CLEARFIELD – An Osceola Mills man accused of repeatedly fleeing from police including an incident where he left a baby behind, pleaded guilty during Colloquy Court on Monday.
Chase Craig Conway, 30, was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to a total of 24 months to six years in state prison.
According to the affidavit in the case where he left the child unattended in his vehicle, a trooper was patrolling on July 10, 2020 in Chester Hill when he spotted a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker. He turned around and initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle at a parking lot.
After the driver stopped his vehicle, he left it and fled on foot. The officer was able to identify the driver as Conway but was unable to locate him.
When the trooper returned to the vehicle, he found a four-month-old child in the rear of the vehicle. The child began to cry leading the trooper to look for something to soothe the baby.
While looking, he found a black box that contained a large amount of methamphetamine, heroin, Fentanyl and three smoking pipes.
In this case he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child and flight to avoid apprehension, all felonies, in addition to resisting arrest and several summaries.
Ammerman sentenced him to 15 months to four years in state prison for this case.
For additional charges including two DUI’s, two flight to avoid apprehension cases, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, false ID to law enforcement and fleeing from police, he received an additional term of nine months to two years in state prison.
In a case from June of 2019, police responded to a report of a man passed out in a vehicle at a convenience store in Houtzdale. After a period of time, the man woke up and drove to an apartment complex.
When troopers arrived there, they found the vehicle matching the description given by a witness. The truck was still running with the driver passed out and sweating profusely.
He was awakened and asked for his identification. The driver later identified as Conway, said he didn’t have any ID and gave a different name.
After he failed multiple field sobriety tests, he was asked to put his hands behind his back. Conway instead took off running.
Only a short distance later, he tripped and fell. As officers tried to take him into custody, he reportedly resisted and had to be tased.
A drug detection dog was requested at the scene that alerted during an exterior search of the truck indicating there were drugs inside.
After obtaining a warrant, the vehicle was searched.
Police reportedly found suspected methamphetamine, Oxycodone pills, buprenorphine pills, marijuana, a digital scale and other drug packaging materials.
On Sept. 4, 2019, a state trooper saw Conway who was listed as a fugitive at that time, standing in the parking lot of a convenience store in Decatur Township and recognized him, according to that affidavit of probable cause.
Instead of stopping when he was told, Conway got into a truck and drove away. Eventually he pulled into another business lot and fled on foot.
He was taken into custody after police found him hiding in thick brush.
He appeared to be under the influence and fell asleep lying on the ground after being apprehended.