Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)

Oxford man arrested following high-speed chase

- Fran Maye fmaye@21st-centurymed­ia.com

An Oxford man was arrested on drug charges after he led police on a high-speed pursuit in New Garden Township.

Christophe­r Cerrato, , of Oxford was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and related Act 64 offenses, as well as with fleeing or attempting to elude police, resisting arrest, accidents involving damage to unattended vehicle or property, recklessly endangerin­g another person, tampering with or fabricatin­g physical evidence, DUI (Controlled Substances) disorderly conduct and numerous related traffic offenses.

Police said that on Jan. 23 at 9:41 p.m., police were monitoring traffic at the intersecti­on of Newark Road and West Baltimore Pike when they observed a 2007 Toyota

turn in front of an oncoming vehicle and nearly cause an accident.

Police attempted to catch up to the vehicle but it accelerate­d at a high rate of speed and ignored police sirens and visual warning signals from the pursuing police vehicle. The operator, later determined to be Cerrato, lost control of the vehicle, as it approached the intersecti­on of West Baltimore Pike and Thompson Road.

The vehicle left the roadway, hit a curb, and then collided with an unoccupied, parked car in the lot of the Sunoco A-Plus. Cerrato and his front seat passenger exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. Police gave foot chase and apprehende­d Cerrato, in a

wooded area several hundred yards from the crash.

Cerrato, police said, exhibited indicators suggesting intoxicati­on, including having a white powdery substance in and around his nose. Field sobriety tests were administer­ed and confirmed impairment.

Cerrato was given an opportunit­y to submit to a chemical test of his blood but refused. A search of his vehicle produced suspected cocaine, individual­ly packaged baggies of marijuana, cash, and related contraband.

While seated in the rear of the patrol car, Cerrato slipped one of his hands out of the handcuffs. When police removed him to resecure his hands, they recovered additional baggies of suspected cocaine. Cerrato was processed and was transporte­d to Chester County Prison in lieu of posting $50,000 bail.

 ??  ?? Christophe­r Cerrato
Christophe­r Cerrato

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States