Vehicle pursuit ends in crash

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A Monday afternoon pursuit through Somerset and Ferguson ended when the vehicle driven Ron C. Cowan, 34, of Ferguson, was forced into crashing into a tree in the area of Country Oaks Drive thanks to the efforts of Ferguson Police Chief David Moss, whose wrecked cruiser is also pictured here. Moss purposely hit Cowan’s car with the cruiser in order to terminate the chase.

February 21, 2012

By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer Commonwealth Journal The Commonwealth Journal Tue Feb 21, 2012, 07:00 AM EST

Somerset —

Local law enforcement was led on an intense chase through Somerset and Ferguson Monday afternoon, culminating in a wreck with a police cruiser.

Ron C. Cowan, 34, of Country Oaks Drive in Ferguson, was arrested on a number of charges, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. These charges include first-degree fleeing or evading; first-degree wanton endangerment; another count of wanton endangerment relating to the passenger in the suspect’s car; reckless driving; criminal mischief; having no operator’s license; having improper registration; and failure to maintain insurance.

Lt. Philip Cross of the sheriff’s department observed a vehicle being driven on a reckless manner Monday afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. on Monticello Street, near the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge. The vehicle was attempting to turn onto Murphy Avenue when Cross initiated a traffic stop for alleged violations.

However, “he refused to stop,” said Cross of the suspect. Instead, he turned onto Griffin Avenue, driving at “excessive speeds,” according to Cross.

The pursuit unfolded throughout numerous streets in Ferguson and Somerset, over a period of several minutes, according to Cross, including Cotter Avenue, Bourne Avenue, and many smaller side streets.

After going onto Murphy Avenue and Crane Road in the Ferguson area, Cowan turned onto Country Oaks Drive and into a driveway. In an attempt to come back out of the driveway, the suspect’s vehicle struck the cruiser of Ferguson Police Chief David Moss, who had gotten involved in the pursuit to assist the sheriff’s department.

The pursuit continued to the end of Country Oaks Drive, and the suspect was attempting to flee back to Crane Road, according to Cross, when Moss engaged the vehicle and ended the pursuit.

“When (the suspect) came back out, there were a bunch of kids in a yard up the street, so we decided to terminate (the pursuit) and take him out,” said Moss. “When he came up in front of me, I PITTED him,” said Moss, referring to a law enforcement term known as PIT (Pursuit Immobilization Technique). “I spun the back end of his car around and he hit a tree and I hit a tree. We both came to rest against the tree.”

Moss didn’t suffer any significant injuries as a result of the crash, although “I’ve got some headaches and neck pains,” he said. “It’s all part of the process.”

His cruiser didn’t fare so well. Moss said that it’s “probably in bad shape, close to being totaled.”

There was a female passenger in the vehicle with Cowan during the time, according to Cross, resulting in one of the wanton endangerment charges.

Moss said that neither the suspect nor the passenger were injured in the wreck.

The Somerset Police Department also assisted in the chase.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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