Stidham was arraigned Friday in Hamilton Municipal Court and remains housed in the Butler County Jail.
According to the police report, the incident began at about 7:05 p.m. when officers stopped Stidham at Elvin and Prytania avenues for several traffic violations. He initially stopped for the officer and when the officer was up at his vehicle, he then took off from him, heading westbound on Elvin towards Progress Avenue.
Officers were running Stidham’s license when he apparently heard the radio traffic about outstanding warrants. The officer observed him reach for the gear shift, opened the door and reached in an attempt to get Stidham out of the vehicle, according to the report.
Stidham then put the vehicle into drive as the officer was holding his arm and began speeding away. According to the report, another officer witnessed Stidham attempt to hit the officer.
Officers chased Stidham to the 200 block of Progress Avenue, where he lost control and crashed into several parked vehicles. Stidham’s car caught fire and he fled on foot.
According to police, Stidham refused to comply with orders to stop and appeared to be reaching into his waistband. He was hit with a Taser in the 200 block of North F Street and taken into custody.
Credit: Butler County Jail
Credit: Butler County Jail
Lisa Short said she and her children had just returned home from getting some Christmas decorations, including an angel in memory of her grandmother who died this summer. She sent her daughter out to the car to bring the angel inside.
“She wasn’t in the house five minutes and it was just all chaos,” Short said, which quickly brought to mind a bad wreck in July when she said someone hit her head-on while she was stopped at a red light and totaled her brand new van. “It sounded just like that, the screeching tires, the big booms.”
Short’s car was heavily damaged.
Nathaniel Wilson’s security camera caught police running and Stidham down after being shocked.
“At that point, they were telling him to stay down. They were waiting for an ambulance, but he got up and was walking.”
Wilson said he was alerted to the ruckus by his dogs while officers were chasing the suspect into his yard.
