Morgantown man who fled from police found hiding in closet, police say

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - A Morgantown has been charged after authorities said he was found hiding in a closet following a police chase.

Officers were patrolling the Evansdale area of Monongalia County around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday when they saw a vehicle stopped in the middle of Van Voorhis Ave., according to a criminal complaint.

Authorities already on the scene said the driver, later identified as 37-year-old Brandon Burke, was passed out while the car was still in drive.

Authorities woke Burke up while trying to put the car in park, and officers said he woke up and stepped on the gas, nearly hitting an officer and EMS personnel, before putting the car in park.

After speaking with officers, the report says Burke put the car back in drive and fled at speeds of 80-90 mph until officers lost track of him on Chestnut Ridge Rd.

Court documents say officers found Burke’s car outside of a home at around 2:20 a.m. and went inside. Burke was found “hiding inside the closet of the residence with his car keys next to him.”

Deputies said they found heroin in the home, and Burke had a plastic bag containing narcotics on his person at the sheriff’s department, according to another criminal complaint.

Burke has been charged with fleeing from an officer in a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. He is being held at North Central Regional Jail on a $30,000 bond.

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