NEW BERLIN – A Town of New Berlin patrol attempting to pull over a swerving truck along a dead end road began of a chase that led three police agencies to North Broad Street in the City of Norwich.
New Berlin officer-in-charge Sgt. Dominick Commesso said the incident began at around 1 a.m. Sunday morning when a New Berlin officer noticed a black Ford F150 pick-up truck swerve from the road and onto the shoulder. The officer then put on his lights and pulled the vehicle over in the area of County Rt. 29 and Tiffany Road in the Town of New Berlin.
According to police, the vehicle sped away as the officer was exiting his patrol car to speak to the truck’s driver. The officer then got back in his car and chased the truck along County Rt. 29 toward the Town of Norwich before losing sight of the truck.
The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office and City of Norwich Police Department were asked to assist. Radio reports Sunday night said the suspect’s vehicle was traveling around 80 miles per hour at one point during the chase.
The Norwich PD reported a patrol sent to monitor the area near the intersection of East River Road and County Rt. 29, just outside the city limits, located the truck trying to hide in a field near the road.
A pursuit began with three patrol vehicles, one from each agency, joining the chase as the truck headed south on State Highway 12 and into the City of Norwich.
The pick-up pulled over near the entrance to Chenango Memorial Hospital and police used their cars to box in the truck before ordering the driver to the ground at gun point.
Police charged 22-year-old Justin Cook, of Oxford, with driving while intoxicated, failure to keep right, reckless driving, speeding, unlawfully fleeing a police officer and several other traffic related offenses, all misdemeanors.
He was arraigned in the Town of New Berlin Court and released. He will return to face the charges at a later date. No one was injured in the incident and the Cook’s truck was impounded.