Brandon Twp.- A 16-year-old Oxford High School student is facing criminal charges instead of returning to the classroom this week.
The teen allegedly led police on a high speed chase in a stolen vehicle before crashing into township woods and fleeing on foot Sept. 2, prompting a mass search that involved 15 patrol units, police dogs and a helicopter.
The suspect was to be arraigned Sept. 3 on one count of fleeing and eluding, third degree; one count of resisting and obstructing and one count of receiving and concealing stolen property.
‘This is a 16-year-old kid making poor decisions in life,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Greg Glover, Brandon substation commander. ‘He’s been involved in other auto thefts. He’s been making poor decisions for over a year.?
According to OCSO police reports, the most recent poor choices by the teen began Sept. 1, when he allegedly stole a Chevy Cruze parked in front of the owner’s home in the 500 block of Peninsula Court in Oxford Township.
On Sept. 2, OCSO received information that the stolen vehicle was in a vacant lot near the 1800 block of Seymour Lake Road. Deputies responded to the location and before they could approach the vehicle, it allegedly sped off westbound on Seymour Lake Road.
The deputies called out the plate number and confirmed it was the stolen Cruze.
Another deputy observed the vehicle southbound on Sashabaw Road north of Oakhill Road and began pursuing with emergency lights activated.
The suspect, according to authorities, accelerated and turned east on to Oakhill Road, then north on Dartmouth and made a sharp turn on to Stanton Road, continuing east at a high rate of speed before turning north on Trillium Lane, going down a driveway, into a side yard, around to a backyard and into the woods on a two-track trail, crashing into a pile of downed trees.
The driver allegedly bailed out of the vehicle and ran west into the woods.
A perimeter was established by OCSO units from Oxford, Brandon, and Independence. K-9s and a helicopter also assisted in searching a heavily wooded area. The search was called off as darkness fell, as the suspect had been identified. The suspect returned to his home, but allegedly fled on foot again, eluding capture. Shortly before midnight, Glover and OCSO Deputy Ryan Roberts returned to the suspect’s home as an escort for the teen’s mother, who wanted to return to the home and ensure it was secured. She had left in fear of her son, who has previous assaults.
At that time, while standing outside the front door, Glover observed the suspect walk by inside and he took down the suspect and Roberts handcuffed the teen without incident.
Glover said the suspect was driving at speeds between 70-100 mph while fleeing police in the approximately 1-mile chase. No injuries were reported.