A Smethport man is in McKean County Jail after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase into New York state Wednesday afternoon.
David Mihalko, 36, of 5560 Route 46, was being sought by police on an outstanding warrant for an alleged assault earlier this month.
At 2:43 p.m. Wednesday, Bradford City Police officers saw Mihalko’s car pull out of Delaware Avenue and onto Jackson Avenue, and recognized Mihalko as the driver. The officers turned on the lights and siren on the patrol car in an attempt to stop Mihalko, according to the criminal complaint.
Mihalko turned onto North Kendall Avenue, and then onto U.S. Route 219 heading north, driving at a high rate of speed, police said. Officers followed the vehicle at speeds of 100 mph while it was weaving through traffic and heading into New York, according to court records.
Mihalko surrendered by pulling off the road a few miles into New York, police said. Officers took him into custody and observed him “to have bloodshot, glassy and pinpoint eyes,” court records read. He was asked if he was under the influence of anything, and allegedly told police he had smoked marijuana earlier in the morning, court records read.
Mihalko agreed to a field sobriety test. He was asked to submit to a blood draw, but refused, court records read.
He was charged with fleeing from police, a third-degree felony; flight to avoid apprehension, a second-degree misdemeanor; driving under the influence of a controlled substance; and multiple traffic summaries.
He was arraigned Wednesday night before on-call Magisterial District Judge Bill Todd and remanded to jail in lieu of $30,000 bail. He was also arraigned on the charges which had lead to the warrant for his arrest, which were simple assault, a second-degree misdemeanor; disorderly conduct, a third-degree misdemeanor; and harassment, a summary.
Court records said on Dec. 2, at a Jackson Avenue residence in Bradford, Mihalko “smashed” a woman’s head through a window and struck her in the face several times with a closed fist. He was remanded to jail on $20,000 bail for those charges.
He is scheduled to appear in McKean County Central Court on Dec. 22 for both cases.
