A Rixford man who allegedly tried to hit a police vehicle with his van was arrested after he crashed the van off Looker Mountain Trail.
Gary A. Simes Jr., 35, of 1140 Looker Mountain Trail, was arraigned over the weekend before District Judge David Engman on two counts of aggravated assault, both second-degree felonies; one count of fleeing an officer, a third-degree felony; DUI-alcohol, a misdemeanor; resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor; and summary counts of reckless driving and careless driving.
According to the criminal complaint, at 1:13 a.m. Saturday, Bradford City Police Sgt. Raymond Douglass was driving west on Main Street, when he watched a van driven by Simes turn left from Davis Street to Main Street through a red traffic light.
“The said vehicle was traveling at a fast speed and as the van approached towards me I could see the passenger side door was wide open,” Douglass related in the criminal complaint.
The van continued onto East Main Street, and Douglass pulled behind it and activated his lights; the van did not stop. When the officer activated his siren, the van still didn’t stop, but Simes did put his arm out the window and waved at him, according to court records.
The van slowed down near the intersections with Jerome Avenue and Oxford Street, and a female jumped out of the open passenger door. The van pulled a short distance further and stopped; when officers got out of their cars to approach the van, it drove away, the complaint stated.
Court records said the officers continued to pursue the van, and it turned down South Kendall Avenue, traveled about a block, turned around and drove toward a patrol car, causing Douglass have to make an evasive maneuver to avoid being struck.
Douglass turned his car around; meanwhile, Simes also turned, then allegedly drove straight toward the driver’s side door of Douglass’s car. Douglass again had to maneuver the car to avoid being hit, according to the complaint.
The chase allegedly continued south on South Kendall Avenue to Looker Mountain Trail. Simes drove for about a quarter mile, when the van went out of control on a curve, traveled off the road and became airborne, coming to rest about 75 yards away from the road.
Police pulled Simes from the van to take him into custody, but he refused to be handcuffed, the complaint stated. Douglass reported that Simes’ breath smelled like alcohol, his speech was slurred and he needed help walking to the police car.
Sime’s driver’s license was suspended at the time, according to the criminal complaint.
Simes was committed to McKean County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, and he is scheduled to appear in Central Court on Thursday.
