unit—a ten-county law enforcement task force established to address multi-jurisdictional violators of Ohio’s drug, weapons, and organized crime statutes.