BLANCHESTER — A Blanchester man has been indicted by a grand jury after allegedly leading authorities on a high-speed chase through the village.

Nathan A. Back, 27, was indicted Feb. 23 in Clinton County Common Pleas Court on failure to comply and operating a vehicle while intoxicated charges. He has since bonded out of jail and has a pretrial scheduled for March 15.

At approximately 2 a.m. on Feb. 8 while on patrol, a Blanchester Police Department (BPD) officer observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the 800 block of Cherry Street, according to BPD Chief Robert Houghton. The vehicle was reportedly traveling at 78 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver allegedly continued to travel well above the speed limit, disregarding traffic control.

“The vehicle accelerated to well over 100 mph on South Broadway Street before turning onto Fairground Road, where it crashed into a tree line at the intersection of Fairground and Fayetteville Roads,” Houghton said in a news release. “The driver fled on foot into the woods, where he was located in a creek and taken into custody for failure to comply, a felony of the third degree. Luckily, there was no traffic during this incident.”

The driver was later identified as Back.

According to police, evidence of impairment was found, and Back was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Once cleared, he was taken to the Clinton County Jail on OVI and failure to comply charges. He was also cited for speed and reckless operation, both minor misdemeanors.

“We are grateful for the assistance on scene from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Wilmington Post, Blanchester EMS, and the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office,” Houghton said.