PAULS VALLEY, Okla -- A high-speed pursuit involving dozens of law enforcement officers chasing one suspect literally came to a crashing halt only a handful of steps from the back door of Garvin County's jail.
Leading Thursday afternoon's pursuit stretching over two neighboring counties was 61-year-old Frank Raboski of Maysville.
It all started in Sulphur when Raboski sped away from a narcotics investigation, or "drug buy," being conducted by the Murray County Sheriff's Department.
During the controlled buy a confidential informant working for the sheriff's office there purchased $250 worth of methamphetamine from Raboski.
Sheriff Darin Rogers and one of his deputies were reportedly moving in for the arrest when Raboski took off.
He is reported to have sped out of the Walmart parking lot in Sulphur going toward Davis on state Highway 7 at speeds in excess of 100 mph.
The high-speed pursuit was on with Murray County deputies and Sulphur police close behind the silver Ford Taurus driven by Raboski.
Speeds apparently remained fast through Davis as other law enforcement officers and even Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers soon joined the chase. Raboski next turned his vehicle northbound on Interstate 35.
The chase took a dramatic turn on the south side of Pauls Valley when Garvin County deputies used stop sticks on the interstate, which deflated the vehicle's passenger side front tire.
Raboski then changed the course of the chase by taking the highway exit leading to the heart of Pauls Valley.
With Raboski's car traveling on one tire-less wheel, the pursuit still at high speeds continued eastbound on SH 19, also known as Grant Avenue, into the downtown area and near Garvin County's courthouse.
A second attempt by a state trooper to get the suspect's vehicle stopped with a tactical maneuver proved successful as the pursuit literally came to a grinding halt on a sidewalk only steps away from the back door of the sheriff's office and county jail facility here.
It remains unknown if Raboski intentionally drove to the county jail or was still attempting to avoid arrest.
Once the pursuit ended Raboski was taken into custody and into the jail here. A dog in Raboski's car also jumped out and ran from the scene.
Raboski was later transported to the jail facility in Murray County, where is expected to face a number of drug related charges. He could have formal allegations filed against him here in Garvin County.
Copyright 2012 - Pauls Valley Daily Democrat, Okla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
