Child reportedly sat unrestrained during wild chase with cops
Hank Murphy
A 23-year-old Niagara man is accused of fleeing police at speeds of 100 mph Friday night and attempting to ram pursuing officers during a wild chase in the towns of Homestead and Aurora. All the while, the man’s son, who had just turned 4, reportedly sat next to him unrestrained by seatbelts or a child car seat.
Brandon Scott Butterfield of 1072 Heights St. faces felony charges of attempting to elude police, second-degree reckless endangerment, and bail jumping. He also is accused of misdemeanor charges of child neglect, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal damage to property.
The following account was taken from a criminal complaint filed Monday by District Attorney Doug Drexler:
At about 9 p.m., Florence County Deputy Ed Kelley clocked an old brown Chevy truck traveling north at 71 mph on County U in the town of Homestead. Kelley stopped the truck south of County B, and as he was walking toward it, the driver took off. The truck continued north on County U and turned east onto County B, where it crossed the centerline at speeds of 100 mph. Florence County Deputy Terry Peterson responded to the chase as did officers from Marinette and Dickinson counties.
As the pickup approached Aurora, Kelley, concerned about traffic, backed off and turned off his emergency lights and siren. Kelley followed the pickup to Skyline Drive, a dead-end road, where the truck turned into a private driveway. Kelley got out of his car, drew his gun and ordered the driver to stop the truck. He then noticed a small child sitting unrestrained inside the truck.
The pickup went through a ditch and around Kelley’s patrol car. He later heard officers from Dickinson County report that the pickup had tried to ram them, and they were now in pursuit. Eventually, Dickinson County deputies attempted to hook the pickup’s bumper with a patrol car’s bumper, and the truck got hung up on the squad unit.
Kelley saw deputies handcuff the screaming driver and he walked over to place him under arrest. He could smell alcohol. While he was being patted down, the driver stopped screaming and became unresponsive and began to spit up a white substance. He was taken to Dickinson County Memorial Hospital.
Before the events of Friday night, Butterfield had faced a misdemeanor charge of possession of THC. A plea/sentencing hearing had been set for July 7.
