OPP cruiser struck by stolen vehicle; Chatham man charged

WELLINGTON COUNTY – A Chatham man faces a dozen charges after a stolen vehicle struck a police cruiser in Maryhill last weekend.

On March 18, Wellington County OPP received a report that a black pickup truck, stolen from London, Ontario, was travelling in Wellington County. 

At about 10:45am police located the vehicle on St. Charles Street East in Maryhill in Woolwich Township.

“When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver drove around a tire deflation device and struck a marked OPP cruiser. No one was injured,” police stated in a press release.

Joseph Austin Dawe, 22, of Chatham, was charged with flight from police, dangerous driving, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, unlawful possession of an identity document, failing to comply with a probation order, five counts of driving while prohibited and two counts of driving while suspended.

He was to appear in Guelph court at a later date.