An out-of-state man is facing multiple charges for allegedly stealing a Towanda police vehicle while in custody and using it to flee the scene.According to information filed with Magisterial District Judge Tim Clark, Cody Ladoyt Maupin, 30, of Benbrook, Texas, has been charged by Towanda police with aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, unauthorized use of an automobile, driving while under the influence, resisting arrest, escape, recklessly endangering another person, and reckless driving.

The incident started around 12:40 a.m. on March 16, when police reported observing a red Dodge Ram pickup truck heading north on Merrill Parkway. Police said they saw the pickup swerving as it traveled down the road, and then speeded up to about 50 miles per hour after it passed Chestnut Street.

Police activated their emergency lights and siren in an attempt to initiate a traffic stop, but the pickup kept on going. A call was put into county dispatch, and another police cruiser from Towanda joined in the pursuit. The Dodge soon stopped on Merrill Parkway, just past the entrance to GTP.

The original patrol car was stopped behind the pickup truck, the reports continued, and an officer was contacting county dispatch to inform them of the situation, when the suspected vehicle suddenly traveled in reverse, striking the front of the police cruiser in the process. A request was made to county dispatch to contact the state police to provide backup, and Towanda officers unholstered their weapons and approached the Dodge. Police found the driver’s seat empty and started to search the area, when they discovered the driver, identified as Maupin, lying down across the back seat.

Maupin was ordered to get out of the vehicle. Once outside, officers placed Maupin face down on the ground, and ordered him to stop resisting and place his hands behind his back. Police were eventually able to handcuff Maupin’s hands behind his back. Maupin was placed in a patrol vehicle behind the driver’s seat, police said, and during the struggle they detected an odor of alcohol on his breath and person.

Police interviewed a passenger who was riding in the Dodge when it was stopped, and they determined that the vehicle would have to be towed from the scene. A towing service was ordered, and the investigating officer observed Maupin in the patrol car, having moved to the right side of the vehicle. It was also observed that although Maupin was still handcuffed, his hands were now in front of him instead of behind him, which was how he had been originally secured.

Police said they used a department camera to take pictures of the damage done to the suspected vehicle, along with the patrol car. In the process, police said, they checked the back seat and observed Maupin sitting in the back right seat, and made certain that the doors were closed.

Fulmer’s Towing arrived at the scene around 1:25 a.m., police continued, and while they were speaking to the Fulmer’s employee they heard the engine of the patrol vehicle holding Maupin engage. The cruised backed up, then pulled away, and Maupin was observed driving away. State police were contacted to assist, and a Towanda officer immediately gave pursuit in the other cruiser at the scene.

The stolen cruiser stopped a short distance away, police said, and Maupin, who had exited the vehicle, was chased on foot, and eventually taken back into custody across from DuPont on Patterson Boulevard. He was transported to Memorial Hospital in Towanda, where he refused to submit to a blood test.

Maupin was later arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Jonathan Wilcox, who ordered the defendant incarcerated in lieu of $25,000 bail. Maupin’s preliminary hearing is scheduled today before Judge Clark.