Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan announced today that Jeffrey Purvis was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty last week to Failure to Comply with Order or Signal of a Police Officer. On July 14, 2021, Purvis lead officer from the Upper Sandusky Police Department and Troopers from the Ohio State Highway on a two county chase, which started in Wyandot County and ended in Marion County. Purvis drove on US 23 in a construction zone in excess of 100 miles per hour, swerving around many vehicles by driving on the shoulder and berm, and then proceeded to broadcast his escapade on Facebook Live.
“Purvis’s actions on July 14 put many innocent drivers and law enforcement personnel in harms’ way. His brazen attempt to make light of his actions by broadcasting them on social media is absolutely ridiculous. He could have killed somebody. Thankfully, law enforcement officers kept following him and eventually he was stopped,” said Grogan.
Purvis’s car eventually came to rest on the on-ramp at US 23 and US 309 as he lost control of the car and the car caught on fire. He was taken into custody within minutes after that. Purvis admitted to smoking marijuana and methamphetamine prior to the chase and suspected methamphetamine was found in the car.
Grogan said, “I want to thank the officers from the Upper Sandusky Police Department and the Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Assistant Prosecutor Justin Frey for their work on this case.”