Armed Speeders Pack Ton of Crack in Mount Morris Police Chase

MOUNT MORRIS – A Pennsylvania woman and an armed Rochester man led Mount Morris Police on a dangerous chase through the Village on Saturday which ended with the officers tasing and arresting the man and taking an extraordinary amount of crack cocaine into custody.

According to a press release from Mount Morris Police Chief Ken Mignemi, Rachel Cole, 27, was charged several misdemeanors related to fleeing police and Gerald Bradley, 33, was charged with several felonies including Menacing a Police Officer, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.

“This incident presented a very serious danger to the public from the beginning,” said Mignemi. “The high rates of speed through residential areas and pointing a loaded firearm at police put everyone involved as serious risk. I want to commend my officers for professionally bringing this to a safe resolution.”

Mignemi added that a crime lab will determine how pure the cocaine is. Depending on these results, the weight of cocaine seized could make Bradley’s drug charges rise to a higher level later.

On Saturday Jan. 7 at about 11:43 p.m., Officer Katelyn Sanders saw a vehicle with a Pennsylvania registration traveling west on East State Street when it allegedly ran the red light at the corner of Main Street and State Street and headed south on Main Street. Sanders then allegedly observed the vehicle fail to signal when turning right onto Chapel Street.

Sanders stopped the car but allegedly saw that the vehicle was not in park. Sanders approached the vehicle and observed a white female driver and a black male passenger. Sanders ordered the driver to place the vehicle in park, which the driver did. Moments later, the driver suddenly drove away from the stop. Sanders called for assistance with a non-compliant vehicle and allegedly observed the driver fail to signal when turning back on to State Street and again ran a solid red light while headed east on State Street. The driver further failed to comply, reaching what officers estimate was 50 mph in a 30 mph zone. The vehicle was further observed headed east on East State Street and turning onto Sullivan Street. The vehicle then turned on to Lands Lane when Sanders observed the passenger door of the vehicle open.

Sanders observed the male passenger point what she believed to be a black hand gun out of the door toward her vehicle. She notified dispatch that the passenger was believed to be armed. Officers then allegedly observed the male jumping from the moving vehicle and fleeing on foot on Garden Lane.

Officer Zachary Hinkson and Officer Greg Stefaniak, who responded as backup for the non-compliant vehicle, pursued the male on foot. The driver of the vehicle pulled over for Sanders.

The driver, later identified as Cole, was found to only have a non-driver’s ID out of Pennsylvania. A small bag of what is believed to be marijuana was also recovered on Cole’s person.

Hinkson and Stefaniak caught the man on foot and took him into custody after taser deployment. He was later identified as Bradley. Hinkson and Stefaniak found Bradley to be in possession of what is believed to be 48.7 grams of crack cocaine. Bradley was transported to Noyes Memorial because he allegedly admitted to recently using cocaine. After evaluation, he was transported back to the Mount Morris Police Department for arrest processing.

Sanders searched the vehicle and recovered what is believed to be a loaded black Luger 9mm handgun from the front passenger floor of the vehicle.

Assisting with the investigation were: Mount Morris Officers Jeremey Blair and Mount Morris Officer Melody Moore; Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ryan Swanson; Sgt. James Merrick; Deputy Kevin Geer; Deputy Thomas Moran; and NYS Trooper Eric Huynh.

Mount Morris Village Justice Brandon Zingaro arraigned both defendants.

Cole is charged with misdemeanor Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, misdemeanor Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree Unlawful Possession of Marihuana, a violation, and seven vehicle and traffic law violations. Judge Zingaro ordered Cole held at the Livingston County Jail $2,500 cash or $5,000 secured bond.

Bradley is charged with felony Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Felony Menacing a Police Officer, felony Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, misdemeanor Resisting Arrest, and misdemeanor Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree. Judge Zingaro remanded Bradley to the Livingston County Jail without bail at the recommendation of the Livingston County District Attorney’s Office.