UTICA -- A Utica man is accused of driving drunk and leading police on a chase. Utica police say Rasaad Dillard, 25, of 914 Elizabeth Street, wasn't wearing his seat belt when he was stopped at a DWI roadside checkpoint around 3:15 a.m. Sunday. It happened at the intersection of Bleecker Street and Kossuth Avenue.
When the officer asked for his driver's license, police say, Dillard sped off at a high rate of speed. They say he was driving around 70 miles per hour, weaving in and out of traffic. Because it was becoming dangerous, police stopped the chase. Police say Dillard later crashed near Potter and Whitesboro Streets, flipping over. Neither he nor his passenger were hurt.
Dillard was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more, reckless driving, fleeing from a police officer while in a motor vehicle, aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to obey a police officer and a slew of traffic violations.
