PICKAWAY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A stolen vehicle reported out of Chillicothe was recovered Saturday afternoon after it was discovered abandoned in a ditch filled with water along Morris Salem Road in Pickaway Township.
According to the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 2:40 p.m. on July 18 to the 26600 block of Morris Salem Road after a homeowner was alerted by a neighbor that a vehicle had crashed into a ditch.
Before deputies arrived, witnesses reported seeing two possible juveniles flee the area approximately 30 minutes earlier.
The preliminary investigation determined the black 2015 Hyundai Elantra had been traveling westbound when it left the south side of the roadway, returned to the pavement, and then crossed off the north side of the road before coming to rest in a ditch.
The vehicle ended up approximately 50 feet down an embankment in about three feet of water, according to the crash report.
Deputies found no one inside or near the vehicle. Investigators later determined the Hyundai had been reported stolen by the Chillicothe Police Department.
No driver or occupants had been identified at the time of the report, and no injuries were reported.
The vehicle sustained disabling damage and was towed from the scene.
The incident remains under investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
