Man who led police on 80-mile semi chase crashing police cars said he was on meth

The man who drove a semi in a more than 80-mile chase last year across Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati highways told police he was high on methamphetamine at the time.

Harold Glen Snow was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison Monday in Campbell Circuit Court.  

The Kings Mountain, Kentucky resident crashed into three police cars and aimed the truck at a fourth officer's car during the mostly pre-dawn August 2019 pursuit. 

The 29-year-old, in a plea deal with prosecutors, pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to 12 charges including four charges of attempted murder of a police officer.

Snow told police he was high on methamphetamine when he was captured, said Mike Zimmerman, an assistant Campbell Commonwealth's Attorney. Zimmerman was the prosecuting attorney in the case.

Police found a used syringe in the cab of the truck, which had been reported stolen, Zimmerman said.

Snow's attorney Tamara E. Scull, a public defender, said in court that Snow didn't act entirely alone. 

The person he was with left when Snow pulled the tractor-trailer off the lot, Scull said. 

The police chase started after a Sharonville, Ohio trucking company AC Trucking & Warehousing called 911 to report the truck was moving into Kentucky.

"Mr. Snow did run because he was under the influence and scared," Scull said.

Scull said Snow wanted to express that he is sorry and take responsibility for his actions.

"This is a hefty sentence for a young man, and this is something that is going to follow him the rest of his life," she said.

The four officers who had their cars struck by the semi were all consulted about the settlement, Zimmerman said. The officers thought the sentence was an appropriate resolution, he said

"It was one of those cases where you had a visceral reaction to it just because of the particular victims in this case, how long the chase was, and how many people's lives he put in danger," Zimmerman said.

The officers had to dive out of their cars to avoid being struck by the semi, Zimmerman said. When Snow crashed into a Campbell County officer on U.S. 27 while going the wrong way into the southbound lanes, the officer's car crashed into about three other driver's cars in a chain reaction, he said.

"By the grace of God nobody was hurt," Zimmerman said.

Snow jumped from the truck and clambered down a steep hillside to escape. He was arrested 10 days later in Butler County.

On Monday, Campbell Circuit Judge Daniel Zalla accepted the plea deal allowing all the prison terms Snow was sentenced to Monday to all run at one time, or concurrently. Snow will not be eligible for parole while in prison until serving at least 12 years and eight months in prison, or 85 percent of the sentence, Zalla said.

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Zalla sentenced Snow to 15 years prison on each of the four attempted murder of police officer charges. An attempted murder charge carries a maximum of 20 years prison. The judge sentenced Snow to the maximum possible on each of the remaining eight charges that are parole-eligible offenses to run at the same time as the attempted murder sentences. The remaining charges were two counts of receiving stolen property over $10,000, four counts of first-degree criminal mischief, a related third-degree burglary, and first-degree fleeing or evading police.