Published: November 20, 2009 11:06 pm      

City man charged in high-speed chase

JOHNSTOWN — A Johnstown man was arraigned Thursday on charges that he fled from city police during a shooting investigation at Solomon Homes and then crashed his vehicle.

In a court document, police said they were investigating a report of shots fired at the public housing complex Monday when a black Cadillac sport utility vehicle sped off.

The operator, who was later identified as William Katrell Herring III, 23, drove the vehicle around a police cruiser onto the westbound lane of the Johnstown Expressway.

“The vehicle exited on the Bedford Street ramp and continued to drive at high speeds through downtown Johnstown and into the Old Conemaugh Borough section of the city,” police wrote in describing the pursuit.

Herring then turned onto Church Avenue and crashed when he failed to make the turn, police said. He and a passenger ran from the vehicle.

When police located Herring, he told them another man was driving. On Thursday, police said Herring voluntarily returned to the public safety building and admitted he was the driver.

Herring said he lied because he had a suspended driver’s license, was on probation and didn’t want to go to jail, police said in the court document.

A check with the Johnstown Housing Authority showed Herring was banned from the housing complex.

Herring, of the 200 block of David Street, was charged with felony counts of hindering apprehension and fleeing police.

He also was charged with misdemeanors of obstructing administration of law, making a false report, reckless endangerment and defiant trespass and two summary traffic offenses.

Herring was arraigned by District Judge Leonard Grecek of Roxbury and sent to the Cambria County Prison after failing to post 10 percent of his $50,000 bond.