BOONE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Boone County Sheriff's Office says a 20-year-old Ohio man accused of abducting a 2-month-old child on Tuesday was arrested in Kentucky after he led deputies on a high-speed chase and crashed into a church.
According to the sheriff's office, they received an alert around 7:07 p.m. Tuesday regarding a child abduction out of Greene County, Ohio, and an imminent Amber Alert.
Deputies, according to the sheriff's office, located the suspect, 20-year-old Brenton L. Howland of Xenia, Ohio, at a gas station on Mt. Zion Road in Boone County, Kentucky.
The sheriff's office says that Howland fled the gas station in his vehicle, initiating a high-speed pursuit into Kenton County. Deputies initially terminated the chase after losing sight of Howland due to his excessive speeds and reckless driving.
According to the sheriff's office, Kenton County and Independence police officers spotted Howland's vehicle around 7:45 p.m. on North Main Street in Walton, in which he again fled south at a high rate of speed.
The sheriff's office says that Boone County Sergeant Jeff Nagy was traveling north on Main Street with his emergency equipment activated to assist the pursuit. As Sgt. Nagy attempted to pass a Jeep Wrangler, Howland sideswiped the police cruiser, causing it to strike the Jeep.
As a result of the collision, the sheriff's office says that Howland crashed into the side of the Walton United Methodist Church.
The sheriff's office says that officers found the 2-month-old child secured in a car seat and uninjured. Howland was taken to UC Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
In addition, the sheriff's office says that Sgt. Nagy received treatment at St. Elizabeth in Edgewood, and the occupants of the Jeep declined medical transport.
According to the sheriff's office, Howland faces multiple charges in Boone County, including three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree fleeing or evading police, reckless driving, disregarding a traffic control device, and endangering the welfare of a minor. He faces additional charges in Kenton County and Greene County, Ohio.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office Accident Reconstruction Unit is investigating the collision.
