An alarming trend has the city’s safety director sending a message to criminals and fugitives seeking refuge in the city.
New Philadelphia Safety Director Kevin Milligan says last week’s arrest of a Stark County armed robbery suspect where an officer was nearly shot is the latest instance of somebody wanted elsewhere attempting to evade law enforcement by coming to Tuscarawas County.
In another high-profile incident back in November, U.S. Marshalls arrested the suspect in a Summit County Airbnb shooting on Ray Avenue in New Philadelphia.
Milligan says there have also been lower profile instances of fugitives fleeing to Tuscarawas County. He says law enforcement officials have taken note.
“It’s something that in preservation of our community and the safety of our citizens that Chief Pohovey and her leadership team working alongside with our partners at the U.S. Marshall’s Office are going to be paying particular attention to give the uptick we’ve seen over the last few months,” Milligan said.
In last week’s arrest, police say Dyllan Riter if New Philadelphia grabbed an officer’s gun and fired one shot, missing a detective by inches. Riter is in the Tuscarawas County Jail. He faces an attempted murder charge in Tuscarawas County and armed robbery charges in Stark County. He will be in court on Wednesday.
Milligan commended the three responding officers in a statement last week. He says deadly force would have been justified in what he called a volatile and unpredictable situation. He says the three responding officers demonstrated exceptional discipline and remarkable restraint.