Knotts

ELKINS — A Virginia man is facing a felony charge after allegedly leading police on an 100 mph chase and crashing a vehicle into a creek on Wednesday afternoon.

Christopher Edward Knotts, 40, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, is charged with fleeing from a law enforcement officer in a vehicle showing a reckless indifference to the safety of others, a felony.

He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by West Virginia State Police Captain Jason C. Saurino, on Wednesday at approximately 4:40 p.m., Saurino witnessed a blue sedan traveling “at a high rate of speed” southbound on the Beverly Pike near Beverly and the State Police Elkins Detachment.

Saurino allegedly tracked the vehicle going 81 mph, police said. .Saurino activated his emergency light and then observed the vehicle “appear to increase in speed and maneuver around traffic.”

Saurino had to accelerate to more than 100 mph to attempt to catch up to the vehicle, the complaint states. Saurino then observed the driver of the vehicle make a left turn onto Dodson Run Road.

The vehicle continued to accelerate on the road and, according to the complaint, “launched off the right roadway edge, crashing into the creek with a passenger in the front seat.”

Saurino placed the driver of the vehicle in custody. He identified Knotts as the driver by his Virginia identification card, according to the complaint.

A preliminary hearing for Knotts has been scheduled in Randolph County Magistrate Court on April 28.