Howland officer injured as Warren man crashes into cruiser

Staff report

WARREN

Maurice L. Cox, 29, of Comstock Street Northeast is being held in the Trumbull County jail without eligibility to make bond after his arraignment Thursday on seven felony charges related to a chase.

Not-guilty pleas were entered for him in Warren Municipal Court. He is charged with injuring a Howland police officer by hitting the officer’s cruiser Wednesday afternoon.

The impact left officer Keith Peterson with neck and back injuries and disabled his cruiser, Howland Police Chief Nick Roberts said. Peterson was treated at St. Joseph Warren Hospital.

A Warren officer, Trevor Sumption, also suffered a broken ankle while chasing Cox on foot through a wooded area near the former Warren Western Reserve High School in the southwest part of the city just before Cox was apprehended.

If convicted on all charges, Cox could get more than 30 years in prison. The charges are three counts of felonious assault, two of failure to comply with the orders of a police officer and single counts of felony assault and obstructing official business.

The chase began at 4:28 p.m. after Howland officer Adam Rios made a traffic stop on Cox’s vehicle in the driveway of Taco Bell, 2752 Elm Road. The vehicle had no license plates. Peterson’s cruiser was positioned in front of Cox.

First Cox rammed Peterson’s cruiser. Then he backed up, hitting Rios’ cruiser and nearly hitting Rios, who was on foot, a Howland police report says.

Cox drove down a side street, then onto North Road, but then he made a U-turn and rammed Peterson’s cruiser, Rios reported. Rios continued the chase to the end. It proceeded onto East Market Street and Eastland Avenue in Warren, then on Youngstown Road, Elm Road, Vine, Scott, North Park, Atlantic, Summit, Parkman, Southern, Northwest, Dennison, Northwood, Lexington and Parkman again.

It reached speeds of about 100 mph.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was able to track Cox’s vehicle through the southwest part of the city with a helicopter. Cox finally crashed at Haliday and Loveless avenues, but he got out and fled through the woods. Rios and a Warren officer captured Cox at 4:46 p.m.

Cox was taken to the hospital for breathing issues and was later taken to the county jail.