Youngstown woman crashes vehicle during police chase, sending four kids to hospital

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A Youngstown woman faces multiple charges after she purportedly led township police on a chase that ended in a crash that sent four young children to the hospital.

Tabitha Lee, 28, of Boston Avenue, is charged with felony counts of fleeing and eluding, four counts of child endangering, and obstructing official business. She also was found to have a warrant out of the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a police report, police initially stopped Lee at Market Street and Melrose Avenue on Tuesday night, at which point police saw that four young children were in the vehicle.

Lee then reportedly fled the scene, leading police on a chase that reached speeds of nearly 70 mph, causing police to call it off. Lee was apprehended after running into a light pole on Market Street near Midlothian Boulevard, causing the pole to fall down.

Lee was not injured. The four children, however, were all sent to an area hospital with injuries. A 6-year-old child who was sitting in the front seat reportedly had a missing front tooth and bloody mouth, and complained of soreness to the abdomen. An 8-year-old reported a sore arm and leg. Two other children, age 4 and 2, did not report injuries “but were upset and crying,” according to the report.

Lee was taken to the Mahoning County jail. She is scheduled to appear in Mahoning County Area Court today.