Police pursuit ends with man's arrest

PERKINS TWP. — An Oak Harbor man is facing a felony and several misdemeanor charges after allegedly fleeing as a deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Sunday. Brian W. Freimark, 39, fourth block N. Leutz Road, is facing a charge of failure to comply, a third-degree felony. He is additionally charged with four misdemeanors: OVI, resisting arrest, open container of alcohol and marked lanes violation. Just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, an Erie County deputy was patrolling on Ohio 2 when he noticed a vehicle in front of him committing marked lanes violations, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office report. At one point, the car merged into the left lane and forced a pickup truck onto the shoulder. The vehicle later went nearly all the way off the road to the right. The vehicle exited Ohio 2 and continued southbound on Ohio 4 before coming to a traffic signal at Bogart Road. The car nearly stopped for a green light then turned left and continued eastbound on Bogart Road, the report states. At that point, the deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The driver, Freimark, allegedly ignored the cruiser's emergency lights so the deputy activated his siren, which was also ignored, the report states. Freimark reportedly drove more than a mile to the Campbell Street roundabout. The deputy noted Freimark almost struck the left and right curbs on two separate occasions. The vehicle traveled another 1.5 miles to the intersection of Bogart and Milan (U.S. 250) roads, the report states. Near the intersection, a Perkins police cruiser attempted to pull alongside the vehicle, but Freimark purportedly yanked his steering wheel to the left, almost striking the Perkins cruiser. The vehicle continued southbound on Milan Road and turned westbound onto an access road near the 7000 block of Milan Road, the report states. The deputy and officer pulled out their service weapons and ordered Freimark out of the car. Freimark reportedly refused to comply with commands to get on his knees and allegedly told the deputy, "Don't (expletive) with me." He also allegedly told the law enforcement officers several times to "(expletive) off," the report states. Deputies later found open and closed alcoholic beverages in the car that were cold to the touch. Freimark was arrested and taken to Erie County Jail, where he reportedly attempted to expose himself to corrections officers several times, according to the report. He has a plea hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday in Sandusky Municipal Court. As of late Wednesday, he is incarcerated at Erie County Jail under a $17,000 bond.