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SUGARLOAF TWP. — A Berwick man was arrested Saturday after initiating a pursuit with township police that began on state Route 93 and ended on the other side of the Susquehanna River in Salem Township, according to police.

Township police said they caught Mark A. Raper, 45, of Main Street, during a foot chase in a wooded area near Walnut Street just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

Police said a records check revealed Raper was wanted on several arrest warrants in Virginia.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police on patrol on state Route 93 near the Pilot Truck Stop checked the registration of a Volkswagen discovering the owner, a woman, had a suspended and expired driver’s license.

Police stop the vehicle, driven by Raper, on Route 93. As officers approached the stopped vehicle, Raper sped away initiating a pursuit on Route 93 and side streets in Sugarloaf Township and Nescopeck.

Raper drove into Berwick and turned north on Route 11 driving into Salem Township.

Raper turned onto side streets and ended back on Route 11, eventually turning onto Walnut Street and was forced to stop due to another vehicle blocking the street.

Police allege Raper abandoned the Volkswagen and ran into woods where an officer tackled him during a chase, the complaint says.

Raper was arraigned by District Judge James Haggerty in Kingston on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police, resisting arrest, driving with a suspended license and speeding. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.

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By Ed Lewis

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