Brian Hagberg
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A Tionesta man is facing a felony charge as a result of a police chase near mid-day on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023.
According to a release from Marienville-based Pennsylvania State Police, at approximately 11:59 a.m. Saturday, a Marienville trooper conducting a routine traffic patrol observed a black Chevrolet Impala traveling at a high rate of speed at 23768 Route 208. According to the report, the trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle, at which point the vehicle accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 mph and eluded police for 5.1 miles.
Following the pursuit, police said, the driver was taken into custody and identified as Austin Hunter, 29 of Tionesta.
Hunter was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn and held in the Clarion County Prison on $10,000 bail, according to online court records. Hunter posted bail on Aug. 14.
Hunter is facing one felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude an office, a misdemeanor resisting arrest, and one count of misdemeanor unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, along with a litany of traffic summary violations.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. on Aug. 29 in front of Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill.
