Appeals court upholds chase conviction

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The conviction of a man involved in a high-speed chase February 10, 2022 in Ottawa County has been upheld by the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals.
Antwuan Dawson had appealed a decision by the Ottawa County Common Pleas Court that imposed consecutive sentences for the chase and one other charge that resulted in an aggregate prison term of 11 years.
In his appeal, Dawson argued the trial court did not make the required statutory finding of necessity under the Ohio Revised Code to set consecutive sentences.
However, the appeals court disagreed and noted the findings of the pre-sentencing investigation supported the trial court’s decision.
“The PSI also included Dawson’s significant substance abuse history, including daily use of marijuana, ecstasy, and narcotic pain medications as recent as the date of his arrest in this (chase) case. Given Dawson’s history of criminal conduct – both charged and uncharged – in the short time he has been an adult, the trial court’s findings are not clearly and convincingly unsupported by the record,” the appeals court wrote.
He had been convicted in December, 2022 of one count of failure to comply with a police order, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, one count of carrying concealed weapons, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of possession of criminal tools, and one count of assault.
According to court records, seven of the counts stem from the chase. He sped off after being signaled to pull over by police officers and only stopped the vehicle after police used spike strips. Dawson and passengers in the vehicle attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended by police who learned the vehicle had been stolen and Dawson was in possession of a loaded, stolen firearm.
The eighth count arose from an incident on Feb.19, 2022 in which he attempted to injure someone on the grounds of a local correctional facility.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was patrolling about 11:49 p.m. on Rt. 2 and clocked the Dawson vehicle traveling at 103 MPH in the eastbound lane.
The vehicle was disabled by the spike strips near State Rt. 163 when the occupants abandoned it and fled to a nearby residential area.
Dawson, of Detroit, was 18 years old at the time. Key fobs to six vehicles were also recovered during his arrest.