A woman will be held in jail after a police cruiser flipped while chasing her across state lines, sending an officer to the hospital.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christopher McDowell ordered 31-year-old Iesha Harris, of Winton Hills, to remain in jail on no bond May 4, an unusual decision in an already bizarre case.
Harris was arrested following a lengthy, dangerous police chase across Hamilton County this past February. After she was arrested, she was released on bond with an ankle monitor. Prosecutors say she removed the ankle monitor and fled to Georgia, where she was arrested again.
Prosecutors generally reserve requests to hold defendants without bond in Hamilton County for particularly egregious charges, such as for murder. In this case, Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters said Harris has repeatedly disobeyed police and court orders, posing a risk to the public.
“She doesn’t care about the law. She doesn’t care about orders,” Deters said. “She doesn’t care about the police. She doesn’t care if she kills somebody.”
McDowell agreed.
“No release conditions will reasonably ensure the safety of the community,” McDowell said.
Police cruiser flipped after mounting trailer in chase
The Feb. 28 chase began after a Flock license plate camera in Norwood spotted a tan Chevy Tahoe that Harris was known to drive. Harris had outstanding warrants, so a Norwood officer kept an eye on Harris as she loaded a trailer in a parking lot.
When Harris got on the road, Norwood officers began to chase her through Cincinnati when city police and county sheriff’s deputies joined in. Harris led police across Hamilton County into Indiana and then back into Ohio for more than an hour.
Throughout the chase, prosecutors said Harris struck three police cruisers, drove the wrong way on a highway entrance ramp and nearly struck several passersby.
Toward the end of the chase, as Harris led a chain of officers down winding county roads, dash camera footage shows Cincinnati Police Officer Roger Epure was right behind her.
Harris had a trailer attached to the back of the Tahoe. Epure attempted to make a PIT maneuver to stop Harris, but struck the trailer instead, causing Epure’s cruiser to end up lodged on top of the trailer.
A PIT maneuver is a police tactic designed to stop a fleeing vehicle by steering into its rear quarter panel, causing it to spin out.
Footage shows Harris began to cut the vehicle to the left and the right to shake Epure’s cruiser off the trailer.
Another officer attempted a PIT maneuver on Harris’s car, which caused Epure’s cruiser on the trailer to flip off several times. Harris then crashed into a tree and her Tahoe caught fire.
Both Epure and Harris went to the hospital with minor injuries, according to police.
Harris’ attorney Darrin Nye questioned why officers pursued her, despite the department’s policy restricting police pursuits. He also claimed that the brakes in the Tahoe may not have been functional, preventing her from stopping.
Harris burst out of hearing, called officer a liar
Last week, as Harris was exiting the courtroom she was yelling profanities, echoing claims that she was taken to Georgia by her boyfriend after being released on bond with an ankle monitor following the police chase. She kicked a garbage can as she was being escorted out by deputies, breaking a large hole in the side. McDowell held her in contempt of court for the outburst.
Throughout the no-bond hearing, Harris covered her face, muttered to herself, groaned aloud and watched intently while prosecutors played footage of the police chase months prior.
At one point, she called Epure a liar. Deters asked the officer if he was a liar and he said no.
At the end of the hearing as McDowell began to read aloud his decision to hold her without bond, she began to yell aloud that there’s “nothing to say” and for deputies to take her away.
Harris stood up and began to walk herself out of the courtroom. A deputy grabbed her and escorted her away as she pulled against him. Commotion broke out in a side room as she fought back against the deputy.
McDowell once again held her in contempt, holding a decision on a sentence until the reports of a mental health report are in.
Harris remains in custody at the Hamilton County Justice Center on several charges, including felonious assault.
Enquirer media partner Fox 19 contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: No bond for woman who led Cincinnati cops on chase, flipped cruiser
Reporting by David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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