Man chased by police may have smoked crack

12/18/2006

MONROE A 32-year-old man who led Monroe County sheriff s deputies on a high-speed chase Saturday night was believed to have been smoking crack in a pipe while driving, authorities said.

The man, a Monroe resident whose name will not be released until after his arraignment today, also is believed to have stolen items from a Walgreens store on Telegraph Road in Monroe and from the Kmart on Monroe Street in Frenchtown Township, the sheriff s office said.

Deputies said they apprehended the man but did not specify where or when. He had led them on a 99-mph chase through Monroe and along U.S. 24, they said. His vehicle rammed two police cars.

Authorities said the man faces charges of fleeing and eluding, felonious assault with a motor vehicle, operating while under the influence of drugs, possession of suspected crack cocaine, and two counts of retail fraud.