Man guilty in pursuit, injury of deputy

A Dayton man who allegedly led police on a winding car chase - and rammed a patrol car, injuring a deputy - has been found guilty on two charges and acquitted of two others.

John Michael Foster, 46, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of eluding a police officer in a manner that endangers a person and felony third-offense drunken driving.

He opted to go before a jury on four other charges.

On Wednesday, the jury acquitted Foster on charges of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly trying to run over a casino security officer and assault with a deadly weapon for backing his vehicle into a patrol car.

The same jury found Foster guilty of eluding a police officer, resulting in bodily injury, and battery with a deadly weapon for ramming Deputy Tara Collier's patrol car with his own vehicle. Collier suffered hand and knee injuries, which took her off the streets as a patrol officer. She's since moved out of the area.

According to police reports, officers were called to a Carson Street casino on Jan. 1 on a report of a man harassing a woman. When they arrived, they were told that Foster allegedly had tried to run over a security officer.

When a deputy spotted Foster's vehicle, he attempted a traffic stop, but Foster fled. The pursuit never went above 40 mph, but eventually Foster wrecked the vehicle at the corner of Wagner and Michael drives. When the deputy pulled in behind him, Foster reportedly threw his car into reverse and backed onto the top of the patrol car.

After freeing himself from that entanglement, Foster sped onto Winnie Lane, where he encountered Collier in her patrol car. Police reports indicate Foster gunned his engine and slammed into Collier's vehicle with enough force to activate both airbags and injure the deputy.

He faces up to 42 years in prison when sentenced Oct. 11.