Hartly man arrested on drug charges following vehicle chase

HARRINGTON, Del. – A Hartly man was arrested on multiple charges after he led police on a vehicle chase Wednesday evening.

At around 8 p.m., officers with the Felton Police Department saw a motorcycle traveling in excess of 100 mph and driving in a reckless manner on South DuPont Highway. Officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the motorcycle failed to stop and continued fleeing southbound on South DuPont Highway, possibly towards Harrington.

Felton Police then sent out a description to other patrol units in the area to be on the lookout for the motorcycle. A Harrington Police officer saw the motorcycle in the area of Delaware Avenue and tried to stop it, but once again the operator fled, leading officers on a pursuit. The motorcycle fled at speeds in excess of 100 mph, and due to safety concerns, the pursuit was ended on Vernon Road just west of Harrington, at which point the officer deactivated all of his emergency equipment and began following the motorcycle at a safe distance.

A short time later, the motorcycle pulled into the driveway of a residence on Cornish Road. After seeing the officer, the operator, identified as 23-year-old Michel Borntreger, tried to flee again, during which he hit the police vehicle. As the officer tried to take him into custody, he began fighting with the officer. The Harrington officer then deployed his K-9 partner and Borntreger was subsequently apprehended.

While searching Borntreger, police found 4.6 grams of cocaine, 10.9 grams of fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia. He also reportedly suffered dog bites to his arm and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. After being treated and released, he was taken back to the Harrington Police Department and charged with resisting arrest with force, disregarding a police officer signal, two counts of possess or consume a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and numerous other traffic violations.

Borntreger was released on his own recognizance pending a future court appearance.