Richard Cooper

Vehic/Purs

Officer Troy Hughes was attempting to stop a suspected drunken driver on Harmon Road. The driver, later identified as Cooper, didn't respond to lights and sirens and led Hughes and Officer Dave Ratliff onto Frank Road, police said. The officers eventually lost sight of the car as it accelerated to a high rate of speed, but they continued their pursuit at 35 to 40 mph. As the officers came around a sharp curve, they came upon the tangled wreckage of Cooper's car and a another other driven by 22-year-old Mary Gibson of Columbus. Cooper's car had crossed into the path of Gibson's car, police said.