SMETHPORT — A Bradford woman will serve two to four years in state prison for allegations that she led officers on a police chase, nearly striking multiple police vehicles.
Teagan Grove, 29, was sentenced Thursday in McKean County Court before President Judge John Pavlock. She has credit for 120 days of time served.
Public Defender Philip Clabaugh noted that Grove anticipates she will serve at least one additional year for a revocation, but she does not know for sure what the parole board will decide on that.
On Sept. 5, Grove pleaded guilty to charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, four counts of recklessly endangering another person and a summary charge.
On the day Grove entered her plea, District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said that on May 15, a state parole agent reported that he saw Grove at Tops Supermarket in Bradford. He said there was a felony warrant against her. She refused to stop for police officers attempted to pull over her car, and a chase ensued with officers from Bradford City and Bradford Township.
During the chase, Grove nearly struck marked police vehicles that were trying to stop her, and she did eventually crash her own vehicle. The event put the public in danger, as well as officers including Timothy Gigliotti, Joshua Frederoski, Matthew Lamade and Michael Ward, said Shaffer.
“This was dumb,” Clabaugh said of his client’s role in the chase. “There’s not a better word for it.”
However, after working with her and talking to others involved in the case, he feels she is capable of turning her life around, the defense attorney indicated.
“I think everybody but she knows she can do this successfully,” he said.
Clabaugh said, “She’s a very bright young woman who made very silly decisions here.”
Grove told Pavlock she has been in and out of trouble for nearly a decade. During that period, “Time was never valuable to me,” she said. “I’ve never loved anybody. I’ve never loved anything.”
However, her view is getting different as she gets older, she indicated, telling Pavlock he will never see her again in court.
Pavlock referred to a statement that Clabaugh made: that Grove would either “get it,” or not and spend more time incarcerated. Pavlock said there is a third possibility — “You’re dead” — due to her risky behavior.
“This was extremely dangerous,” Pavlock said of the chase, explaining that it put many people at risk.
Grove noted her mindset at the time of the chase “was fight or flight.”
“I hope you use your anger and your frustration to better yourself and not be back,” Pavlock told her.
