Thursday, March 13, 2014

Mahanoy City and Reading Man Attempt to Evade Shenandoah Police After Traffic Stop

Images Courtesy of Shenandoah Police FB Page
In the early morning hours March 8, 2014 around 1:15am, a Shenandoah Police Officer observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation at the intersection of Main and Centre St. in the borough.

The officer conducted a a traffic stop of a black 1991 Acura in the 500 block of East Centre St. When the vehicle stopped the driver exited the vehicle. The officer identified the driver as Ethan Kennedy, 29, of Mahanoy City. The officer ordered Kennedy to remain inside the vehicle. Kennedy ignored the officer and ran away toward North Union St. The officer chased Kennedy on foot until he lost Kennedy about three blocks from traffic stop location.

When the officer returned to his patrol vehicle the Acura began to accelerate at a high rate of speed. Due to very dark window tint the officer had been unaware when Kennedy ran away that there was a passenger in the vehicle.

The Acura sped away heading Eastbound on Route 54 toward Mahanoy City. The officer pursued the vehicle until it crashed into a tree near the intersection where Route 54 meets Route 4030.

The officer, now assisted by officers from Mahanoy City Police, approached the vehicle and ordered the driver from the vehicle. The driver failed to comply with officers commands and was pulled from the vehicle. The suspect then began to fight with officers until he was handcuffed. That suspect was identified as Quentin Lightner, 27, of Reading, PA.

As a result of Kennedy's and Lightener's actions, several felony, misdemeanor, and summary charges are being filed against them.

Kennedy was also involved in the incident where he crashed his SUV into a home in Butler Twp in August of 2013.

http://wnep.com/2013/08/21/driver-in-schuylkill-county-crash-had-suspended-license/