FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — Charges have been filed against a Franklin man who reportedly led police on a high-speed pursuit on State Route 8 late last week.

Court documents indicate the Franklin Police Department filed criminal charges against 34-year-old Jeremy Todd Shawgo.

According to a criminal complaint, around 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, Franklin Police were assisting with traffic control at the intersection of Eighth Street and Liberty Street when Ptlm. Scott heard the city employee who was flagging at the intersection yell. He then witnessed a red Ford Mustang speed off from the scene.

Ptlm. Scott got into his patrol vehicle and followed the vehicle, activating his emergency lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop.

According to the complaint, when Ptlm. Scott caught up with the vehicle at Liberty and Third Street, the vehicle accelerated and drove up Bully Hill, then turned right on Congress Hill Road, then right on Pone Lane.

Ptlm. Scott recognized the driver of the vehicle as Jeremy Todd Shawgo.

When the vehicle came to a steady red light at the intersection of Pone Lane and State Route 8, Shawgo reportedly drove through the light and made a left turn onto Route 8, then accelerated quickly and drove at a very high rate of speed, in excess of 120 miles per hour.

Ptlm. Scott attempted to catch Shawgo’s vehicle but lost sight of it in the area of Mauer’s Trading Post and then returned to the intersection of Liberty and Eighth Streets to speak to the city employee.

According to the complaint, the city employee reported that the driver had the vehicle stopped at the intersection while other cars were being allowed through from the other side, but the driver kept revving his engine. He reported the driver then “took off” toward him, causing him to have to jump out of the way of the vehicle. He also noted that the driver had a golden-colored dog in the passenger seat.

After speaking to the city employee, Ptlm. Scott was returning to the Franklin Police Department when he spotted the same vehicle sitting at the intersection of 13th Street and Liberty Street. It then turned left into the 300 block of 13th Street.

Ptlm. Scott activated his lights and siren again, and the driver entered Crosby’s parking lot the wrong way and came to a stop.

The complaint notes the officer was then able to positively identify Shawgo as the driver of the vehicle, which did have a golden-colored dog in the passenger seat. Shawgo was subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Franklin Police Department.

Shawgo was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Patrick E. Lowrey at 12:40 a.m. on Friday, April 9, on the following charges:

– Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Officer, Felony 3
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2

He was lodged in the Venango County Jail with bail denied. The bail action reason is listed as “Will not obey orders of the Bail Authority. Currently out on two bonds.”

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on April 14 in Venango County Central Court

Court documents indicate Shawgo has a lengthy history of criminal activity in the local area, with charges dating back to 2007 ranging from simple assault and harassment to burglary.

He currently has two cases pending in the Venango County Court of Common Pleas, one in relation to an incident in which he allegedly broke through the glass of the front door of a residence and then proceeded to assault a woman in Franklin in January 2020, and another related to an alleged assault in Franklin in August 2020.