A one-time deputy sheriff may soon be added to the list of law enforcement officials who are facing or recently faced criminal charges in Athens County.
According to a release from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, 34-year-old Robert P. Tate, of Little Hocking in Washington County, could face charges after fleeing arrest in his car from deputies from its office and the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office through the streets of Coolville.
Eluding arrest in a motor vehicle is a third-degree felony.
Tate, a former deputy with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, was recently “let go,” according to the release, but refused to return his commissioned equipment to the department.
That sparked an investigation by the office, culminating in a chase through Coolville and the woods surrounding the small village in Southeastern Athens County.
According to the release, Meigs County Sheriff's Office requested assistance from its counterpart in Athens County at about 11:30 a.m. on May 30 to help arrest Tate.
Tate refused to comply and fled in his vehicle, blowing through stop signs in Coolville before coming to a stop at a dead end.
But then Tate fled on foot into the woods, where he remained for over an hour before turning himself in, though it is not immediately clear whether he turned himself in to the Athens County or Meigs County Sheriff's Office.
Since the chase took place in Coolville, Tate may face criminal charges in Athens County. A dispatcher from the Meigs County Sheriff's Office declined to comment Monday evening as to whether Tate would face charges in that county.
