Dakota Cenio Iarrusso

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — After leading law enforcement in a high-speed chase Nov. 26, ending with a crash on Ohio 7, a Pennsylvania man will face more than three years in prison.

Dakota Cenio Iarrusso, 24, of 620 Madison Avenue, McKeesport, PA, was sentenced to 30 months with 82 days of credit for failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a felony, occurring Nov. 26.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra passed sentence Tuesday. Iarrusso was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,830.07 to the sheriff’s office for damage to a vehicle. His driver’s license is also suspended for three years.

Belmont County Public Defender Frank Pierce asked Vavra to consider Iarrusso’s mental health issues and a a possible counseling option.

“My does have a significant mental health history. He is not currently on his medications, so he’s subject to some … impulsivity,” Pierce said. “Obviously the event in question was an unacceptable, impulsive act that he committed.”

Iarrusso gave a brief, emotional statement, saying he wanted help and had suffered abuse at a young age.

Vavra reviewed Iarrusso’s prior history, including misdemeanor convictions for driving under suspension and disorderly conduct. He also addressed the facts of the chase, adding that Iarrusso placed close to 10 law enforcement officers at risk.

“And also to all of the citizens of Belmont County who could have been injured by the manner in which you were operating your vehicle,” Vavra said. “The pursuit began in Guernsey County and continued throughout all Belmont County, including the village of Bellaire and actually ended on (Ohio) 7 north of that village when your vehicle was finally able to be stopped and ended up upside down.”

Vavra added that Iarrusso exceeded the speed limit on the interstate by driving an estimated 90 miles per hour, and on Belmont 214 by traveling 60 miles per hour.

“You drove through multiple Stop signs in the Village of Bellaire. … You passed vehicles on the interstate on the shoulder, you passed vehicles on the interstate on the berm, you failed to yield the right-of-way, you sped through, and activated, a marked school zone. You were traveling north in the southbound lane at oncoming traffic on (Ohio) 7, and finally in the Village of Bellaire you were observed to have driven on sidewalks,” Vavra said, further commenting that he felt the case was senseless.

“Having a mental health issue is one thing. … There’s just no reason to explain why you did what you did, and placed all of those lives at risk.”

In other matters, George Spencer Thompson, 30, indigent, last known address 1358 95th St., Cleveland, was sentenced to 36 months with credit for 85 days served for trafficking in heroin, a third-degree felony. Thompson asked Vavra to consider his long struggle with addiction and asked for rehabilitation or counseling options.

Vavra reviewed Thompson’s record, saying he had 12 felony convictions in the past 11 years, including theft, possession of drugs, and trafficking in drugs, as well as a long-standing pattern of drug and alcohol abuse with no good-faith effort at counseling or treatment.

“Some of the other purposes (of sentencing) I’ve got to look at is the message that we’re sending, based on your record, and also protecting the rest of the public from your other criminal conduct,” he said. “There have been 12 felonies in different counties. So there’s a course of conduct.”

Randy Christopher Kimble Jr., 24, of 1008 Shelby St., Sandusky, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony occurring Jan. 22, 2016. Vavra imposed a sentence of one year consecutive to Kimble’s current prison sentence of seven years, as agreed and stipulated between attorneys. Pierce asked Vavra to consider the offense was committed in the course of a fight in prison where the other inmate’s jaw was broken. Kimble’s seven-year sentence is due to his 2018 conviction on charges of second-degree felonious assault and one count of third-degree felony discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises. These charges stem from two incidents, where Kimble struck a man with his car, and shot into an occupied car .

Brady Alyn McKinley, 38, incarcerated in jail, last known address at 72 Roby St., Adena, admitted to violating his community controls by moving from his residence without permission in October. A sanctions hearing was set for March 18. He was originally convicted of attempted trafficking in drugs, occurring Nov. 2, 2016.

Joseph Scott Reeves, 34, incarcerated in prison, last known address at 3612 Edison St., Uniontown, pleaded guilty to attempted illegal conveyance of prohibited items onto a government facility, occurring Nov. 1, 2016. A one-year sentence was imposed.