ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Two Columbus men are facing charges after allegedly leading Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase early Wednesday.

Lt. Brian McFarland of the patrol’s St. Clairsville post said the chase started about 5 a.m. The driver, Dylan Wright, 28, and passenger Deshawn Montgomery, 28, were lodged in the Belmont County Jail on Thursday.

“It started out on I-70 at milepost 206. They tried to stop the guy for a moving violation. The trooper tried to identify him on three different occasions. He was given a false name and date of birth. On the third approach to the vehicle the driver was asked to exit the vehicle and he fled in his personal car,” McFarland said.

“The pursuit lasted into Guernsey County and the suspect ended up crashing at I-77,” he said. “He fled on foot and he was later apprehended. He was treated at a local hospital for injuries, and the passenger was also arrested for a parole violation.”

Wright was transported to the Belmont County Jail after being medically cleared at Southeastern Medical Center in Cambridge.

McFarland said speeds ranged from the low 90s to well over 100 mph.

“At one point in time the suspect’s vehicle was going westbound in the eastbound lanes of Guernsey County,” McFarland said, adding that fortunately there was little traffic at the time.

“A couple police cruisers did get damaged from the suspect, but other than that, it worked out well,” he said. “The Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office was a huge asset to that incident.

“In the trunk of the car when we were going through an inventory of the car there were several catalytic converters and criminal tools that are used to steal catalytic converters off of cars. We don’t know where they were taken from,” he said.

The converters appeared to be freshly cut from exhausts. Tools included battery-operated reciprocating saws, bolt cutters, crowbars and a floor jack.

According to Belmont County court records, Wright appeared Thursday in Belmont County Western Division Court on video and was arraigned. No plea was entered, and Judge Eric Costine set a preliminary hearing for 11 a.m. July 6. Wright’s bond was set at $15,000. The public defender was assigned to the case.

Wright is charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement, receiving stolen property and possession of criminal tools.

Montgomery has not been scheduled for a hearing.

McFarland noted that thieves commonly crawl underneath unattended vehicles and remove the converters from exhaust pipes so that they can sell them, since the converters contain precious metals.

Anyone who has been a victim of catalytic converter theft should call the patrol at 740-695-0915.