Two dead after police pursuit in Butler County

Two dead after police pursuit in Butler County

A man and a 2-year-old girl are dead after a police pursuit in Butler County.  Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet says the incident began Wednesday afternoon when a woman in Leon called 911. 

The woman had spoken on the telephone with her boyfriend who was caring for their 2-year-old daughter.  She then suspected that he had been drinking and was with the 2-year-old in a vehicle.  She called 911 and Leon Police officers located the man and the girl, and the man fled with the child in a truck.  Butler County Sheriff's officers joined in the effort to stop the fleeing man, but the chase ended in a crash.

According to Sheriff Herzet, the pickup truck went off an embankment and landed on its hood in the Walnut River. Herzet says after 90-minutes of rescue efforts, the crew was able to extricate the driver’s body which was pinned inside the submerged car. Police continue to search for the body of the man's 2-year-old daughter.