Man accused of running from North Strabane police
A man who allegedly tried to run from North Strabane Township police Friday afternoon after giving them a fake name reportedly told officers he knew there were warrants for his arrest.
Lewis Franklin Shuman III, 26, who lists addresses of Henderson Avenue in Chartiers Township and Hutchinson Avenue in Canonsburg, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by police in the 2200 block of Route 519.
An officer was traveling north on 519 when he spotted a southbound vehicle with expired inspection and emission stickers. The officer turned around, and the vehicle was found in the lot of a nearby gasoline station.
The officer was talking to the woman who was driving the vehicle when he saw a man, later identified as Shuman, approach the vehicle. The officer said Shuman’s behavior was “strange,” so he asked for his name.
Shuman reportedly gave the officer an incorrect first name and birthdate. The officer checked the information and determined Shuman was not the person whose name he had given.
When the officer tried to take Shuman into custody, he allegedly broke away, crossing Route 519 to the ramp from Interstate 79 and across the creek. The officer threatened to deploy his Taser if Shuman did not stop. Police said Shuman stopped about 50 yards away and was taken into custody. He then allegedly told police he gave the fake name because he knew there were warrants for his arrest.
Washington police obtained a warrant for him on charges of terroristic threats and harassment after a Feb. 18 incident in the city. State police got a warrant for him on charges of terroristic threats and harassment after he allegedly said last week he had “100 bullets” and was going to use them to shoot up a house on Weirich Avenue in Canton Township.
Shuman was arraigned before District Judge Curtis Thompson on charges of resisting arrest, flight to avoid apprehension, false identification to police and possession of paraphernalia filed by North Strabane police. He was placed in Washington County jail on $10,000 bond. He is scheduled for a March 20 preliminary hearing before District Judge Jay Weller.
Shuman will be arraigned later before District Judge Robert Redlinger on the city charges and before District Judge David Mark on the state police charges.