Brownstown Man Faces Charges After Crash

A 20-year-old Brownstown man faces multiple charges after leading St. Elmo police on a high-speed chase that at one point involved a head-on crash involving the squad car.

Zachoriah Garrison, along with a passenger in his car 21-year-old Andrew Wills of Beecher City, received major injuries and were transported to St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham.  St. Elmo Police Officer Kenneth Woods escaped injury in the crash.

State Police say the chase began around 11:30pm Thursday when Woods attempted to stop Garrison on a Fayette County road about three miles north of St. Elmo.  Garrison apparently failed to negotiate a curve at an intersection, ran off the right side of the road and overturned.  His car came to rest on its wheels and spun around 180 degrees towards the direction he had just traveled.  Garrison reported accelerated and rammed the St. Elmo squad car.  Garrison continued east where he once again lost control of his vehicle, skidded off the right side of the road and struck a ditch.  His car became disabled at this point.

Garrison was cited by State Police on counts of DUI, failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash and illegal transportation and consumption of liquor.  St. Elmo police plan to add charges of aggravated assault, criminal damage to state-supported property, aggravated fleeing and eluding police and other traffic citations.  Wills, the passenger in the car, was ticketed for not wearing a seat belt.