An early morning suspicious person call in Union Township has resulted in the recovery of a stolen vehicle and the arrest of two suspects. At approximately 7:50 am today, the Union County Sheriff’s Office received a report of two suspicious males approaching a resident in the 23000 block of Woodstock Road asking for fuel for their vehicle. A deputy responded to the area and located two individuals walking in the driveway of an adjacent residence. When the deputy approached the two individuals, they ran from the deputy into a wooded area west of Woodstock Road. Additional deputies responded to the area and established a perimeter around the woods, with the assistance of Champaign County Deputies. The initial investigation has revealed the suspects were driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado that apparently ran out of gas on Woodstock Road. The truck was parked in a driveway and the suspects began approaching homes in the area asking for fuel. It was determined the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado was stolen from a residence in the City of Springfield this morning at approximately 7:00 am. The Union County Sheriff’s Office K9 was called to the scene and began a search for the suspects in the wooded area. The suspects were eventually located at the edge of a woods, west of the intersection of Woodstock Road and Middleburg Plain City Road. They were taken into custody without incident and transported to the Tri County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg. The first suspect has been identified as Clifton E. Ferguson, age 36 of Mechanicsburg. He was arrested for multiple outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants from Clark, Champaign, and Madison Counties. The second suspect has been identified as John J. Potts, age 32 of Springfield. He was arrested for an outstanding warrant from Clark County. Ferguson has been charged with obstructing official business, a felony of the fifth degree. Potts has been charged with receiving stolen property, a felony of the fourth degree, and obstructing official business, a felony of the fifth degree.
The incident remains under investigation. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by units from the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the Union Township Fire Department, and a K9 unit from the Bellefontaine Police Department.
Stolen 2013 Chevrolet Silverado:
1 of 2 Clifton E. Ferguson
2 of 2 John J. Potts