BLANCHESTER — A suspect accused of assaulting and kidnapping a woman Saturday night and fleeing from authorities is now in custody thanks to the help of local residents, according to the Blanchester Police Department.

On Saturday at 11:45 p.m. while on patrol, a Blanchester police officer was approached by several bystanders in the 100 block of South Broadway Street about an assault. The officer was advised that a male just assaulted a female, according to reports, then fled in a truck southbound on Wright Street. The bystanders reported that the man was actively assaulting the female as he drove off.

Officers observed a truck matching the description on South Broadway Street driving erratically, Blanchester Police Chief Robert Houghton said. The officers attempted to make a traffic stop, however the driver reportedly did not comply. They pursued the vehicle, which traveled on Fairground Road to Fayetteville Road before it became stuck in a ditch near Garner Road.

The driver, identified as James Carr, 50, of Goshen, was taken into custody, Houghton said. The passenger, a 40 year-old Georgetown woman, was found to have serious injuries from the assault and was transported by medical helicopter to an area hospital for treatment.

Carr was taken to an area hospital for unrelated medical concerns before being transported to the Clinton County Jail. He was initially charged with assault and failing to comply with an order or signal of an officer. Additional charges of first-degree felony kidnapping and felony fleeing & eluding have been filed by the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Additional charges are forthcoming, pending further investigation, consultation with the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office, and lab results for evidence recovered on scene, Houghton said. As of Monday afternoon, the victim remained hospitalized.

“We would like to thank the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, and Fayetteville Fire & EMS for their assistance,” Houghton said. “We also cannot thank the bystanders enough for stepping up and reporting this; doing so allowed for our officers to locate the vehicle quickly. Had they not, this situation may have had a very different outcome.”