CAZENOVIA -- A Madison County man is out on bail after leading several agencies on a 2 county chase.
26-year-old Derik Churchill of Oneida has been charged with Criminal Contempt and aggravated harrassment although more charges are pending from Madison County Sheriff's deputies and Cazenovia Police.
The incident started when Churchill allegedly illegally showed up at the home of a woman after having been served a restraining order by police just an hour earlier.
An alert was issued to law enforcement agencies throughout Madison County and his vehicle was spotted in Morrisville.
The pursuit went through communities like Stockbridge, Munnsville, New Woodstock, Chittenango, Pompey and Cazenovia.
Deputies say during the chase Churchill damaged property with his minivan and rammed a sheriff’s department car, though the deputy was not injured.
Churchill was eventually caught on the Cazenovia College Campus around 1:30 Friday morning.
The suspect was initially reported to be carrying an automatic weapon with night vision equipment according to deputies, but no weapon was found.
The Cazenovia College and SUNY Morrisville campuses were locked down during the incident, as students and nearby residents were advised to stay indoors for their safety. The lockdowns were lifted a little before 2:00 a.m.
Churchill was released on $1,000 cash bail, although he could be charged again in the case.
