Man involved in Bluffton officer death sentenced on Medina County charges

MEDINA COUNTY, Ohio (WTVG) - A man facing charges stemming from a multi-county police chase and fatally striking a Bluffton police officer was sentenced on his Medina County charges on Monday.

According to court documents, Dante Tate was sentenced to two years in jail after he was convicted of Failure to Comply and Receiving Stolen Property. He is still facing charges in Hancock County.

Tate and two others were charged after allegedly leading police on a chase throughout Ohio that killed Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis in March of 2022. Police say Francis was deploying stop sticks on I-75 in Hancock County to stop the suspects when the suspect vehicle hit him.

After the suspect vehicle hit Francis, police say the three suspects got out and ran away. According to officials, Tate stole a Toyota Prius and led police on yet another chase when a trooper spotted him on I-71 near Medina. The vehicle was eventually stopped at SR-57 in Elyria. You can watch OSHP dash cam footage from the incident below.

Tate is also facing a series of charges in Hancock County where Francis was killed, including complicity to receiving stolen property, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, theft and/or grand theft of a motor vehicle, and receiving stolen property. His next pretrial date is scheduled for August 15.

OSHP releases dashcam footage of law enforcement chasing a suspect fleeing from police after the crash that killed Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis.

Emin Johnson and Zachary Love are also facing charges in Hancock County from the fatal crash.

Johnson is facing the most serious charges. He was indicted on a slew of charges including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, receiving stolen property, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, possession of criminal tools, tampering with evidence, failure to stop after an accident, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, and having weapons under disability.

Love was indicted on charges including receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, having weapons under disability, and improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle. He was taken into police custody in Hancock County.

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