CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man was arrested last week after leading a state trooper on a 13-mile, high-speed pursuit.
Calvin Odell Watson, 45, has been charged by Trooper Chad D. Ryen of the Clearfield-based state police with felony fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person and 49 summaries.
Watson waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday during centralized court at the Clearfield County Jail. He remains incarcerated at the jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, at approximately 1:29 p.m. July 31, Ryen was sitting stationary in a marked patrol unit on a traffic island along state Route 879, just west of Industrial Park Road in Lawrence Township.
The trooper observed a silver Chevrolet Cobalt with a male driver, and his vehicle displayed an expired inspection sticker. Ryen activated his emergency lights to pursue the vehicle, but the driver fled by passing another motorist on the right berm.
The driver proceeded through the intersection at Supercenter Drive without stopping at the red-light signal. He continued passing motorists on the right berm, as he traveled through the intersection at Industrial Park Road.
He entered the center of the roadway and passed another motorist in order to flee onto the Interstate 80 eastbound on-ramp. He reportedly swerved onto I-80 across to the far left-hand lane, back across both lanes and onto the right berm.
The driver continued to flee eastbound on I-80 while swerving in and out of traffic and passing several motorists. He fled for approximately 13 miles with seven state troopers at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, Ryen said.
The driver exited I-80 at Kylertown and traveled through a posted stop sign to enter onto state Route 153. The pursuit was terminated via “legal intervention” and the driver, identified as Watson, and his female passenger were taken into custody.
