ROCKFORD, OH (WLIO) - A Michigan man was arrested outside of Rockford after leading law enforcement in a chase that reached 100 mph. 39-year-old Benjamin Polasky was charged with fleeing following his capture. Sunday morning, the Rockford Police officers were on the lookout for a blue van that ran a stop sign in the village, they noticed that the license plates didn’t match the vehicle when they found it. Polasky took off when they tried to pull him over, he drove into the countryside at a high rate of speed toward Indiana. The van left the road and drove through a bean and corn field and ended up in a wooded area. Additional law enforcement, the Mercer County Drone, and the Rockford Fire Departments' aerial ladder was called in to help with the search for the driver. An Ohio State trooper found Polasky at a home where he surrendered without incident. The U-S Marshals service also was looking for him.
Media Release from Rockford Police Chief 8/28/22
On August 28th, 2022 Officers with the Village of Rockford Police attempted to stop a blue van reported by a citizen for running a stop sign. Officers located the vehicle, and a check was done on the license plate. The license plates didn’t belong to that vehicle and Officers attempted to stop the vehicle for the violation. The vehicle immediately accelerated and reached 56 mph in a 25 mph zone. The vehicle left the traveled portion of the roadway and continued into residents’ yards. The pursuit soon left the Village of Rockford on Rockfordwest Road westbound. Speeds during the pursuit reached over 100 mph and continued to Stover Road from Rockfordwest Road. The pursuit traveled to Wilson Road and Wabash Road where the vehicle left the roadway and traveled through a bean field and corn field ending in a wooded area. Units from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Celina Police Department and Adams County Indiana Sheriff’s Office all responded to the area. The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office “Drone” was requested as well as the Rockford Fire Departments aerial ladder. A perimeter was established, and area residents were contacted for safety.
After one hour the subject was located by Ohio Highway State Patrol Troopers at a residence on Grauberger Road without incident. Benjamin H. Polasky (39) of Owosso, Michigan was taken to Mercer Health in Coldwater to be medically cleared for jail. Polasky is being held in the Mercer County Jail on Felony Fleeing and a hold from the U.S. Marshals Service. No other details are available at this time. Police Chief Paul May would like to thank the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, Mercer County Sheriff Dispatch, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Celina Police Department, Adam County Indiana Sheriff Office. Rockford Fire Department, Rockford E.M.S. and the Staff at Mercer Health for assisting in this incident.
