Ohio man arrested in Pryor after police pursuit ends in Catoosa

Pryor Police arrest an Ohio man after officers say he stole a car and led them on a pursuit to Catoosa.

Police say a license plate reading camera in Pryor alerted them to Jacob Romanos.

WHAT IS ROMANOS ACCUSED OF?

Romanos is accused of stealing a car, and several license plates, running from police, and having a gun in the car.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Pryor Police Chief Jeremy Cantrell says officers got a notification on their phones when Romanos’s car drove by the camera and officers tried to pull him over.

Cantrell says Romanos took off and the pursuit lasted about 40 miles before officers caught Romanos and took him into custody.

“Make sure the safety of the public is number one,” said Cantrell. “Get this person off the street. Obviously, they’re running for a reason. This subject we knew was in a stolen car, and when the officer tried to stop him, he took off running. He was in a Challenger, which is obviously a very souped-up sports car.”

Cantrell says troopers put stop sticks on the road which led to law enforcement being able to arrest Romanos.

WHAT DID HE TELL OFFICERS?

Cantrell and Romanos told officers this wasn’t his first time doing this.

“He just told the officers this wasn’t his first time to run from the police in a stolen vehicle,” said Cantrell. “But it was his first time to get caught. Kind of bragging, a little bit, arrogant about the fact he’s been able to run and get away. Being able to catch him and bring him to justice is good for us, hopefully, he faces this and doesn’t do it again. So many people he put at risk because of his behavior. The outcome could have been a lot worse.”

WHO HELPED?

Cantrell says several law enforcement agencies came together to help end the pursuit and take the suspect into custody.

“In these situations, in order to get somebody in custody safely, it’s going to take other agencies ahead of the scene,” said Cantrell. “We’re not going to be able to catch up to them. Having those other agencies working together is a huge part of it, and it’s teamwork.”

WHAT IS HIS PRIOR HISTORY?

Ohio court records show Romanos was ticketed in Columbus for driving recklessly, driving without a license, and using someone else’s license plates.

WHAT’S NEXT?

This is still an active investigation.

The Mayes County District Attorney will determine what charges will be filed against Romanos.