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Beaver County man faces assault, theft charges

3 min read
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A Beaver County man faces numerous charges filed by two police departments after separate incidents one day last month that included reportedly ramming a Jefferson Township police cruiser with the stolen vehicle he had been driving.

Charles William McAfee Jr., 41, of Georgetown, was charged Friday by Jefferson police with aggravated assault on a police officer, simple assault, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, fleeing or attempting to elude police, failure to render aid, and several traffic violations in the March 17 incident. The charges were filed at the office of District Judge Gary Havelka.

Officer Joseph Leech was on patrol about 5:40 p.m. behind a sport utility vehicle going east on Eldersville Road about three-quarter of a mile east of State Line Road. As the cruiser got closer, the other driver, later identified as McAfee, accelerated and reached speeds of 65 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Leech attempted to pull over the vehicle, but it continued to speed away. It turned onto Cedar Grove Road and then Bethel Ridge Road before stopping at the intersection of Miller and State Line roads. When ordered out of the vehicle, McAfee instead took off and the vehicle struck a hillside. The chase resumed to near the West Virginia state line, when McAfee stopped abruptly an apparent attempt to cause the officer to crash into the rear of his vehicle.

McAfee then allegedly put the vehicle into reverse, hitting the cruiser and pushing it back for about 70 yards. He then sped off again, traveling into West Virginia. He again stopped and tried to use the vehicle to push the cruiser over a hillside and into a ravine. As the cruiser started to leave the road, it struck a tree and stopped. McAfee then struck the cruiser with his vehicle, disabling it. He was then taken into custody.

The vehicle McAfee was driving had been stolen earlier that day from the parking lot of the Atlasburg post office, where it had been left running by its owner. The postmaster told police a man, later identified as McAfee, had been hanging around the building claiming he was waiting for a ride. Smith Township police have charged him with theft, receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a vehicle and driving under suspension.

McAfee is in Washington County jail on a bench warrant. He is scheduled for an April 26 hearing before Havelka on both sets of charges.

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