Murder charge added against Ohio man in chase

CINCINNATI (AP) — A man has been charged with aggravated murder in the aftermath of a slow-speed chase on Cincinnati-area interstate highways in which police say he held a handgun to his head.

Court records today showed that bond on the new charge was set at $1.25 million in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

The suspect, Christopher McFerron, 44, initially faced charges including inducing panic after a chase that lasted more than an hour Saturday in the western Cincinnati area.

Police said he ordered his wife out of the car on Interstate 74 and continued driving with a gun to his head, ingesting heroin before he was arrested. Sections of Interstate 275 were shut down in both directions during the chase at speeds as low as a few miles per hour.

McFerron was also accused of causing the death of Lockland businessman James Rolman, age 72, during a robbery. Police say Rolman was abducted just north of Cincinnati shortly after withdrawing $6,500 from his bank for his business payroll Friday.

“It was a normal routine for Mr. Rolman to go to the bank,” Lockland Police Chief James Toles told WLWT-TV. Rolman was found dead in his car Saturday morning.