Several area drivers witnessed a police chase April 24 that ended just south of Morenci.

Due to the large number of police cars involved in the chase, speculation loomed that a serious crime had been committed, but that’s not the case, reports Sgt. Schultz of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The chase originated on the Ohio Turnpike, Sgt. Schultz said, and soon traversed a good share of Fulton County.

The driver traded the misdemeanor of the suspended license charge for the felony of fleeing and eluding, Sgt. Schultz said.