Driver in high-speed chase now resides in Wapakoneta jail

J Swygart, The Lima News, Ohio
·2 min read

Mar. 25—WAPAKONETA — The driver of a van that led law enforcement on a high-speed chase Tuesday through Allen and Auglaize counties is now in custody at the Auglaize County jail, Sheriff Mike Vorhees confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

The sheriff said the investigation into the chase "has been evolving all day" and ultimately resulted in officials from Allen County turning over the driver to face unspecified criminal charges in Auglaize County.

Jail Administrator Capt. Lisa Wright said Benjamin Travis Wiedenhoeft has been booked into the jail in Wapakoneta. A mug shot of Wiedenhoest was unavailable "due to his medical state," Wright said.

Wiedenhoeft reportedly had been hospitalized following the chase. He is expected to be arraigned Thursday.

A female passenger in the van has not been charged "at this time," Vorhees said Wednesday.

Vorhees said two deputies from his office were treated for minor injuries at an area hospital and were released Tuesday evening. They are expected to return to duty soon, the sheriff said.

A press release from the Allen County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday said that at approximately 12:19 p.m. deputies attempted to stop a vehicle on Interstate 75 just south of Lima on a stolen vehicle complaint. The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed into Auglaize County.

The chase went along U.S. 33 before ending near Short Road and Dixie Highway around 1:30 p.m. and a man and woman were taken into custody.

An internet search revealed a Benjamin Travis Wiedenhoeft, age 30, has outstanding warrants in DeKalb County, Indiana, for failure to appear and theft and in Allen County, Indiana, for a probation violation and the possession of methamphetamines.

Wright confirmed that the man in custody in the Wapakoneta jail is wanted in Indiana and shares a birth date with the suspect wanted in the Hoosier State.

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