Nepal man leads
slow chase
By: Ray Kisonas story updated October 25. 2006 11:23AM
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A college student from the country of Nepal did not stop for a Monroe County sheriff's deputy on US-23 early Monday because he said police cars in his native country do not have lights and sirens so he didn't know what to do.
Speeds did not exceed 55 mph in a 70 mph zone as the deputy tried several times to get the driver to stop. Finally, after about five miles, police placed Stop Sticks on the highway, which flattened the man's tires. He then was arrested and lodged in the county jail.
The incident began about 12:30 a.m. when Deputy Ryan Sottile spotted the man standing in the grassy median of the highway near Rauch Rd. The man, 36, was urinating, reports said.
He told the deputy that he was visiting friends in Detroit and trying to return to Bowling Green University, Bowling Green, Ohio, where he is a student, before becoming lost. The man produced legal documents, including a Nepalese driver's license.
The deputy told the man to wait in his car while he checked things out. Then, reports said, the officer watched as the man put his car into gear and moved up about 20 feet. The deputy moved his cruiser up and warned the man over a loudspeaker not to leave.
Seconds later, the man drove off. They headed north while driving 15 mph below the speed limit. Reports said Deputy Sottile tried several times to coax the man over, but he kept driving.
After about five miles, the Stop Sticks were deployed and the man's car came to a stop. When asked why he wouldn't pull over, the student said he thought the officer was going to follow him home. He said he didn't know what the flashing lights and siren meant because police cars in Nepal were not equipped with such devices.
The man told deputies he has lived in the United States for two years. Reports also said he had not been drinking alcohol.
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