If the police ticket you or arrest you, your defense team might be able to plea down the charges or have the court dismiss them. However, if you try to flee the police, you will only add one more charge and conviction that you would not have had otherwise. You might avoid jail time for other charges only to receive a jail sentence or a fine for attempting to escape the police.
While on the road, you might feel the police have no reason to pull you over. Trying to get away from the police, however, is only likely to put you in greater legal trouble. Ohio law makes trying to escape the police in a vehicle a crime like any other violation of the law.
Misdemeanor charges
As explained by state law, when a police officer signals you to stop your automobile, you must comply with the signal. If you should try to flee the police to avoid a citation or possibly an arrest, you may face an arrest for eluding the police and a misdemeanor charge in the first degree, which could place you in jail for up to six months and fine you up to $1,000 for the offense.
Felony charges
Fleeing the police can result in more severe consequences, possibly even a felony charge, if your flight from the police caused injury to another person. But even if you do not actually harm anyone, you might still pose a risk to other people while trying to flee the police, which can result in a felony charge. The law also considers eluding the police a felony if you should flee the commission of a felony.
Sentencing
Courts may consider various factors while determining how serious your sentence will be. If the police chase you down, a court may examine how long the chase lasted and how far the police had to go to pursue you. Other factors include how fast you drove and violations of traffic laws, such as a failure to heed traffic lights, during the pursuit.
Ultimately, complying with police can serve you better than trying to dodge a ticket or an arrest by fleeing from a police officer. Adding unnecessary charges only increases the possibility of jail time and court expenses if convicted.
