Kansas State police PITs assault suspect during pursuit
By: -----
Horse Cave, KY - The case against a Hardin County man suspected in a Feb. 14 assault in Horse Cave has been waived to the grand jury following a recent arraignment.
Brandon L. Wease, 43, of Elizabethtown, faces multiple charges related to a traffic pursuit that occurred during an ongoing assault investigation in Hart County.
Kentucky State Police were looking for Wease as part of that investigation after reports of a possible assault involving John Ray, identified in court records as the victim.
Troopers located a vehicle matching the description of Ray’s car at a Love’s Travel Stop in Horse Cave.
When officers attempted a traffic stop, Wease fled in the car, leading to a pursuit along Flint Ridge Road. The vehicle reportedly reached speeds of 65 mph in a 55 mph zone.
During the chase, Wease allegedly threw a backpack from the passenger-side window. Police later recovered the bag and found a handgun. As a convicted felon, Wease was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Troopers ended the pursuit using a maneuver near the 4000 block of Flint Ridge Road, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway, breach a fence, and come to rest in a cow pasture. Wease ran toward a tree line before being taken into custody.
The video of the pursuit, capturing the PIT maneuver and Wease being taken into custody. He remains largely silent in the footage and does not address the property owner after crashing through the fence as police ask whether he’d like to apologize.
He was found to be driving on a suspended license without proof of insurance and was charged with multiple offenses, including fleeing or evading police, speeding, tampering with evidence, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, criminal mischief, and drug possession.
The Hart County Circuit Clerk’s Office confirmed the case is awaiting presentation to a grand jury, which in Hart County meets on the first Tuesday of each month. Wease remains jailed on a $50,000 cash bond.
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Kentucky State Police say the assault investigation remains ongoing and have not publicly disclosed how Wease is linked to the case. He has also not been charged.
Police previously said additional charges are possible at a later time.
Ray was listed as stable but still in critical condition as of Feb. 20.