Girard man leads cops on chase, faces drug charges

YOUNGSTOWN — A Girard man is in the Mahoning County jail after reports said he led vice squad officers on a chase about 6 p.m. Thursday from the South Side to the West Side.

Reports said officers started following a car at South and Dickson avenues driven by Noah Thornton, 26, for an improper turn and he got on Interstate 680 north. The officers waited until traffic thinned out to pull him over at the Glenwood Avenue exit, reports said.

Reports said Thornton left the freeway, then got back on going north. He continued until he tried to pass a car at Connecticut Avenue and North Meridian Road that was stopped for a red light and instead collided with another car.

Thornton told police he ran because he thought he had a warrant and that he had crack cocaine, a needle and a crack pipe in the car. Officers found a dose of suspected crack cocaine, a used needle and burnt spoon, reports said.

Thornton was booked into the jail on charges of possession of cocaine, fleeing and eluding, possession of drug-abuse instruments and possession of drug paraphernalia.