A Youngstown man already wanted by Girard police on drug possession charges is now facing charges filed by Brookfield police stemming from a lengthy chase into Youngstown, police said.
During the chase, Vaughn Small, 36, threw a handgun and a digital scale out the window of the car he was driving on Interstate 680 near Salt Springs Road in Youngstown, and clipped a pickup he was passing on Warner Road in Liberty, police said.
Brookfield police said they saw the car that they knew Small to drive Dec. 26 at Route 7 and Grove Street and followed it. The car crossed the lines on both sides of the lane on Route 82, and police tried to pull it over at Warner Road, police said. The car took off at speeds up to 90 mph, police said.
Brookfield police confirmed Small was the driver on Route 11 and discontinued the pursuit on Interstate 680 when two Ohio state troopers took over, police said. Brookfield police later learned that Small got out of the car and ran in Youngstown, southwest of McKelvey Lake. A check of the Mahoning and Trumbull County jail’s population reports on Dec. 29 showed that he was not in custody.
An inventory of the car Small was driving turned up more than 10 ounces of marijuana in numerous packages, a digital scale with white powder residue on it and eight THC cartridges, police said. There also were items with Small’s name on it, police said.
Brookfield police and a state trooper went to the location where Small was seen to throw something out his window and they found a digital scale that is the same model as the one found in the car, and a .45-caliber handgun with a round in the chamber but no magazine, police said. The gun had been stolen in a 2018 burglary in Youngstown, police said.
Brookfield police have charged Small with felony counts of failing to comply with the order of a police officer, tampering with evidence, prohibited possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle.
He also is charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and traffic counts of driving under suspension, failing to stop after an accident, reckless operation, running traffic control devices, speeding and lane violations.
