Elyria man who climbed a tree to avoid arrest charged with 5 felonies

An Elyria man who police said climbed a tree to avoid arrest on open warrants last month is now facing five felony charges in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. Fred Golson Jr., 20, of Winckles Street, was indicted on charges of felonious assault, having weapons under disability, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and obstructing official business, all felonies, by a Lorain County grand jury on July 6. Bond was set at $100,000 cash with an accompanying personal recognizance bond and the case was assigned to Judge Chris Cook. Court records did not list an attorney. The charges are connected to an April 29 incident on Cleveland Street in Elyria in which Golson and two other men, Ephraim Reed and Xaviah Lovejoy, were arrested after Elyria police investigated reports that someone fired shots in the area of Blue Sky Restaurant just before 3 p.m. that day. On June 29, Golson was spotted by Lorain police who were aware he was wanted by authorities in both Elyria and North Ridgeville. Officers chased Golson on foot until he climbed a tree in a backyard in the 900 block of West 23rd Street. Golson refused to come down for four hours, and officers used chainsaws to cut away the lower branches on the tree before climbing a ladder to pull him from the tree and take him into custody. No one was injured in the April 29 shooting, according to Elyria police, who pursued a blue Ford Focus from the scene into North Ridgeville. A short chase by North Ridgeville police ended when the car crashed near Mills Road after failing to stop for officers. Golson, Lovejoy and Reed were arrested, and North Ridgeville police also charged Golson with resisting arrest and obstructing official business in that incident. On June 15, Elyria police attempted to pull over a tan Saturn with Golson behind the wheel, as he had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to appear in court after posting bond in the previous case. Instead of stopping, police said Golson led them on a chase that was halted in Lorain when police called it off. The car was found abandoned at 21st Street and Hamilton in Lorain, but Golson was not found at the time and remained free until his June 29 arrest. Golson also is facing multiple misdemeanor criminal and traffic charges in Lorain County municipal courts. Reed has pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle in Common Pleas Court in connection with the April incident, and remains jailed on $25,000 bond, according to jail and court records. Lovejoy has pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious assault, having weapons under disability, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and carrying a concealed weapon, also in connection with the April incident, and remains jailed on $30,000 bond, according to jail and court records. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him @daveobrienCT on Twitter.