REGION Pa., Ohio authorities seeking Virginia man

The man escaped after being taken to Trumbull Memorial Hospital.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- Authorities on both sides of the Pennsylvania-Ohio border are searching for a Newport News, Va., man wanted on theft charges locally and sexual assault charges in Virginia.
Sharon police said Trevone Celestine, 23, was in custody but escaped from Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, where he was taken after complaining of being injured when he wrecked a vehicle while fleeing police.
Police said the chase began around 9 a.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the F.H. Buhl Club at Pine and East State streets. Officers called there to investigate the theft of a wallet from a locker were told by witnesses that the suspect, later identified as Celestine, was just getting into a white van.
Police said they tried to stop him, but Celestine drove out of the lot and led them on a slow-speed chase that reached about 40 mph before he drove west on State Street into Brookfield Township.
Learned of stolen van
Police said they checked on the van registration and learned it had been stolen in Newport News. They also learned that Celestine is a Megan's Law registered sex offender and a parole absconder on a charge of aggravated sexual assault in Virginia.
There is also a Virginia warrant for him on a second aggravated sexual assault charge, police said.
Brookfield police tried to stop the van in front of Valley View Antique Mall and Expo Center on Warren-Sharon Road by rolling out a spike strip to puncture the vehicle's tires, but the strip failed to deploy and Celestine kept going, Sharon police said.
The chase continued to Ohio Route 7, where Celestine turned south and then west on Ohio Route 82. The chase speed accelerated to about 60 mph. Celestine lost control of the van and it went off the road into a ditch, where he was arrested without incident, Sharon police said.
He complained of injury and was taken to TMH by ambulance.
Escaped from hospital
Sharon police said Brookfield authorities asked hospital security personnel to put a hold on Celestine but he managed to escape wearing only green shorts, a white T-shirt and one shoe.
He was described as being a black man about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 135 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Sharon police said the stolen wallet was found in the wrecked van.
In addition to the Virginia charges, Sharon has theft and possession-of-stolen-property charges pending against Celestine. Brookfield has fleeing and eluding and other traffic counts against him.